English Nouns since 1150: A Typological Study

Morphological typology is usually limited to the realm of grammar. Accordingly, English is considered an analytic language due to its poor grammatical morphology but what about the lexicon? Taking a twofold approach, this study investigates the typological development of English nouns since 1150. First, the focus is on the means used to extend the lexicon: Correlating the central noun formation processes as well as borrowing reveals, for the first time, their quantitative importance with some surprising results. Second, the structure of the lexicon takes center stage: The morphological analysis of all nouns uncovers diachronic shifts and striking parallels between grammar and lexicon.