INFLECTION PRIOR TO DERIVATION: A GENERATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE URDU NOMINAL COMPLEX DERIVATIVES

Abstract

The present study is devoted to trace inflection prior to derivation process in the Urdu nominal complex
derivatives. The core purpose of the present work is to scrutinize the inflection-first phenomenon. Previously, it
was perceived that derivation precedes inflection. This work exemplifies numerous instances bearing
pluralization of the root prior to trigger the complex derivation. The significance of the study lies in the point
that it refutes the long-held perception that derivation supports inflection. This study primarily states that
inflection prior to derivation is as permissible as derivation prior to inflection for Urdu. The structures bearing
the inflection-first process are examined within the framework of Generativism. The present study also uses
morphological attribute value matrix (MAVM) to highlight functions of each morpheme. The study states that
inflectional process does not close words to further derivation. The present work highlights that the inflectional
affixes do not always be further from the root than the derivational affixes in words containing both inflectional
and derivational affixes. It also refutes the claim of Split Morphology Hypothesis that inflectional markers
always occur outside derivational markers. The highlighted features are expected to contribute to the derivative
theory and may work equally for other Indo-Aryan languages.