Multifunctionality in morphology

Words are complex entities that consist of smaller parts, each of which contributes to the overall meaning and grammatical function of the word. These parts are called morphemes, and they are the focus of the present project. One example of a morpheme is -er. This morpheme can add a variety of meanings and functions to a word. For instance, in the word "researcher", the morpheme -er adds the meaning of "someone who does something". But -er can have many other functions and meanings, such as the -er in adjectival forms like "smaller", or the -er used to make words for inhabitants, like "Londoner". Even more intriguingly, some instances of -er are difficult to decipher. For example, many words for family members such as "father", "mother", "daughter", "sister", and "brother" share the -er part, but it is not immediately clear what this part of the word means. The multifunctionality of morphemes, as illustrated on -er in English, has been gaining relevance and popularity in the study of human language. This project focuses on Slovenian, a language which has many word pieces that sound the same but show up in different, seemingly unrelated contexts. The project consists of three main parts, each of which aims to shed light on how these multifunctional word pieces work and how they can be grouped together. First, researchers will study a large number of Slovenian words (nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs) to examine how they are constructed and how often they contain multifunctional morphemes. By analyzing a wide range of words, the researchers will be able to identify common patterns and gain insight into how multifunctional morphemes function within the language. Second, the researchers will try to understand how these multifunctional word pieces can be grouped together. By looking at how these morphemes are used across different words, the researchers hope to understand in which instantiations belong to the same morpheme. Finally, the researchers will use what they have learned to create a new framework for understanding these word pieces and how they fit into the language. By developing a new framework, the researchers hope to provide a more accurate and comprehensive theory of how morphemes work within the language. By conducting this research, the project aims to deepen our understanding of how words are formed and how we comprehend them. By answering questions about how word pieces can convey different meanings and have different functions despite having the same appearance, the project will ultimately help propose a more adequate theory of language. So, even though it may seem like a small part of a word, a morpheme like -er can have a big impact on language and how we understand it. This project is an effort to unlock the secrets of word pieces and give us a deeper understanding of language as a whole. By gaining a better understanding of how morphemes function, we can better understand the complexities of language and the ways in which we use it to communicate.