Abstract
AbstractThis entry examines metathesis in morphology, which refers both to the transposition of segments to mark inflection and the transposition or displacement of morphemes. Neither manifestation is widely attested, leading many to question the need for actual movement operations in the morphology itself. Instead many analyses account for metathesis effects as either not involving actual movement or as being underlyingly phonological in nature. Given that metathesis in morphology is indeed never fully independent of the phonology, the entry presents a series of metathesis examples in four categories along a phonology–morphology continuum. These categories are phonological metathesis, morphologically triggered metathesis, morphological metathesis and morpheme metathesis. Competing analyses of the patterns are briefly surveyed to demonstrate the controversial nature of morphological movement and the reluctance to admit it as a primitive morphological operation. In addition, the entry discusses metathesis in the context of various theories of representation and the morpho‐phonological grammar and also compares the nature of movement operations in morphology to those found in phonology and syntax.