Class features as probes

Abstract

Abstract In this chapter, we address (i) the form and (ii) the function of inflection class features in a minimalist grammar. The empirical evidence comes from noun inflection systems involving fusional markers in German, Greek, and Russian. As for (i), we argue (based on instances of transparadigmatic syncretism) that class features are not privative; rather, class information must be decomposed into more abstract, binary features. Concerning (ii), we propose that class features qualify as the very device that brings about fusional inflection: They are uninterpretable in syntax and act as probes on stems, with matching inflection markers as goals, and thus trigger morphological Agree operations that merge stem and inflection marker before syntax is reached.