Working within the morphosyntactic framework of Distributed Morphology (DM, Halle and Marantz 1993, 1994) within the Minimalist Program (Chomsky 1995), this dissertation proposes a new economy constraint on the grammar, MINIMIZE EXPONENCE, which selects the derivation that realizes all its interpretable features with the fewest morphemes. The purpose of this proposal is to capture the conflicting needs of the grammar to be both maximally contrastive and maximally efficient.I show that the constraint MINIMIZE EXPONENCE has a number of effects on analyses of morphosyntactic phenomena. I propose that, in order to satisfy MINIMIZE EXPONENCE, the roots in a derivation fuse with the functional heads projected above them, resulting in a simplex head that contains both a root and interpretable features. Following the tenets of DM, this head is now a target for the process of Vocabulary insertion. Since the target node contains both content and functional information, so too can Vocabulary Items (VIs) be specified for both types of information. This allows VIs such as eat and ate to compete with each other. This competition of forms linked to the same root allows for a new model of root allomorphy within the framework of DM. In this model of root allomorphy, following proposals by Pfau (2000), VIs that realize roots participate in competition in the same was as do VIs that realize abstract morphemes. Since root VIs are participating in competition and are specified for both content and formal features, the need for licensing through secondary exponence as proposed by Harley and Noyer (2000) is removed from the framework. Further, since eat and ate in this model are different VIs with different specifications that compete with each other for insertion, this model of root allomorphy also eliminates the need for readjustment rules as proposed by Halle and Marantz (1993, 1994) and elaborated on by Marantz (1997). This new model of root allomorphy allows for an account of the blocking of regular inflection in English nominal compounds (e.g. *rats-catcher), which was problematic for theorists working with DM, given the tenets of the framework.I also show that the fusion of roots and functional elements driven by MINIMIZE EXPONENCE allows for a new account of subcategorization. The model of subcategorization presented here falls out of the following facts: 1) arguments are introduced by functional heads; 2) those heads fuse with the root they are projected above, resulting in the node containing both the root and the features of the functional heads; 3) since the root now contains both the root and the formal features, the corresponding VI can be specified for both; 4) VIs that realize roots can also be specified for compatibility or incompatibility of the features of the functional heads that license argument structure. The result here is an underspecification model of subcategorization that predicts a number of behaviors of verbs with respect to their argument structure that it is difficult for a full specification model to account for. Those include polysemy (I ran the ball to Mary) and structural coercion (I thought the book to Mary).

I suppletion har olika böjningsformer av ett ord olika stammar. Det svenska adjektivet liten har den suppletiva pluralformen små och är det enda svenska adjektivet med numerussuppletion. I sammansättningar förekommer formerna lill- och små-. Då förled i sammansättningar inte förväntas vara suppletiva enligt moderna ordbildningsteorier kan de tänkas ha en annan funktion i sammansättningar. Denna studie undersöker produktivitet, användning och betydelse av förleden lill- och små- i nominala svenska sammansättningar med data från korpusar. Resultaten visar att lill- och små- inte uttrycker grammatiskt numerus i sammansättningar utan sinsemellan uteslutande, lexikaliserade betydelser. Lill- har en hög grad av individualitet och används i betydelsen ’mindre’ och ’imitation’, samt som en ameliorativ diminutivform som syftar på barn. Små- är mer produktivt än lill-, har en lägre grad av individualitet och används med betydelserna ’liten storlek’, ’obetydlig’ och ’ung’. För en begränsad grupp sammansättningar med släktskapsord som huvudled verkar numerus vara den viktigaste faktoren vid val av förled. / In suppletion different inflectional forms of a word have different stems. The Swedish adjective liten has the suppletive plural form små and is the only Swedish adjective with number suppletion. In compounds the forms lill- and små- are used. Since non-head elements in compounds are not expected to show suppletion according to modern theories of word formation they may be assumed to express some other meaning. This study examines the productivity, use and meaning of lill- and små- in nominal Swedish compounds, using data from corpora. The results show that lill- and små- do not express grammatical number in compounds, but mutually exclusive, lexicalized senses. Lill- has a high degree of individuality and is used in the senses of ‘smaller’, ‘imitation’ as well as of an ameliorative diminutive referring to children. Små- is more productive than lill-, has a lower degree of individuality and is used with the senses ‘small size’, ‘unimportant’ and ‘young’. For a limited group of compounds with a kinship term as a head, number seems to be the most important factor when determining which first element to chose.

Suppletion is a term used to describe the occurrence of unpredictable and irregular patterns. Although typological research has been devoted to verb suppletion, not as much attention has been given to suppletion in nominal and adjectival paradigms. The thesis presents the cross-linguistic distribution of nominal and adjectival suppletion. The lexical distribution as well as the features involved are presented. The results of nominal suppletion show that nouns referring to humans are most often suppletive, that number is the most common grammatical feature involved in nominal suppletion and that „child‟ is by far the most common noun to be suppletive cross-linguistically. The results on adjectival suppletion show that adjectival suppletion is well spread though not very common cross-linguistically. A study of 8 Semitic languages shows that „woman‟ versus „women‟ are stable suppletive forms in this language family.

(in English): Typology of verbal suppletion on the ground of Indo-European languages is the focus of the thesis Verbal suppletion in Indo-European languages. The diachronic approach is of special interest. Description of verbal suppletion in the oldest stages of the IE languages and reconstruction of their Proto-Indo-European forms is thus aimed for (for each of the ten well-described IE language branches, one sample language is chosen, and its verbal system and suppletive verbal paradigms are described). Besides the descriptive data from individual language branches, the outcome of the thesis comprises the evaluation of the data by typological means from diachronic and synchronic view-point and its assessment in relation to frequency, semantic fields and Semantic relevance hierarchy. The thesis delivers a review of Proto-Indo-European roots in suppletive paradigms and their mutual relationships.

(in English): In the present work, the aim is to discuss the occurrence of verbal suppletion in Romance languages within a representative, theoretical and practical framework that may be reflected in the tradition of language studies and by the most reliable theories at the beginning of the 21st century. In an attempt to prove through this issue how aspects of language system that might at first seem arbitrary are not really as such, but in fact need a proper perspective in order to be able to deal with them systematically. In the first part, the theoretical framework of the thesis is presented, starting with varying aspects of European and American structuralism, reaching to the current ongoing debate concerning issues related to "pure morphology" - the main reference model at present for a comprehensive analysis of the topic. In the second part, the discussion is more specifically oriented to verbal suppletion and treatments reserved by different linguistic perspectives, not always available to be considered as a topic worthy of attention because of its extreme unpredictability and irregularity. The third part dedicates a consistent space to the analysis of the morphomes that can be found in Romance languages (U/L-pattern, N-pattern, PYTA roots, blended morphomes) and to their evolution in a...

Ce travail soutient une conception non déficitaire de l’autisme. Il s’intéresse au traitement du sujet autiste, à son accompagnement et son évolution subjective. Il développe une prise en charge des autistes centrée sur leur fonctionnement spécifique et leur singularité. Il fait l’hypothèse d’un sujet au travail dans l’autisme, qui cherche désespérément à réfréner ce qui l’envahit, à tempérer son angoisse, et à symboliser son monde. Notre lecture lacanienne des principales approches de l’autisme (psychodynamiques, comportementales, cognitives) permet de dégager les conditions et modalités de traitement qui favorisent la relance du sujet autiste dans la dynamique du langage, son ouverture à autrui, à la connaissance, et au lien social. Cette évolution passe par l’élaboration d’un « symptôme autistique ». Nous montrons la fonction thérapeutique essentielle des différents moyens de compensation (ou « bases de suppléances ») à la carence symbolique, mis en oeuvre par le sujet autiste. Et précisons la fonction et le rôle déterminant du thérapeute au cours du traitement. Enfin, nous dégageons une clinique différentielle entre autisme et psychose. / This work supports an approach of autism as non deficient. It focuses on treatment, support and subjective evolution of the autistic subject. It develops a care centered on specificity and singularity of this subject. It makes the hypothesis that there is a subject working his way through in autism, desperately trying to stop what invades him, to moderate his anxiety, to symbolize his world. Our lacanian reading of the major approaches to autism (psychoanalytical, behaviorism, cognitivism) allows to develop the conditions and methods of a treatment that helps the autistic subject to re-start in the dynamics of language, stimulates his opening in others, in knowledge, and in social links. This evolution requires the elaboration of an « autistic symptom ». We underline the essential therapeutic function of various means of compensation (or « suppletion basis ») for the symbolic deficiency used by the autistic subject. And we specify the function and determining role of the therapist during the treatment. Finally, we define a differential clinical approach between autism and psychosis.