The syntax of Sanskrit bahuvrīhis

Authors

  • John Lowe University of Oxford
  • Davide Mocci Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia

Keywords:

Sanskrit, bahuvrīhi, lexicalism, nonprojecting categories, compounds

Abstract

Lowe (2015b) provided an LFG-based analysis of Classical Sanskrit compounds, including bahuvrīhis of the adjective-noun type. In this paper we show that Lowe’s (2015b) analysis cannot account for the full range of bahuvrīhi types attested in Sanskrit; we improve and extend Lowe’s account to cover the major types of bahuvrīhi.  We also formalize a broader generalization on the ordering constraints of the members of bahuvrīhis.

Published

2022-12-31