Resemblant Morphemes

16.1. M orpheme associations . Throughout this analysis it has frequently been necessary to reject morpheme identification between morphs of similar meaning and with shapes bearing to each other a resemblance not unique in type. The rejection has usually been on the basis of contrastive distribution in words: since čí and jí both occur as words meaning ‘earth’, the morphs či and ji can not be classed in the same morpheme. Yet it must be admitted these two morphemes share a two-fold resemblance, phonemic and semantic, which represents a relationship absent or different from that between either of these morphemes and any other morpheme. Morphemes between which such a relationship exists form a class that I call a morpheme association . Morphemes participate in such associations primarily on a basis of synonymity. The semantic resemblance is often reinforced by systematic resemblance in shape. Such resemblances in shape sometimes correspond to partial or complete etymological identity (so, certainly that between čí and jí ‘earth’ and that between to- and dó 'earth'), sometimes not (probably not that between čí, do, and cučí 'earth'). For descriptive purposes it is irrelevant whether the resemblance in shape does or does not correspond to etymological identity.