Are the dimensions of morphological diversity dependent on the cognitive pathways for processing, storage, and learning of word structure, and if so, how? Conversely, are languages that differ in their morphological structure processed and learned in different ways? This volume examines the relationship between linguistic cognition and the morphological diversity found in the world’s languages. As the idea that domain-general cognitive processes and morphological typology are inextricably linked has moved into the mainstream of linguistics, the field has diversified conceptually and methodologically. This introduction to the volume offers an overview of conceptual issues that underpin the volume’s papers and some of the methodological trends they reflect. It thus serves as a roadmap for the papers that follow.

The present study explores the learnability of complex morphological patterns, specifically number and gender categories. The typology of morphological systems suggests that infrequent, complex, and structurally marked categories such as the dual are more likely to show neutralization or syncretism than unmarked categories. In two artificial language learning experiments, adult English speakers were exposed to a language with noun class categories both for gender and number. Results suggest that syncretism of gender across dual forms allows for greater learnability of the dual form. However, overall learnability was not affected by whether syncretism occurred in the singular, dual, or plural. These results further the understanding of the cognitive mechanisms that shape complex morphological patterns.

Since the objective of our research is to examine the influence of the creative potential of language speakers on their creative performance in the formation and interpretation of new/potential complex words, there are several fundamental methodological principles that have to be taken into consideration. First of all is the method of measuring the creative potential of language speakers and the methods of testing their creative performance Therefore, this chapter introduces the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, accounts for the basic characteristics of creativity indicators and subscores, and justifies its relevance to our research. Furthermore, it presents a word-formation test and a word-interpretation test and accounts for their objectives and principles of evaluation. A sample of respondents, comprising a group of secondary school students and a group of university students, is introduced. A method of evaluating the data is explained, based on the comparison of two cohorts with opposite scores. Finally, this chapter presents the hypotheses underlying our research.

This book presents interdisciplinary research that lies on the crossroads of (a) psychology, specifically, its concept of the creative potential represented by six creativity scores, viz. Originality, Fluency, Flexibility, Elaboration, Creative Strengths and Composite Score, and the concept of creative performance; (b) linguistics, specifically, word-formation focused on the dynamic aspect of the formation of new complex words based on an onomasiological theory; (c) psycholinguistics, represented by a theory of the meaning predictability of potential/new complex words; and (d) sociolinguistics, in particular, the role of age and gender in the formation and interpretation of complex words. These interrelated areas indicate the complexity of the present research and the complexity of relations between the examined variables. This intricate complexity, however, is aimed to be productive rather than destructive, because this book provides both a theoretical account of the word-formation and word-interpretation creativity and an empirical framework with the corresponding results obtained from more than 700 participants.

This chapter presents the fundamental theoretical principles underlying our research. It starts with the theoretical foundations of examining word-formation creativity, in particular, the system of onomasiological types, and the conception of the competition between two contradictory tendencies that can be identified (not only) in the field of word-formation, namely, semantic transparency and economy of expression. This is reflected in two scales of semantic transparency and economy of expression, including their underlying principles. The principle of Creativity within and beyond Productivity Constraints is justified. This is followed by presenting the theoretical foundations underlying our research into interpretation creativity, that is, a theory of meaning predictability reflected in an integrated onomasiological model of complex words. Attention is paid to the parameters used for the evaluation of interpretation creativity. They include Predictability Rate, Objectified Predictability Rate, the average number of readings proposed by a cohort member, and hapax legomena.