A zero, in linguistics, is a constituent needed in an analysis but not realized in speech. This implies that there is a lack of an element where a theory would expect one. It is usually written "Ø".
There are several kind of zeros.
- A zero morph[1], consisting of no phonetic form, is an allomorph of a morpheme that is otherwise realized in speech. In the phrase two sheep-Ø, the plural marker is a zero morph, which is an allomorph of -s as in two cows. In the phrase I like-Ø it, the verb conjugation has a zero affix, as opposed to the third-person singular present -s in he likes it.
- A zero sometimes works also like a pronoun[2], as in "nobody knows Ø" and "Ø makes no difference." Likewise, the zero in the book Ø I am reading works like the that in the book that I am reading. This is also referred to as PRO.
- A zero article is an unrealized definite article in some languages.
- A zero copula[3], in which a copula such as the verb to be is implied but absent. For example, in Russian the copula is usually omitted in the present tense, as in "Она красавица" (literally: She beautiful). In English the copula is sometimes omitted in set phrases, such as "The sooner the better," or in some nonstandard dialects.
External links
References
- ^ What is a zero morph? @ SIL International
- ^ Discourse-Cohesive Devices in Language Acquisition: Intersentential Anaphorical Relations, Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft (ZAS)
- ^ A phonologically null copula functioning as a light verb in Japanese by Yutaka Sato, p. 2
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