Infixation in Formosan Languages: Phonological Patterns and Their Implications

摘要

Infixation is widespread across many Austronesian languages. Although it occurs less frequently than prefixation and suffixation, it nevertheless plays a significant morphological role in numerous branches of the family. Notably, all infixes reconstructed for Proto-Austronesian share a VC shape and are typically positioned before the first vowel of the base. This talk examines both the placement and allomorphic variation of infixes in Formosan languages, highlights patterns that diverge from the reconstructed norm, and considers their broader theoretical implications.