Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
Published on: November 2, 2012
Shifting paradigms: gradient structure in morphology
Jennifer B Hay1, R Harald Baayen
1Department of Linguistics, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand. jen.hay@canterbury.ac.nz
Abstract:
Morphology is the study of the internal structure of words. A vigorous ongoing debate surrounds the question of how such internal structure is best accounted for: by means of lexical entries and deterministic symbolic rules, or by means of probabilistic subsymbolic networks implicitly encoding structural similarities in connection weights. In this review, we separate the question of subsymbolic versus symbolic implementation from the question of deterministic versus probabilistic structure. We outline a growing body of evidence, mostly external to the above debate, indicating that morphological structure is indeed intrinsically graded. By allowing probability into the grammar, progress can be made towards solving some long-standing puzzles in morphological theory.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Morphogenesis
Structuralism
Titchener's approach to structuralism was unique. He employed introspection, a method...
Gestalt Principles of Perception
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Significance of the Gradient Vector
Gradient Fields

