Paradigm Coherence

Data from Modern Hebrew support the principle of paradigm coherence and the claim that inflection tends to minimize allomorphy while derivation preserves it. It is shown, however, that analogical change is a function of the degree of automaticity of the morphological and syntactic relationships concerned, and thus close inter- paradigmatic alternations may be subject to analogy as well. The direction of analogy can be determined either by reference to the unmarked base form or to opacity considerations.