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Feature Percolation

MORPHOLOGY: a mechanism proposed in Lieber (1980) and Williams (1981a) which copies features of one of the members of a morphological construction (usually features of the head) to the node that immediately dominates both members. As a consequence, a complex form inherits the properties of its head. EXAMPLE: the English verb stand is a strong verb, which can be indicated by assigning the diacritic feature [+ablaut] to this verb. The complex verb withstand also is a strong verb. This can be accounted for if one assumes that the feature [+ablaut] will percolate up to the node dominating both with and stand, as illustrated below:

     V				      V
    / \				    [+abl]
   /   \			   /     \		
  P     V   		 	  P	  V
with	stand	      =>	with	    stand
	[+abl]		                    [+abl]

LIT. Lieber, R. (1980)
Williams, E. (1981a)