Variation in the allomorphy of the Dutch diminutive: An empirical analysis

Abstract

This article deals with the variation of diminutive forms in contemporary standard Dutch. Various aspects of the Dutch diminutive are well-documented in the literature. However, there is a distinct lack of empirical research in connection with the variation of the diminutive forms. The article provides a brief overview of diminutive formation in Dutch as well as an account of a corpus-based study examining a group of words that exhibit variation in their diminutive forms in contemporary standard Dutch, namely monosyllabic words ending in either a non-coronal stop or a velar fricative preceded by a short vowel. The goal of the study is to provide insight on the behaviour of the diminutive forms of these stems.