The Dutch diminutive

In this paper a new analysis is presented of the allomorphy of the Dutch diminutive suffix. There is one long allomorph (-etje) and four short allomorphs (-tje, -pje, -kje and -je). With respect to the choice between the long and short versions, this article compares two types of analyses, which appeal to the structural organisation of the stem (rather than to the segmental properties of the stem). In the first type, the allomorphy is accounted for with reference to the foot structure of the stem, while in the second the allomorphy is accounted for with reference to the syllabic structure of the stem (specifically the final rhyme). The two types of analyses are developed in order to account for all relevant data and it is decided that the syllabic analysis must be chosen if is assumed that the tense (allegedly ‘long’) vowels are structurally short, an assumption that is supported by their behaviour with respect to stress (for which purpose they count as light). The article then offers a non-derivational account of the choice between all forms of the suffix, including the short forms.