Variations on a theme: The view from generative morphology on verbal theme vowels

In this thesis, we explore the extent and the limits of the Distributed Morphology take on verbal theme vowels. By drawing on case studies from the literature, we will show how, within the grammatical architecture adopted by Distributed Morphology, theme vowels come to play a pivotal role in the explanation of interface phenomena such as stress placement and contextual allomorphy. We will also highlight the major drawbacks of this take: its overreliance on ad hoc solutions, and its incapacity to provide positive criteria for identifying theme vowels cross-linguistically. Finally, we point to recent theoretical developments which might overcome such drawbacks.