The variable position of the reflexive affix in Lithuanian

Abstract This paper discusses the variable position of the reflexive morpheme in Lithuanian verbs. While it appears at the right edge of unprefixed verbs, it is placed between the rightmost prefix and the root of the verb otherwise. This contradicts the empirical observation made in Embick and Noyer (2001). I propose an analysis of the observed pattern in which the reflexive starts out to the left of the verbal root, i.e., in the position where it surfaces in prefixed verbs. The word-final position in unprefixed verbs is secondary, resulting from a constraint prohibiting the reflexive from being word-initial. This constraint, triggered at the Word Level, causes rightward movement of the reflexive. The analysis developed here employs the Harmonic Serialism framework, in line with recent research applying this framework to the domain of inflectional morphology (Müller 2020; Gleim et al. 2023; Andermann 2023). The article also identifies interesting patterns found in Lithuanian participles and in prefixed verbal forms in Curonian Latvian.