Comp. by: Sivakumar Stage : Revises3 ChapterID: 0002669100 Date:20/5/16 Time:19:38:31 Filepath://ppdys1122/BgPr/OUP_CAP/IN/Process/0002669100.3d Dictionary : OUP_UKdictionary 309 12 A view of the morphome debate RICARDO BERMÚDEZ-OTERO AND ANA R. LUÍS . Introduction The concept of the morphome (Aronoff ) is one of the most contentious and polarizing ideas in contemporary morphology: at the extremes of the spectrum of opinion, some hail it as a revelation of the fundamental nature of linguistic expo- nence, whilst others decry it as an enervating proposal that undermines the search for scientific explanation in morphology. In this collection we have deliberately brought together scholars who hold diametrically opposed views on the morphome, not in the vain hope that the resulting clash of arguments might eventually lead to a theoretical rapprochement, but rather with the more modest goal that, by elucidating the causes of the disagreement, the volume might foster new lines of research. In pursuit of this goal, this paper adopts both a retrospective and a prospective stance. Retrospectively, we provide a synoptic statement of the état de la question as it appears to us in the light of the preceding chapters. Prospectively, we identify theoretical options that seem to us to deserve greater attention in future work, and we highlight the potential of research tools that, in our view, have so far remained underexploited. In the following pages, therefore, the reader will not find an exhaust- ive and impartial summary of the contents of the book; we have attempted to provide that in the Introduction. 1 In this chapter, rather, we intervene in the debate, not with the aim of adjudicating between the parties, but rather with the intention of clarifying the argument and moving the question forward. Accordingly, we distinguish three separate claims advanced by proponents of the morphome, and identify attendant questions and problems: () a. The EXISTENCE CLAIM is the assertion that there exist morphomes in the narrow sense, i.e. systematic patterns of linguistic exponence whereby an 1 As in the Introduction, we follow the convention of referring to chapters in this volume using the author’s name in bold. OUP UNCORRECTED PROOF – REVISES, 20/5/2016, SPi The Morphome Debate. First edition. Ana R. Luís and Ricardo Bermúdez-Otero (eds) This chapter © Ricardo Bermúdez-Otero and Ana R. Luís. Published  by Oxford University Press.