Interpreting the Forms czyta and czytaj

Interpreting the Forms czyta and czytaj in the Polish Conjugational System

A discussion of how to derive the Polish forms czyta and czytaj, using the Jakobsonian one-stem verb system. Since the forms both appear to have the same stem (czytaj-) and ending (zero), linguists have struggled with the derivation of the two separate forms. The proposed solution is to treat imperatives as having both an internal and external word-final boundary, as evidence by devoicing phenomena. This boundary conditions the different forms in question.