Absence of material exponence

Abstract The paper argues in favor of considering the absence of material exponence (AOME) of grammatical category a morphological mismatch on a par with established categories such as suppletion and syncretism. It is shown that the phenomenon under review can be integrated into the taxonomy of deviations from canonical inflection as proposed within the framework of Canonical Morphology. Empirical evidence from eleven languages of different genetic, geographic and typological background is presented and discussed. Different kinds of AOME are identified. Their interaction with other non-canonical phenomena is discussed additionally.