Abstract
<jats:p>The subject of this paper are the distribution and competitiveness of the derivational suffixes -ast and -jast in the Serbian language, especially regarding the last consonant of the derivational base, and in the light of the alternative derivational interpretation from the phonological point of view (-ast/-jast). Three groups can be identified from the morphophonological aspect: 1) the derivational suffix is unambiguously -ast (e.g. klinast, kukast: klin- + -ast, kuk- + -ast); 2) the derivational suffix is unambiguously -jast (e.g. pepeljast, žbunjast: pepel- + -jast, žbun- + -jast); 3) it is equally possible that the derivational suffix is -ast or -jast (e.g. zmijast: zmij- + -ast or zmij- + -jast). A total of 25% of the analysed adjectives belong to the group with a possible ambiguous morphophonological interpretation, such as: 1) with final soft (con)sonants j, lj, nj, đ in the derivational base (e.g. jajast, bodljast, dinjast); 2) with final soft consonants produced in the process of palatalisation/iotation: č from k and c, ž from g, š from h (e.g. jezičast, mesečast; bubrežast; vazdušast).</jats:p>