Does French have verbal-nexus Noun+Noun compounds?

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-223
Author(s):  
Jan Radimský
Keyword(s):  
Word Formation ◽  
Regular Word ◽  
Semantic Relationships ◽  
Formation Pattern ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Noun Compounds

Abstract Though components of subordinate NN compounds may in principle display a wide variety of semantic relationships, data from Romance suggest that in languages where the NN pattern is still new and peripheral, the different subtypes of NN compounds do not necessarily emerge at the same rhythm. The aim of this article is to verify the assumption that French, unlike Italian, does not have an available word-formation pattern of verbal-nexus NN compounds (i.e. compounds in which the verb-argument relationship is featured). With reference to extensive corpus data, it will be demonstrated that in both languages many different subtypes of verbal-nexus NN compounds are attested, but Italian has already developed a consistent and regular word-formation paradigm based on one particular subtype of verbal-nexus NN compounds, while French data do not display such regularity, and the verbal-nexus pattern is much more peripheral in this language.

Contact-induced grammatical change?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Kosmata ◽  
Barbara Schlücker
Keyword(s):  
Structural Analysis ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Formation Pattern ◽  
Proper Name ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Grammatical Change ◽  
Qualitative Changes

Abstract The paper discusses how language contact and borrowing can be established as a critical factor of quantitative and/or qualitative changes of abstract grammatical patterns, in particular if languages are genetically and areally closely related and thus structurally similar. More specifically, it deals with the question of whether the word-formation pattern of proper name compounding in German and Dutch is an instance of grammatical borrowing from English, as is often claimed in the literature. To this end, we conduct a structural analysis of the pattern in the three languages based on original and translation corpus data. We show that the pattern which, at first glance, seems to be identical in all three languages has in fact different properties in each language. Although this does not necessarily preclude transfer from English, we conclude that there is no evidence in favour of such an influence.

Adjective–noun compounds in Mandarin: a study on productivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian Shen ◽  
R. Harald Baayen
Keyword(s):  
Formation Process ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Distributional Semantics ◽  
Semantic Transparency ◽  
Noun Compounds ◽  
Hapax Legomena

Abstract In structuralist linguistics, compounds are argued not to constitute morphological categories, due to the absence of systematic form-meaning correspondences. This study investigates subsets of compounds for which systematic form-meaning correspondences are present: adjective–noun compounds in Mandarin. We show that there are substantial differences in the productivity of these compounds. One set of productivity measures (the count of types, the count of hapax legomena, and the estimated count of unseen types) reflect compounds’ profitability. By contrast, the category-conditioned degree of productivity is found to correlate with the internal semantic transparency of the words belonging to a morphological category. Greater semantic transparency, gauged by distributional semantics, predicts greater category-conditioned productivity. This dovetails well with the hypothesis that semantic transparency is a prerequisite for a word formation process to be productive.

Morphologie und Semantik der n-Erweiterung bei Muttern und Vatern im Deutschen

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-79
Author(s):  
Alexander Werth
Keyword(s):  
Word Formation ◽  
Limited Extent ◽  
Prepositional Phrases ◽  
Low German ◽  
German Dialects ◽  
Semantic Concepts ◽  
Formation Pattern ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Comparative Constructions

Abstract: This paper deals with German kinship terms ending with the form n (Muttern, Vatern). Firstly, data from newspapers are presented that show that especially Muttern denotes very special meanings that can only be derived to a limited extent from the lexical base: a) Muttern referring to a home where mother cares for you, b) Muttern standing for overprotection, and c) Muttern representing a special food style (often embedded in prepositional phrases and/or comparative constructions like wie bei or wie von Muttern). Secondly, it is argued that the addition of n to kinship terms is not a word-formation pattern, but that these word forms are instead lexicalized and idiomatized in contemporary German. Hence, a diachronic scenario is applied to account for the data. It is argued in the present paper that the n-forms have been borrowed from Low German dialects, especially from constructional idioms of the type ‘X-wie bei Muttern’ and that forms were enriched by semantic concepts associated with the dialect.

The paradigmatic aspect of compounding and derivation

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-609
Author(s):  
AYSUN KUNDURACI
Keyword(s):  
Current System ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Morphological Operations ◽  
Dynamic Aspect ◽  
Noun Compounds ◽  
Autonomous Morphology

This study aims to show the dynamic aspect of word-formation paradigms in autonomous morphology by examining the compound marker in Turkish Noun–Noun compounds, as in buz paten-i ‘ice-skate (ice skate-cm)’, and its relation to derivational suffixes. The study proposes a process-based morphological paradigm structure which involves compounding and derivational operations. In this system, the compound marker has a formal paradigmatic function: it creates correct lexeme forms based on bare Noun–Noun compounds, which would otherwise serve as input to certain derivational operations. The current system thus accounts for both permitted and unpermitted suffix combinations involving compounding and the optionality in certain combinations, such as buz paten-ci (-si) ‘a/the ice skater (ice skate-agt-cm)’, where the compound marker may (not) appear in combination with the (derivational) agentive -CI. The study also presents a survey which implies that a group of derivational affixes is in a paradigmatic relation with the compound marker, and all of these affixations constitute alternative paths in a dynamic paradigm structure. The findings of the study are considered to contribute to the understanding of the nature of the autonomous morphological operations and paradigms, which cannot be restricted to the lexicon or manipulated by syntax.

On twittizens and city residents

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-41
Author(s):  
Elizaveta Tarasova ◽  
Natalia Beliaeva
Keyword(s):  
Formation Mechanism ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Semantic Relations ◽  
Semantic Structure ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Semantic Level ◽  
Semantic Relationships ◽  
Experimental Findings

Abstract The present study analyses native speaker perceptions of the differences in the semantic structure of compounds and blends to specify whether the formal differences between compounds and blends are reflected on the semantic level. Viewpoints on blending vary, with some researchers considering it to be an instance of compounding (Kubozono, 1990), while others identify blending as an interim word formation mechanism between compounding and shortening (López Rúa, 2004). The semantic characteristics of English determinative blends and N+N subordinative compounds are compared by evaluating the differences in native speakers’ perceptions of the semantic relationships between constituents of the analysed structures. The results of two web-based experiments demonstrate that readers’ interpretations of both compounds and blends differ in terms of lexical indicators of semantic relations between the elements of these units. The experimental findings indicate that language users’ interpretation of both compounds and blends includes information on semantic relationships. The differences in the effect of the semantic relations on interpretations is likely to be connected to the degree of formal transparency of these units.

scholarly journals Evaluative Wortbildung und Personenreferenz.

2021 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-176
Author(s):  
Antje Dammel
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Stereotyped Behaviour ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
The Feminine ◽  
Formation Pattern ◽  
High Degree

The word formation pattern [ __-i]N mask. in Alemannic mainly derives masculine agent nouns from verbs resulting in output semantics of ‘someone who notoriously acts in the manner of base verb’. I analyse the pattern as an instance of evaluative morphology embedded in a more general output oriented schema and propose a scenario how the pattern may have developed from an OHG hypochoristic pattern primarily used in names. In a qualitative and quantitative analysis of two dialect dictionaries on Zürich German and Bernese German I look into the possible lexical fillings of the pattern and derive areas of stereotypisation. As the products of the pattern are masculine nouns, it is of interest whether the lemmas are flanked with a feminine form or not, and if they are, whether the feminine form follows or precedes the masculine form or is added as a separate lemma without a masculine pendant. The analysis also includes neuter forms ending in -i listed in the dictionaries. As the masculine products of the pattern already reflect stereotyped behaviour, the feminine (and neuter) forms included in the diction­na­ries are expected to sediment gender stereotypes to a high degree.

scholarly journals A quantitative survey of N Prep N constructions in Romance languages and prepositional variability

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (22) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Inga Hennecke ◽  
Harald Baayen
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Romance Languages ◽  
Quantitative Survey ◽  
Current Discussion ◽  
Specific Variation ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Syntactic Status ◽  
Internal Element

The distinction between syntagmatic compounds of the type N Prep N, such as Fr. jouet d’enfant, and nominal syntagms of the type N Prep N, such as the partially equivalent Fr. jouet pour enfants, remains unclear and vague. This is mainly because the lexical and syntactic status of syntagmatic compounds still is controversial. In some cases, as in jouet d’enfant and jouet pour enfants, partial equivalent syntagmatic compounds and nominal syntagms may coexist and underlie a specific variation and alternation. In other cases, such as Pt. bracelete de aço and bracelete em aço, two variants of a syntagmatic compound may alternate and coexist. The first part of this paper provides an overview of the current discussion on these two types of constructions. The second part addresses the alternation and variation of syntagmatic compounds and nominal syntagms by means of analysis of large-scale corpus data, the French, Spanish and Portuguese corpus of the TenTen family. Here, the focus lies on the variation of the prepositional internal element of these constructions as well as on a comparison of different word formation patterns.

scholarly journals ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴀ-rakenteen kognitiivista semantiikkaa

Virittäjä ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Hamunen
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Conceptual Structure ◽  
General Level ◽  
Frame Semantics ◽  
States Of Affairs ◽  
Semantic Relationships ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Digital Morphology ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
The Relationship

Tässä artikkelissa käsitellään mA-infinitiivin abessiivin adjunktikäyttöjen eli MATTA-rakenteen (esim. syömättä, juomatta, nukkumatta) merkityksiä lauseen kokoisissa ilmauksissa murreaineistossa. Aineistona käytetään Lauseopin arkiston (LA) ja Digitaalisen muoto-opin arkiston (DMA) kokoelmia sekä Suomen murteiden sanakirjan (SMS) osien 1–8 sana-artikkeleita. Tutkimus pureutuu muun muassa siihen, 1) millainen kiellon tyyppi adjunktina toimiva infinitiivirakenne yleisesti on ja 2) millaisia adverbiaalisia merkityksiä sille on tulkittavissa. Kysymysten selvittelyyn käytetään korpusaineiston (perinteistä) syntaktis-semanttista analyysia ja kehyssemantiikkaa konstruktiokieliopin sovellusalana. Adverbiaalina MATTA-rakenne kiinnittyy hallitsevan rakenteen ilmaisemaan kehykseen ja sen merkitystulkinnat riippuvat infinitiivirakenteen ja finiittiverbin keskinäisistä suhteista. Tulkintaan vaikuttavia tekijöitä ovat leksikaalinen semantiikka (esim. hyponymia), subjektitulkinnat (sama- tai erisubjektisuus), temporaaliset suhteet (sama- tai eriaikaiset asiaintilat) sekä muut tapahtumien väliset kehyssemanttiset suhteet. Käy ilmi, että Te-infinitiivin instruktiivi (TEN-rakenne, esim. syöden), mA-infinitiivin adessiivi (MALLA-rakenne, esim. syömällä) sekä MATTA-rakenne muodostavat suomen infinitiivijärjestelmässä oman semanttisen ryhmänsä, joka ilmaisee erilaisia myötätapahtumisen merkityksiä, kuten tapaa, keinoa ja oheistekoa, finiittiverbillä kuvatun tapahtuman lisäksi. Ne ovat siis niin kutsuttuja lähikonstruktioita, jotka kuvaavat samoja tavan (väljästi) merkityksiä. Lisäksi MATTA-rakenteen abessiivin käsiterakenteen kompleksisuudesta seuraa se, että rakenteen suhde finiittirakenteeseen voi olla myös väljempi kuin TEN- ja MALLA-rakenteilla.   The cognitive semantics of the MATTA-construction This article deals with the meanings of the mA-infinitive abessive (e.g. syö-mättä ‘without eating’, juo-matta ‘without drinking’, nukku-matta ‘without sleeping’) as an adjunct in phrasal expressions in the light of dialect corpora (MATTA-construction). The data has been gathered from Lauseopin arkisto (LA, Syntax Archive), Digitaalinen Muoto-opin arkisto (DMA, Digital Morphology Archive), and from volumes 1–8 of Suomen murteiden sanakirja (SMS, Dictionary of Finnish dialects). The research concentrates on issues such as 1) what type of negation the adverbial MATTA-construction constitutes on a general level and 2) what adverbial meanings can be inferred from it. To examine these questions, the author has employed the (traditional) syntactic–semantic analysis of the corpus data and Frame Semantics as a branch of Construction Grammar. As an adverbial, the MATTA-structure is conceptually attached to a frame defined by the dominant finite structure, and its meanings depend on the relationship between the finite and the infinite structures. Factors influencing this interpretation are lexical semantics (e.g. hyponymy), subject interpretations (the same or different subjects), temporality (the same or different temporal affinities), and other frame semantic relationships between states of affairs. It becomes apparent that the Te-infinitive instructive (TEN-structure, e.g. syö-den ‘by eating’), the mA-infinitive adessive (MALLA-structure, e.g. syö-mällä ‘by (means of) eating’), and the MATTA-structure constitute a semantic subgroup, i.e. infinitives of manner and means within the Finnish infinitive system. These are associated with divergent meanings of manner. However, the MATTA-structure also carries other meanings of negation due to the complex conceptual structure of the abessive.  

scholarly journals Expressive devices in the language of English- and Spanish-speaking youth

2011 ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Félix Rodríguez González ◽  
Anna-Brita Stenström
Keyword(s):  
Word Formation ◽  
Formation Mechanisms ◽  
Formation Processes ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Language Variety ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Youth Language

The aim of this paper is threefold: first, to introduce the topic of youth slang by giving an overview of its main characteristics; second, to show the different word-formation processes that slang has to make the speaker’s message more expressive; and third, to study the extent to which these two aspects are reflected in two corpora representing London and Madrid youth language. The present study is based, primarily, on an inventory of the top ten ‘proper’ and ‘dirty’ slang words in each language variety with particular emphasis on the speakers’ age and gender, and, secondarily, on the entire corpus data, which showed great agreement with the features outlined in the overview of the main characteristics of youth slang, while the most obvious word-formation mechanisms turned out to be related to change of form and change of meaning.

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