Zeitschrift für Wortbildung / Journal of Word Formation (ZWJW)
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The The role of diminutive suffixes in the Italian Time Nouns constructions: From approximation to focus?
No full textThe time nouns (TNs), minuto (‘minute’), momento (‘moment’), attimo (‘instant’) can be part of constructions in which they keep all their categorial and syntactic properties, but also in constructions which seem to undergo a process of grammaticalisation: loss of categorial property of nominal inflection; the sequence DET+TN (un attimo, un momento, un minuto) can no longer be interrupted by modifiers nor have postnominal modifiers; semantic shift from the original temporal meaning to the more general meaning of a ‘(small) indefinite amount’, to continue towards more properly grammatical values of quantifiers to pragmatic values of hedges, alerter and textual marker of focus. Interestingly, while the original temporal constructions do not occur in diminutive forms, the departure from temporal meaning makes the use of diminutive forms possible. The article explores in which cases they are allowed and the semantic and textual factors which contribute to their presence.The time nouns (TNs), minuto (‘minute’), momento (‘moment’), attimo (‘instant’) can be part of constructions in which they keep all their categorial and syntactic properties, but also in constructions which seem to undergo a process of grammaticalisation: loss of categorial property of nominal inflection; the sequence DET+TN (un attimo, un momento, un minuto) can no longer be interrupted by modifiers nor have postnominal modifiers; semantic shift from the original temporal meaning to the more general meaning of a ‘(small) indefinite amount’, to continue towards more properly grammatical values of quantifiers to pragmatic values of hedges, alerter and textual marker of focus. Interestingly, while the original temporal constructions do not occur in diminutive forms, the departure from temporal meaning makes the use of diminutive forms possible. The article explores in which cases they are allowed and the semantic and textual factors which contribute to their presence
Questionable Morphology in Constructions
No full textIn der Syntax hat die Konstruktionsgrammatik einem ‘Aschenputtel’ der Linguistik zu neuen Ehren verholfen: den Idiomen. Für die Morphologie gilt ähnliches, denn ein konstruktionistischer Ansatz ermöglicht das Aufwerten unproduktiver, selbst marginaler Muster, die für generativistische Ansätze von geringem Interesse sind. Die vorliegende Arbeit bespricht eine Reihe von exemplarischen Fällen zweifelhafter Morphologie und zeigt, welche Fragen, Herausforderungen und Lösungen sich aus einer konstruktionsbasierten Analyse ergeben. Mit einem Bogen zurück zu den produktiven Mustern wird für eine inklusive Theorie plädiert, die sowohl den möglichen, als auch den bereits existierenden Wörtern Rechnung trägt.Among the classical borderline phenomena in morphology we find unique stems and affixes such as German Him- in Himbeere ‘raspberry‘, plötz- in plötzlich ‘suddenly‘ und -ut in Armut ‘poverty‘. Such forms raise questions about the complexity of words and the status of segments. This contribution discusses questionable morphological elements from a construction-based perspective and shows how the analytical challenges can be met by systematically considering the relationality within and among constructions. The study contributes to an inclusive model of morphology that accounts for the idiosyncratic as well as the regular properties of complex words
Getting close-ish: A corpus-based exploration of -ish as a marker of approximation and vagueness:
Get PDFThis paper investigates the approximative nature of -ish, which takes its origin in de-adjectival adjectives in Middle English and from there spreads to -ish-derivatives from a wide array of bases, in terms of both categoriality and complexity. Drawing on data from the TV corpus, the paper charts the inventory of ‑ish-derivatives expressing approximative senses and zooms in on de-adjectival derivatives (largish, small-er-ish), de-numeral derivatives (fourth-ish, 2.8-ish), as well as on non-category changing -ish-formations (a few weeks-ish, nothingish). Building on both the diachronic trajectory of approximative ‑ish as of Middle English and the inventory of -ish-formations in the TV corpus, the paper proposes an approximation cline ranging from the earliest relational/associative senses of the suffix via similitudinal and genuinely approximative senses to incipient privative senses, (almost) all of which are attested in the data investigated.This paper investigates the approximative nature of -ish, which takes its origin in de-adjectival adjectives in Middle English and from there spreads to -ish-derivatives from a wide array of bases, in terms of both categoriality and complexity. Drawing on data from the TV corpus, the paper charts the inventory of ‑ish-derivatives expressing approximative senses and zooms in on de-adjectival derivatives (largish, small-er-ish), de-numeral derivatives (fourth-ish, 2.8-ish), as well as on non-category changing -ish-formations (a few weeks-ish, nothingish). Building on both the diachronic trajectory of approximative ‑ish as of Middle English and the inventory of -ish-formations in the TV corpus, the paper proposes an approximation cline ranging from the earliest relational/associative senses of the suffix via similitudinal and genuinely approximative senses to incipient privative senses, (almost) all of which are attested in the data investigated
Construction Word Formation: State of Research and Perspectives
No full textThe special issue opens up a construction-grammatical perspective on (German) word formation phenomena and goes back to a DFG-funded conference of the same name, which we held at the University of Düsseldorf in December 2020. The aim is to bundle up for the first time research from the field of German linguistics that is oriented towards construction grammar, and thus to lay the foundation for a \u27Construction Word Formation\u27 (cf. Booij 2010) also in the German-speaking world. Furthermore, ‘Construction Word Formation’ as a discipline shall hereby be sharpened. In this context, construction grammar should not be seen as a radical alternative to traditional word formation approaches that completely reinvents the wheel, but rather as a further development that builds on traditional concepts such as the pattern term with prominent consideration of usage-based aspects.The special issue opens up a construction-grammatical perspective on (German) word formation phenomena and goes back to a DFG-funded conference of the same name, which we held at the University of Düsseldorf in December 2020. The aim is to bundle up for the first time research from the field of German linguistics that is oriented towards construction grammar, and thus to lay the foundation for a \u27Construction Word Formation\u27 (cf. Booij 2010) also in the German-speaking world. Furthermore, ‘Construction Word Formation’ as a discipline shall hereby be sharpened. In this context, construction grammar should not be seen as a radical alternative to traditional word formation approaches that completely reinvents the wheel, but rather as a further development that builds on traditional concepts such as the pattern term with prominent consideration of usage-based aspects
Complex Words Between Construct and Construction: Recent Usage-Based Approaches and Their Implications for Word Formation
No full textDie Wortbildung spielte in der Konstruktionsgrammatik lange eine untergeordnete Rolle. Spätestens seit Booijs (2010) „Construction Morphology“ hat sich dies jedoch geändert, und gerade in der diachronen Betrachtung der deutschen Wortbildung ist die Konstruktionsgrammatik zu einem wichtigen theoretischen Framework geworden. Zugleich gab es im Bereich der Konstruktionsgrammatik und der gebrauchsbasierten Linguistik im Allgemeinen interessante theoretische Weiterentwicklungen, die beispielsweise die Frage nach der Struktur des „Konstruktikons“ oder den theoretischen und kognitiven Status von Konstruktionen betreffen. In diesem programmatischen Beitrag diskutiere ich die theoretischen und forschungspraktischen Implikationen, die diese neuen Entwicklungen für das Gebiet der Wortbildung haben, und greife eine Reihe offener Fragen auf.Word-formation used to play only a relatively small role in Construction Grammar for a long time. But this has changed recently, especially since Booij’s (2010) Construction Morphology. Especially with regard to diachronic perspectives on word-formation, Construction Grammar has become to a highly relevant theoretical framework. At the same time, Construction Grammar and usage-based linguistics in general have experienced a number of interesting theoretical developments concerning, among other things, the question of how the “construct-i-con” is structured, and what the theoretical and cognitive status of constructions is. In this programmatic paper I discuss the theoretical and research-practical implications that these developments have for the area word-formation, addressing a number of questions that currently still remain open
The English privative prefixes near-, pseudo- and quasi-: Approximation and \u27disproximation\u27
Get PDFThe English prefixes near-, pseudo- and quasi- are privative, in that whatever essential property their morphological base expresses is not strictly possessed by an entity characterized as near-/pseudo-/quasi-X. However, we claim this meaning is not precise enough and hypothesize that near- and quasi- are approximative in meaning, whereas pseudo- is ‘disproximative’, expressing the idea of ‘falling short’ of a standard. Distributional-semantic findings partially support this, as near- shares more bases with quasi- than it does with pseudo-. Near- is most productive, presenting a default choice, while pseudo- is least productive. We also observe a specific tendency of near- to select bases with negative semantic prosody (near-deadly, near-fatal), of quasi- to combine, without any evaluative meaning, with legal-administrative bases (quasi-diplomatic, quasi-governmental), and of pseudo- with terms from the scientific domain. Further qualitative observations about these prefixes are made.The English prefixes near-, pseudo- and quasi- are privative, in that whatever essential property their morphological base expresses is not strictly possessed by an entity characterized as near-/pseudo-/quasi-X. However, we claim this meaning is not precise enough and hypothesize that near- and quasi- are approximative in meaning, whereas pseudo- is ‘disproximative’, expressing the idea of ‘falling short’ of a standard. Distributional-semantic findings partially support this, as near- shares more bases with quasi- than it does with pseudo-. Near- is most productive, presenting a default choice, while pseudo- is least productive. We also observe a specific tendency of near- to select bases with negative semantic prosody (near-deadly, near-fatal), of quasi- to combine, without any evaluative meaning, with legal-administrative bases (quasi-diplomatic, quasi-governmental), and of pseudo- with terms from the scientific domain. Further qualitative observations about these prefixes are made
Brilleria, Hipsteria, Schlamperia: Hybrid Suffixation, Expressivity and Construction Morphology
No full textDer Beitrag untersucht expressive Hybridbildungen im Deutschen, in denen das nicht-native Suffix -(er)ia mit einem nativen Stamm kombiniert wird. Ziel des Beitrags ist es, diese Bildungen erstmals systematisch anhand eines Beispielkorpus zu beschreiben, unter Rückgriff auf neuere Ansätze zu expressiver Morphologie zu analysie-ren und Möglichkeiten und Grenzen einer konstruktionsmorphologischen Modellierung zu skizzieren. Die Unter-suchung ergibt, dass zwischen zwei Hauptklassen von -(er)ia-Bildungen unterschieden werden muss: (i) (meliorative) Eigennamen für Geschäfte (Brill+eria) und (ii) (pejorative) appellativische Personenkollektiva (Hipster+ia). Die beiden Klassen verhalten sich in Bezug auf ihre Expressivität nicht uniform. Es wird eine Analyse vorgeschlagen, wonach der meliorative Effekt bei (i) strukturell basiert ist, aber nicht in jedem Kontext auftritt, während der pejorative Effekt bei (ii) lexikalisch basiert und konventionell mit dem Wortbildungsmuster verknüpft ist. Ein konstruktionsmorphologischer Ansatz kann die relevanten Muster im Rahmen von Schemata adäquat erfassen, erweist sich aber in Bezug auf die expressiven Effekte als nur begrenzt aussagekräftig.The paper investigates expressive hybrid formations in German in which the non-native suffix -(er)ia is combined with a native stem. The aim of the paper is to describe these formations systematically for the first time on the basis of a sample corpus, to analyze them with reference to recent approaches to expressive morphology, and to outline the possibilities and limits of a constructional morphological modeling. The investigation reveals that a distinction must be made between two main classes of -(er)ia-formations: (i) (meliorative) proper names for stores (Brill+eria) and (ii) (pejorative) appellative personal collectives (Hipster+ia). The two classes do not behave uniformly in terms of expressivity. An analysis is proposed according to which the meliorative effect in (i) is structurally based but does not occur in every context, while the pejorative effect in (ii) is lexically based and conventionally linked to the word formation pattern. A constructional morphological approach can adequately capture the relevant patterns in the context of schemata, but proves to be of limited value with respect to expressive effects
Being itself: On German selbst in synthetic compounds
Get PDFGerman synthetic compounds containing selbst have traditionally been treated as reflexive in nature. However, this view cannot cope on the one hand with the basic value of selbst as focus particle and not as pronoun and on the other with the non-reflexive value of many compounds whose meaning range from purely intensification of the understood agent of the activity as in Selbstbau ‘do-it yourself-construction’ to anti-causativity like Selbstentzündung ‘self-ignition’. In this paper, we will consider a different option, namely to interpret the focus particle selbst as a flag for signaling contrastive coreference. This option can be concretely operationalized in constructional terms as a case of constructional idiom.German synthetic compounds containing selbst have traditionally been treated as reflexive in nature. However, this view cannot cope on the one hand with the basic value of selbst as focus particle and not as pronoun and on the other with the non-reflexive value of many compounds whose meaning range from purely intensification of the understood agent of the activity as in Selbstbau ‘do-it yourself-construction’ to anti-causativity like Selbstentzündung ‘self-ignition’. In this paper, we will consider a different option, namely to interpret the focus particle selbst as a flag for signaling contrastive coreference. This option can be concretely operationalized in constructional terms as a case of constructional idiom
Tagungsankündigung / Conference Announcement: "Back-formation in a new theoretical universe" (workshop at the 20th IMM) (September 1–4, 2022; Budapest, Hungary)
Get PDFDieser Beitrag ist ursprünglich im Peter-Lang-Verlag erschienen (https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/plg/jwf/2022/00000006/00000001/art00007