SOME NOUN-TO-NOUN DERIVATIONAL AFFIXES.
Abstract
Sense definitions of nouns as listed in 'Webster's Third International Dictionary' were studied, with particular emphasis on the patterns of sense development induced on nouns by the suffixes -DOM, -HOOD, -SHIP and -AGE. The senses were classified by their 'syntactic features', upon which the sense shifts were defined. It is suggested that no formal distinction exists between the 'syntactic' and 'semantic' features or processes. It is further suggested that sense development and coinage or derivation of new vocabulary items are the same process. It is further suggested that the semantic system of nouns in the lexicon of English involves the hierarchy of nouns that underlie the meaning of other nouns, and that the 'syntactic feature' system employed in the study is a reflection of this deeper system. It is finally suggested that the lexicon of a language comprises sense listings, rules specifying the semantic structures of lexical items, and rules specifying the way by which the various sense entries are related to each other or derived from each other. These last rules, termed lexical derivation rules, should also specify new derivations that can potentially occur. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 29, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0658887
Entities
People
- Talmy Givon
Organizations
- System Development Corporation