This study examines the relation between headedness and pluralization in French compounds attested in a newspaper corpus. It leans on the classification of compounds proposed by Bisetto and Scalise (2005) that distinguishes between subordinate, attributive or coordinate, and additionally, endocentric or exocentric. However, as to what item constitutes a compound in French, it follows the much more restricted definition of Corbin (1992), inter alia. My result indicates that French compounds exhibit double marking, i.e., both on the head and externally, as to pluralization. In a larger perspective, this result can indicate a tendency towards external pluralization in French.
This study addresses the semantics of French VN compounds within a lexeme-based and lexicalistic approach to morphology. The N constituent can correspond to one of the two semantic macroroles: PATIENT (ouvre-boîte) or ACTOR (croque-monsieur). In addition, there is a special type of unproductive VN compound in which the N is a hyperonym of the hyponym compound (gratte-boësse). The study confirms that there are no strict constraints on the V and the N: the fourAktionsarten, as well as unaccusative and inergative Vs, are accepted. Moreover, it shows that the compounds are formed by different semantic patterns : Agent/Experiencer, Instrument, Locative, Causative, Event and Patient/Theme. The Agent/Experiencer and Instrument patterns in which the N is a PATIENT are the most productive ones.
This study explores formal aspects and functions of 420 novel noun-noun (NN) compounds in diary data from three Swedish children (1;9-6;11). With regard to form, the data show that the children's compounds respect target head order, allow for a small amount of internal inflection, and, in more than half of the cases where a liaison form is required, are properly formed. Most of the compounds concatenate two nouns (without the presence of liaison forms), as is the general case for Swedish NN compounds. With regard to function, the data permit us to distinguish three main functions of the coinages: I. Novel compound instead of established term, II. Novel compound for novel category, and III. Novel compound for specific entity. Type I involves attempts to target conventional compounds by relying either on perceptual or functional features or on recalled semantic, phonological, and/or morphological cues. Type II is innovative compounding par excellence: detailed discriminations and fantasy concepts are named. Type III divides into anaphoric and deictic uses as well as what we call appropriation, i.e. naming a specific entity. Types II and III are functions displayed by novel compounds in general. In conclusion, the three children seem to master the central facets of NN compounds, formally and functionally. Furthermore, compound production can constitute a simple and efficient means for young children to maximize and build more structure into their lexicon.
Swedish has two main types of action nominal constructions (ANCs), either compounding or phrasal (incorporating or nominal, in Koptjevskaja-Tamm 1993), which contain deverbal nouns in -ande or -(n)ing, along with dependent elements. This study investigates Swedish ANCs in use, based on a limited data set from a COVID-19 corpus. It adopts a lexeme-based approach, where deverbal nouns (simplex action nominals), whether including -ande or ‑(n)ing, are morphological constructs and contain a verb lexeme, specified for a list of arguments and an event structure. The study focusses on two questions: to what extent do the two suffixes occur in the compounding versus phrasal ANCs, and to what extent and by what means are the arguments of the verbal base expressed in the compounding versus phrasal ANCs. The data of 328 ANCs (type) show that compounding ANCs predominate over phrasal ANCs, whether combined with -ande or -(n)ing, and that -(n)ing is much more frequent than -ande. As for the expression of arguments, the compounding ANCs contain equally often a modifier (similar to NN-compounding) or an Arg2/internal argument, whereas the phrasal ANCs more often express the Arg2. The Arg1/external argument tends to be expressed as a preposed genitive in one out of ten cases in both compounding and phrasal ANCs. Within a lexeme-based account, we can speak of a gradual transition from morphological constructions, more typically primary compounds (noun-noun) and less typically deverbal compounds (such as compounding ANCs), over to syntactic constructions (such as phrasal ANCs). In conclusion, the study suggests that compounding ANCs are the preferred option in contemporary Swedish for both suffixes, with compounding ANCs, in particular those with -(n)ing, bordering on NN-compounding. Given that both phrasal and compounding ANCs with -ande or -(n)ing occur, albeit to different extents, competition between the morphological and syntactic patterns remains unresolved.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.