When Two Paths Converge: Debonding and Clipping of DutchReuze

Abstract

Dutch reuze(n)(-) has a wide range of synchronic uses that form part of a broad categorical and semantic continuum. Derived from the noun reus ‘giant’, it is often used to express a comparison in nominal and adjectival compounds (for example, reuzegroot ‘as big as a giant’, lit. ‘giant-big’), but it can also have a merely intensifying function (for example, reuzeleuk ‘very nice’, lit. ‘giant-nice’). Moreover, it currently occurs as a free adjective and adverb while keeping its morphological linking morpheme -e- and intensifying value (for example, Het feestje was reuze ‘The party was great’). Drawing on synchronic and diachronic corpus data, this paper argues that the emergence of reuze as a free morpheme should be accounted for by debonding (an instance of degrammaticalization) and clipping.*

Bleaching, productivity and debonding of prefixoids

“…It is typically marked by the following parameters: severance, recategorialization, scope expansion, and flexibilization (Norde, 2009, p. 186-227). Earlier studies (Norde & Van Goethem, 2015;Van Goethem, 2014;Van Goethem & Hiligsmann, 2014;Van Goethem & De Smet, 2014) have shown that free uses of prefixoids may be due to a process of debonding. For instance, for the Dutch prefixoid reuze (cognate with German Riesen-) Van Goethem & Hiligsmann (2014) have shown that its autonomous uses may display all of the typical parameters of the process, including scope expansion and flexibilization, i.e.…”

“…Such morphemes "which look like parts of compounds, and do occur as lexemes, but have a specific and more restricted meaning when used as part of a compound" are called 'affixoids' (Booij, 2009, p. 208; see also Booij, 2010;Booij & Hüning, 2014;Klara, 2012;Leuschner, 2010;Oebel, 2012;Sachs 2012). It has been argued that the emergence of prefixoids can be seen as an instance of grammaticalization, since they "have lost their original lexical meaning more or less, and have acquired a more general and abstract meaning of intensification" (Booij, 2010, p. 58; see also Van Goethem, 2008, 2011Van Goethem & Hiligsmann, 2014). As a result, a cline can be drawn from determinative compounds with literal reference to a giant (e.g.…”

“…Nevertheless, the process may have started out as a spelling phenomenon, subject to formal factors such as vowel clashes, but a subsequent reanalysis has led to the creation of a free morpheme with two main functions, intensifying adverb and attributive adjective (cf. Van Goethem & Hiligsmann, 2014). Crucially, however, this does not mean that separate spelling is necessarily a sign of debonding -the results of Dutch reuze-cannot be extrapolated to similar prefixoids in other languages; each prefixoid needs to be examined in its own right.…”

“…prefixoids, which are compound members that also occur as free morphemes, but have a different meaning when bound. Drawing on earlier research on the emergence of free uses of affixes and affixoids (Norde & Van Goethem, 2015;Van Goethem, 2014;Van Goethem & Hiligsmann, 2014;Van Goethem & De Smet, 2014), this study offers a quantitative analysis of the distribution, semantics and productivity of bound and free uses of two morphemes both originally meaning 'giant': German Riesen (-) and Swedish jätte (-).…”

Emancipatie van affixen en affixoïden

“…Van Goethem & De Smet 2014;Van Goethem & Hiligsmann 2014). een reuze feestje, een reuze probleem), maar is steeds positief geconnoteerd in zijn predicatieve gebruik (bv.…”