Morphology and Lexical Semantics

✍ Scribed by Rochelle Lieber

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 207
• Series: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Exploring the meanings of morphemes and how they combine to form the meanings of complex words, this book examines derived words (writer, unionize), compounds (dog bed, truck driver), and words formed by conversion. Using a series of case studies from English, Rochelle Lieber analyzes the lexical semantics of word formation in a systematic way. The reader is able to explore the nature of affixal polysemy--the reasons why there are multiple affixes with the same function, and the issues of mismatch between form and meaning in word formation.

✦ Table of Contents

Half-title......Page 2
Series-title......Page 3
Title......Page 6
Copyright......Page 7
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Introduction......Page 12
1 Features......Page 26
1.1 The problem: the meaning of -er and -ee......Page 28
1.2.1 Major ontological classes......Page 33
1.2.2 Inferable Eventual Position or State......Page 40
1.3 Towards a solution......Page 46
1.4 Wider implications: the paradigmatic nature of affixal semantics......Page 48
1.5 Conclusion......Page 54
2 Co-indexation......Page 56
2.1 Co-indexation and compounding in English......Page 57
2.1.1 Root compounds......Page 59
2.1.2 Synthetic compounds......Page 65
2.1.3 Root interpretation of synthetic compounds......Page 70
2.2 Co-indexation in derivation......Page 71
2.3 Sentience, volitionality, and the semantic body......Page 82
2.4 Rogue cases: -er and paradigmatic extension......Page 83
2.5 Conclusion......Page 86
3.1.1 Data......Page 87
3.1.2 Past analyses......Page 89
3.1.3 “-ize,” “-ify”: core cases......Page 92
3.1.4 Non-core cases: performatives and similatives......Page 97
3.1.5 Summary......Page 99
3.2 Conversion and the creation of new verbs......Page 100
3.3 Paradigmatic extension and the case of -ize......Page 106
3.4 Conclusion......Page 107
4 Extending the system – location......Page 109
4.1 Time/space features......Page 110
4.2 Location in derivation......Page 119
4.2.1 Privative affixes......Page 120
4.2.2 Negative affixes......Page 122
4.2.2.1 [-Loc] on verbal bases......Page 126
4.2.2.2 [-Loc] on adjectival bases......Page 128
4.2.2.3 [-Loc] on nominal bases......Page 134
4.2.3 Prepositional affixes......Page 136
4.3 Conclusion......Page 144
5 Extending the system – quantity......Page 146
5.1 Quantity features......Page 147
5.2 Comparison to Jackendoff (1991, 1996)......Page 150
5.3 More on telicity......Page 154
5.4.1 The prefix “re-”......Page 156
5.4.2 The suffixes “-ery” and “-age”......Page 159
5.4.3 A word about inflection......Page 162
5.5 Conclusion......Page 164
6 Combinability and the correspondence between form and meaning......Page 165
6.1.1 Non-semantic approaches to affix ordering......Page 166
6.1.2 Specific semantic constraints......Page 169
6.1.3 Derivational redundancy......Page 172
6.1.5 Addendum: redeeming a promissory note......Page 177
6.2 Cumulativity and recursivity: when do complex words cease to be useful?......Page 178
6.3.1 Empty morphs......Page 181
6.3.2 Semantic subtraction......Page 185
6.4 Conclusion......Page 188
7 Looking back, looking forward......Page 189
References......Page 194
Index......Page 202