Morphology: Morphology: Cross-linguistic variation in word Cross-linguistic variation in word

formationformation

Linguistics 400Linguistics 400

Winter 2010Winter 2010

OverviewOverview• More word formation typesMore word formation types

• InfixationInfixation• CompoundingCompounding• Reduplication Reduplication • Vowel or consonant substitutionVowel or consonant substitution• Simultaneous morphemesSimultaneous morphemes

• For further learning about morphologyFor further learning about morphology• LING 481LING 481

AffixationAffixation

Suffixation: root-Suffixation: root-affixaffix deliver-deliver-ableable

Prefixation: Prefixation: affixaffix-root-root unun-certain-certain

Infixation: ro-Infixation: ro-affixaffix-ot-ot a-a-wholewhole-nother-nother fan-fan-freakin’freakin’-tastic-tastic

InfixationInfixation

Ulwa, a.k.a. Sumo Tawahka, Sumo-Mayangna

Ulwa infixationUlwa infixation

‘‘his/her...’his/her...’

[[bbɑs]s] ‘‘hair’hair’ [[bbɑsskkɑ]]

[[su:lu]su:lu] ‘‘dog’dog’ [[su:su:kkɑlu]lu]

[si[siwwɑnnɑk]k] ‘‘root’root’ [si[siwwɑkkɑnnɑk]k]

[[ɑnnɑ:l:lɑ:k:kɑ]] ‘‘chin’chin’ [[ɑnnɑ::kkɑllɑ:k:kɑ]]

-kɑ(-) ‘his/her’

CompoundingCompounding

[root][root] [root][root] machine gunmachine gun land lineland line snail mailsnail mail

Predictability of meaningPredictability of meaning ’’roid rage roid rage (< 1987; ‘road rage’ < 1988)(< 1987; ‘road rage’ < 1988)

football football (< 1486; ‘American football’ 1879)(< 1486; ‘American football’ 1879)

soap opera soap opera (< 1939)(< 1939)

  

CompoundingCompounding and lexical category and lexical category

nounnoun verbverb adjectiveadjective

nounnoun tray tabletray table friend requestfriend request skin-deepskin-deep

verbverb thinktankthinktank stir-frystir-fry ??

adjectiveadjective high schoolhigh school dry-cleandry-clean red-hotred-hot

Righthand head ruleRighthand head rule Lexical category of entire compound = lex. cat. of Lexical category of entire compound = lex. cat. of

rightmost memberrightmost member

Compound stressCompound stress

GrGreeen Lakeen Lakebluebirdbluebirdffasast lanet laneBBiigfootgfootbad boybad boyold schoolold schoolhotlinehotlineMyspaceMyspace

Compounds in Mandarin ChineseCompounds in Mandarin Chinese

Mandarin—very little affixationMandarin—very little affixation -/-/ɤ̌�ɹ/ ‘little’ (diminutive) (also means ‘son’)ɤ̌�ɹ/ ‘little’ (diminutive) (also means ‘son’)

Some compoundsSome compounds [wà[wàŋ ʨŋ ʨhhjɔ̌�w]jɔ̌�w] ‘ ‘net’ ‘ball’net’ ‘ball’ ‘ ‘tennis’tennis’ [kwàn [kwàn ʨjá]ʨjá] ‘ ‘manage’ ‘house’ manage’ ‘house’ ‘ ‘housekeeper’housekeeper’

ReduplicationReduplication

Chukchee, a.k.a. Chukchee, a.k.a. ChukotChukot

ReduplicationReduplication

Chukchee (Russia)Chukchee (Russia)

[jil[jile]e] ‘‘gopher’ gopher’

[jil[jileejiljil] ] ‘‘gopher’ (absolutive singular) gopher’ (absolutive singular)

[nute] [nute] ‘‘earth, ground’ earth, ground’

[nute[nutenutnut] ] ‘‘earth, ground’ (absolutive singular)earth, ground’ (absolutive singular)

/jil/jile-RED/, RED = reduplicante-RED/, RED = reduplicant

ReduplicationReduplication

English English red redred red home homehome home

meaning: ‘real, true, really’ meaning: ‘real, true, really’

Vowel substitutionVowel substitution

= Ablaut= Ablaut

present past past participlepresent past past participle

ssiing sng saang have sng have suungng

rriing rng raang have rng have ruungng

drdriinknk dr draanknk have dr have druunknk

[i] [e] [ʌ]

Consonant substitutionConsonant substitution

SahaptinSahaptinMeaningsMeanings

larger – smallerlarger – smaller more important less importantmore important less important

FormsForms q – kq – k n ln l ɬɬ ʃʃ s s ttɬɬ ʧʧ ts ts

Uvular place of articulationUvular place of articulation

[q] = voiceless uvular stop[q] = voiceless uvular stop [[qqɨɨp] ‘shoot, fire’p] ‘shoot, fire’ [w[wɑɑqit] ‘search for’qit] ‘search for’

compare [k]compare [k] [[kkɨɨtu] ‘fast’tu] ‘fast’ [wilj[wiljɑɑki] ‘chaps’ki] ‘chaps’

velar

uvular

q’tq’tɑɑɑɑtt ‘‘thick’thick’

(cardboard, (cardboard, biscuit, biscuit, helmet)helmet)

k’tk’tɑɑɑɑtt ‘‘thick’thick’

(canvas, bread, (canvas, bread, tile)tile)

q – k

Related pairs of wordsRelated pairs of words

thicker and/or more solid

ʔʔɨɨnniitiit ‘‘house’house’ ʔʔɨɨlliitiit ‘‘shack, shack, shed’shed’

n - l

mjmjɑɑnnɑɑʃʃ ‘‘child’child’ mjmjɑɑllɑɑss ‘‘baby’baby’

n, ʃʃ - l, s

χχɑɑɬjɬjɑɑ ‘‘sunflower’sunflower’ χχɑɑsjsjɑɑ ‘‘wild celery’wild celery’

ɬɬ - s - s

[[χχ] = voiceless uvular fricative] = voiceless uvular fricative

Some forms of Some forms of ‘write’ /ktb/‘write’ /ktb/

perfectiveperfective

activeactive passivepassive

II katabkatab kutibkutib

‘‘wrote’wrote’ ‘‘was written’was written’

IIII kattabkattab kuttibkuttib

‘‘made write’made write’ ‘‘was made to write’was made to write’

IIIIII kaatabkaatab kuutibkuutib

‘‘corresponded with’corresponded with’ ‘‘was corresponded with’was corresponded with’

Modern Standard Arabic verbal Modern Standard Arabic verbal morphology morphology

Simultaneous morphologySimultaneous morphology

u iu i perfective passiveperfective passive

CVVCVCCVVCVC III III waznwazn: ‘to direct, strive to, act in : ‘to direct, strive to, act in conjunction with’conjunction with’

ktbktb ‘‘write’write’

[kuutib] ‘was corresponded with’[kuutib] ‘was corresponded with’

‘correspond’

Verb root (consonants)Verb root (consonants)

# of Cs# of Cs exampleexample

33 /ktb//ktb/ ‘‘to write’to write’

22 /sm//sm/ ‘‘to poison’to poison’

11 /j//j/ ‘‘to write the letter y’to write the letter y’

Morphology summaryMorphology summary

MorphemesMorphemesMorphological analysisMorphological analysisLexical categoryLexical categoryTypes of word formationTypes of word formation

QuestionQuestion

Think of a compound in your native Think of a compound in your native language (if English, use an example language (if English, use an example different from those provided above). Give different from those provided above). Give the meaning of the whole compound as the meaning of the whole compound as well the meaning of its parts (if different).well the meaning of its parts (if different).