Typology of derivational systems

Handout LECTURE 3

1) Ways of enriching language vocabulary

2) A typology of conversion

3) A typology of affixation

4) A typology of compounding

Ways of enriching language vocabulary. Apart from borrowing which is an external way of enriching a language vocabulary there is also the internal way which comprises 3 basic types:

1) WORD-FORMATION

2) SEMANTIC CHANGE

3) WORD COMBINATION

Especially important for typology is word-formation which includes 3 principal means:

1) CONVERSION

2) AFFIXATION

3) COMPOUNDING

English has plenty of productive patterns:

Productivity of English conversion results in 2 consequences:

1) an indefinite number of identical word-chains correlated semantically(up to 5):

/e.g./ round: Adj > N > > Adv > Prep > V

2) semantic diversity of conversion relations: various types:

a) abstract noun > name of an action (dream > to dream)

b) concrete noun > name of an action (hand > to hand)

c) collective noun > name of an action (crowd > to crowd)

d) name of substance > name of an action (water > to water)

French is also characterized by conversion

In French, like in English the borderlines between parts of speech are fuzzy, hence identical word-chains correlated semantically:

fermer (V) “close” > fermé (Adj) “firm”(as in “ la terre fermé ”) > ferme (N) “farm” > ferme (Adv) (as in “ travailler ferme ” = “work hard”)

There is conversion in Russian, too, though it is less extensively used and all the patterns are non-productive.

TYPOLOGY OF CONVERSION IN ENGLISH, FRENCH AND RUSSIAN