Abstract
Semantic compositionality, as the principle that makes it possible to compute the global meaning of a complex unit from the specific meanings of its constituents, is usually accepted (at least when Indo-European languages are considered) as exclusive of sentences. Even in the case of complex words, the role of compositionality is accepted very limitedly only. In languages like Chinese, though, where most simple words are monosyllabic – thus, generating a high rate of homophones –, forming complex words on the basis of the compositional combination of simple words is a highly productive, systematic linguistic resource of the language. In this paper, we shall argue for the need of always assessing linguistic principles, such as compositionality, in relation to particular languages; in tandem with this tenet, we shall favour the view of Chinese complex words as compositional structures (differently from what occurs in Indo-European languages, namely). This conclusion is in line with previous studies on this subject.
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