Derivational morphology in Functional Discourse Grammar

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide a general overview of derivational morphology in Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG) as presented in Hengeveld and Mackenzie (2008). The paper begins with a brief description of the model with special reference to those properties which are relevant in the characterization of derivational processes; it also discusses the differences between classical Functional Grammar (FG) and the current FDG model. It is argued that two novel features of FDG are of special relevance: the separation of frames and lexemes, which entails that the Predicate Formation Rules employed in FG are no longer an option, and the distinction between Lexemes at the Representational Level and Words at the Morphosyntactic Level, with the consequence that morphological processes have impact on various levels of representation. Finally, some examples of key derivational processes (compounding, affixation, and valency changing operations) are provided to show how these processes can be handled in the model.