Abstract
The aim of this study is to identify linguistic transparency and opacity in compounds. Linguistic transparency and opacity analyses the degree to which the meaning of a compound word or idiom can be inferred from its parts. Compounding is a word formation process in which a lexical unit is made up of more than one word functioning as one, not only grammatically, but also semantically. Compounds and the meaning inferred by them may be: full, partial or idiomatic. Detailed analysis of the word classifies linguistic transparency or opacity as follows: two transparent constituents, transparent - opaque constituent, opaque-transparent constituent, two opaque constituents. As of the compositionality principle, constituents of compounds will be analysed separately and as a whole. Analysis will be illustrated with abundant examples of compound words collected by the Dictionary of Contemporary Albanian language and Oxford Student’s Dictionary. Translation of several words from English into Albanian and vice versa will be provided so as to pinpoint the matches and mismatches. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n3s1p590
Highlights
Introduction to Linguistic TransparencyLinguistic transparency is a broad concept used in different subjects
As of linguistics it refers to Semantic Transparency (ST)
Compounding as a productive morphological word formation process is often subject to semantic drift, leading to opacity
Summary
Linguistic transparency is a broad concept used in different subjects. As of linguistics it refers to Semantic Transparency (ST). Compounding as a productive morphological word formation process is often subject to semantic drift, leading to opacity. This theory classifies compounds as semantically transparent and semantically opaque. Schematic representation of each type: Libben has conducted a detailed survey on the relation between semantic transparency and compounds considering compounds based on the stimulus, lexical and conceptual levels. The study highlighted that words belonging to different categories of transparency yielded similarities as of the stimulus and lexical levels. It is the conceptual level which plays a significant role. Http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0093934X97918769 * - “cook” - note the difference in meaning between the verb and the noun in the case of “cook” (this compound yields the same meaning even in other languages)
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