Paradigmatic relations in Construction Morphology: the case of Dutch Noun+Verb compounds

Abstract

The formal and semantic properties of Noun+Verb compounds in Dutch can be accounted for by means of paradigmatically related word-constructional schemas. We can form verbal compounds with an infinitival head from nominal compounds with a deverbal head noun, for instance boekbespreken ‘to book-review’, derived from boekbespreking ’book review’ through substitution of ‑ing by ‑en. The paradigmatically related constructions of verbal compounds with an infinitival head and nominal compounds with a deverbal head thus constitute a paradigm for word formation. The paradigmatic origin of verbal compounds makes the rare use of finite forms of these compounds understandable. The form of nominalizations for Noun+Verb compounds provides additional evidence for the paradigmatic origin of these verbal compounds. The analysis proposed lends support to morphological frameworks in which paradigmatic relations between words play a crucial role, such as Construction Morphology.