Abstract
Two categories of English lexical units, [V er N] N ( howler monkey ) and “subjective” (i.e. including a subject–verb relation) [V ing N] N ( revolving door ), and two French ones, [NV eur ] N ( singe hurleur ) and [NV ant ] N ( porte tournante ) are examined as a group with regard to their similarities. Beside the fact that they have been largely ignored by previous research, they are all endocentric units with a nominal head and a deverbal modifier, in which the head noun is interpretable as the subject of the verb underlying the modifier. In addition, the suffixes are in 2 × 2 correspondence between the two languages. The characteristics of each of the four categories are reviewed, including non-prototypical members, stress when applicable, and the variety of semantic roles underlying the subjective relation. The semantic differences between the two categories in each language are investigated. The final section contains a discussion of the grammatical (morpholog-ical or syntactic) status of the categories.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.