Deverbal Nouns Research Articles

The verbal structure in English synthetic compounds

The question whether synthetic compounds should be analyzed as including a verbal core or as root compounds has issued a long theoretical debate in the linguistic literature since the ‘70s. It is precisely their mixed properties that make this debate so difficult to settle. We investigate compounds headed by suffix-based deverbal nouns and propose that they are ambiguous between true synthetic compounds, which include verbal structure, and root compounds. We trace this ambiguity back to Grimshaw’s (1990) distinction between argument structure nominals (realizing verbal arguments) and result or simple event nominals (which do not realize verbal arguments). The true synthetic compounds are headed by argument structure nominals and realize the verb’s internal argument as a non-head (e.g. book reading, book reader), but deverbal nouns may also head root compounds when interpreted as simple event or result nominals and realize a modifier as their non-head (e.g. police questioning). We account for the differences and similarities between synthetic compounds and argument structure nominals in the framework of Distributed Morphology and show how Voice-related properties account for further characteristics of synthetic compounds concerning event implication and accommodation of idioms.

Affix polyfunctionality in French deverbal nominalizations

This article investigates the semantic polyfunctionality of affixes, i.e. their ability to serve a variety of distinct semantic functions. Based on the analysis of a sample of 3,091 deverbal nouns ending with 46 different suffixes in French, the study examines the diversity of semantic functions realized by deverbal suffixes, the distribution of these functions across suffixes and the relationships that may exist between different functions. It appears that polyfunctionality is widespread among French deverbal suffixes and involves a large number of semantic functions, with highly variable realization frequency. Several fundamental aspects of affix polyfunctionality are further highlighted. A probabilistic analysis shows that polyfunctionality can be driven by non-arbitrary semantic associations between functions. A hierarchy of functions can also be postulated depending on whether they can be instantiated by monosemous or only polysemous derivatives. In addition, polyfunctionality appears to be inseparable from rivalry relationships and to determine the degree of rivalry between affixes. Overall, the study illustrates that affix polyfunctionality is governed by systematic organizing principles whose ramifications touch on lexical ambiguity and morphological competition.

When morphology meets regular polysemy

This study investigates the existence of complex morphological patterns that include a regular polysemy extension. Such complex patterns derive ambiguous words whose semantic types are both related and specified. To address this issue, nouns derived from verbs in French are investigated. A sample of 2,953 deverbal nouns ending with 46 suffixes are collected and systematically analyzed with respect to semantic properties and lexical ambiguity. Thirty-eight complex patterns are identified. The formation of ambiguous nouns whose meanings fit into a regular polysemy pattern appears as a discriminative property of some suffixes. Different kinds of patterns are further distinguished, depending on whether secondary meanings in complex patterns can be directly related to a base verb or not. In accordance with the literature on the polysemy of nominalizations, the semantic categories of EVENT and RESULT are prominent in morphological patterns, but other semantic types such as AGENT, INSTITUTION and COGNITIVE OBJECT are importantly represented as well. In addition, metonymy is the main semantic figure observed in complex patterns. Overall, the article sheds new light on the relationship between word formation and lexical polysemy by describing the possibility of direct association between them.

An infinitive by any other name: On the non-finites in Hungarian, Finnish and Estonian grammars

Abstract Non-finite verb forms, in-between verbs and nouns and also in-between inflection and derivation, pose challenges to grammar writing. In the largely Latin-based European grammar traditions, three or four main types of non-finites are often distinguished: infinitives, participles, verbal adverbs (gerunds, converbs), and – often most closely connected to the participles but classified as derivation rather than inflection – deverbal noun derivatives. Hungarian, Finnish, and Estonian, the three Uralic state languages with a strong tradition of written cultivation, are situated at the western end of the language family and display a strong “Europeanization” also in their systems of non-finites. Yet, these systems differ greatly even from each other. In this paper, the classification and nomenclature of non-finites in Hungarian grammars are compared with Finnish and Estonian. The Finnish grammar tradition is based on morphological substance but, failing to acknowledge the category of converbs, ends up exploiting the term “infinitive” in a way which is syntactically and semantically meaningless. The Estonian grammars vacillate between an opportunistic use of traditional European grammar terms and a simple listing of forms at a minimal level of abstraction. Hungarian grammars, in turn, present the non-finites in a way which is incompatible with other grammar traditions and is internally contradictory.

Verbo-Nominal Constructions withkommen‘come’ in German

AbstractThe paper presents the results of a diachronic study of the light verb constructions containing the German verbkommen‘come’ accompanied by a prepositional phrase containing a deverbal noun and the prepositionzu‘to’. The analysis is based on the corpus data from the DTA (DeutschesTextarchiv) between 1600 and 1900. The aim of the paper is to integrate traditional grammatical descriptions ofFunktionsverbgefügewith grammaticalization and lexicalization approaches as well as with more recent usage-based constructionist approaches. In doing so, the view of composite predicates as more or less grammaticalized or more or less lexicalized constructions will be challenged by offering empirical evidence in favor of a more diversified account. It will be argued that it is often a matter of the methodological perspective as to which particular status is assigned to a structure under investigation.

Directionality in cross-categorial derivations

What exactly is the relationship between the verb hammer and the noun hammer? Is one derived from the other, are both derived from a common source, and how can we tell? This article provides an overview of recent generative approaches to derivational directionality and reviews the different kinds of answers given to such questions, considering the diachrony and synchrony of deverbal nouns, deadjectival and denominal verbs, and similar forms. We critically survey the main empirical points argued for in different languages and evaluate the different analyses that have been proposed. We highlight where progress has been made and what open questions still remain, proposing that formal accounts can be seen as implementing one of two concrete processes, which we term Affix Imposition and Root Augmentation.

Echoic Verbs as Means of Expressing Semelfactive/Multiplicative Meanings in Contemporary English

The article discusses the problem of semelfactive and multiplicative verbs in contemporary English. We state that most of semelfactive/multiplicative verbs are of sound-imitating origin. On the basis of four dictionaries (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2003), Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (2000), Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language (2008), Webster Universal College Dictionary (1997)), 285 echoic verbs were singled out. Our intention was to study the echoic verbs as the main means of expressing either semelfactive or multiplicative, or both, meanings according to the context within the framework of Smith’s (1997) theory of aspect in which five situation types, namely states, activities, achievements, accomplishments, and semelfactives are distinguished. The results of the research contribute to the study of verbal plurality in English. According to the suggested semantic classification, the analyzed verbs were subdivided into three main groups: echoic verbs denoting a sound, the source of which is a person, a thing or nature. The results of the empirically-based study are reflected in the quantitative analysis of the English echoic verbs, which concludes that verbs denoting sounds caused by a thing are used most frequently, verbs denoting sounds produced by a living being are used more seldom, and verbs denoting sounds of nature are least commonly used. Echoic verbs can also be used as part of light verb constructions, where the singular form of a deverbal noun indicates a semelfactive meaning, while the plural form expresses a multiplicative one.

The Suffix -ation in English

This paper analyses the role of the suffix -ation in English, based on data from the OED. The suffix forms deverbal nouns. Its origin can be traced back to Latin, but French had an important part in it, too. For the analysis, nouns in -ation and their corresponding verbs were retrieved from the OED. The purpose of the analysis was to characterize the position of -ation in the mental lexicon of current speakers of English and to assess the role of the word formation rule in the history of the formation of nouns in -ation. For the analysis, Marchand’s classification of nouns in -ation is used, which distinguishes nouns with verbs ending in -ify, -ize, -ate, and other verbs. This classification is combined with the information about first attestation dates provided by the OED. Cases where more than one verb can underlie a particular noun are studied in detail. Particular attention is paid to the issue of backformation, i.e. cases where the noun has been attested earlier than the verb. In the interpretation of these cases, the perspective of individual speakers is highlighted.

Nominalization in Priyanka Chopra’s Selected Speeches

This study aims to find out types of nominalization used in Priyanka Chopra’s selected speeches and the realizations. The selected speeches were taken from written sources and videos on the internet consisting of three speeches. This research used a descriptive qualitative method by applying theory of nominalization in Systemic Functional Linguistics by Quirk et al. The data collection techniques were conducted by applying a documentation method. The documents used to support this study were in the form of videos and transcriptions of the speeches on the internet. The results showed that not all the three types of nominalization were used in the three selected speeches. The nominalization with the gerundive noun type was used in all the three selected speeches. There were 6 gerundive nouns (14.6%) in the first speech, 7 gerundive nouns (25%) in the second speech, and 4 gerundive nouns (21%) in the third speech. The nominalization with verbal noun type was only used 1 (2.4%) among the three selected speeches which was in the first speech. Meanwhile, the deverbal noun type was used most in all the three selected speeches. There were 34 deverbal nouns (83%) in the first speech, 21 deverbal nouns (75%) in the second speech, and 15 deverbal nouns (79%) in the third speech. The nominalizations were realized by suffixations and conversions. The nominalizations were formed in the presence of the suffixes –dom, -er, –ing, -ion, -ity, -ment, and -or. Also, they were formed by conversion, such as the nouns care, cause, experience, and waste.

Transposition of English Zero Derivation from Nouns to Indonesian Verbs in to Kill a Mockingbird

The research aimed to discuss and analyze the translation of English zero derivation or conversion from nouns to Indonesian verbs using transposition strategy. The research was carried out through the qualitative method by having the constant comparative analysis whose data were collected from Harper Lee’s novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. The data collection was obtained by sampling to support the description based on the classification, including morphological and syntactic categories. The findings show an obvious difference between source and target languages. This occurs when the translation of English zero derivation relies on the affixes more frequently than any other criteria. Furthermore, the overall result proves that the transposition of English conversion from nouns into Indonesian verbs can be analyzed from the verb base that can be converted into nouns, which is then called a deverbal noun, and the noun base that can be converted into a verb. The translation of English zero deverbal noun is possible to be transposed into the target language verb. In a part of formal properties, the identification of English verb base converted into noun could be characterized by the irregular verb, stress pattern, intransitive verb, and semantic complexity, at the same time when the English noun base is transposed into Indonesian verb by considering the verbal interpretation and frequency of occurrence.

Light Verb Constructions as Means of Expressing Semelfactive/Multiplicative Meanings in J.K. Rowling’s Discourse (on the basis of novels ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’)

The article discusses the problem of light verb constructions in contemporary English on the basis of novels ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ by J.K. Rowling. We (the authors) state that most of light verb constructions denote either semelfactive or multiplicative meanings within the framework of Smith’s (1997) theory of aspect in which five situation types, namely states, activities, achievements, accomplishments, and semelfactives are distinguished. The aspectual meaning of a light verb construction is concentrated in its nominal component which can be proved by the existence of for, with-phrases like for a better look, where the verbal component is omitted. The singular of the deverbal noun indicates a semelfactive meaning, whereas the plural form expresses a multiplicative one. The verbal component in such constructions may be represented by ‘light’ verbs such as take, have, make, do, give or ‘heavy’ verbs like cast, draw, shoot etc. The qualitative characteristics of light verb constructions can be intensified by prepositive and postpositive modifiers such as quick, short, sharp etc. On the basis of novels ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ by J.K. Rowling 97 and 115 light verb constructions have been singled out and analyzed respectively. The results of the research contribute to the study of verbal plurality in English.

Argument structure in the Spanish Determiner Phrase: Acquisition of hierarchies through posessivization

Four types of Determiner Phases (DP) in Spanish have arguments in the form of Prepositional Phrases (PP) introduced by de (‘of’). Picture (foto ‘photo’) and deverbal nouns (descripción ‘description’) project a more complex argument structure than relational (primo ‘cousin’) and deadjectival nouns (belleza ‘beauty’). The possessivization test implies that the most prominent de-PP of each DP type can be possessivized depending on different thematic hierarchies. This study analyzes whether comparative complexity affects convergence on possessivization, with earlier convergence predicted for comparatively simpler relational and deadjectival DPs. To test this prediction, this study examines order of DP acquisition in 52 L1 Spanish-speaking children (6-year-olds (N = 14), 7-year-olds (N = 21), 8-year-olds (N = 17)). A Graded Grammaticality Judgment Task (GGJT) containing 32 items divided across four conditions (relational, deadjectival, picture, deverbal) with four contexts each was administered. Results reveal developmental improvement and partial support for the prediction in that relational DPs are converged upon first, while deverbal DPs are converged upon last. This study’s import is the novel examination of argument structure across four DP types in Spanish-speaking children with the aim of observing and explaining the developmental path.

The Prosody of Ø-Suffixed Deverbal Nouns in Ukrainian

Ukrainian Ø-suffixed deverbal nouns such as perépyt 'repeated inquiry' are derived from perfective and/or imperfective verbs (< perepytátyPFV 'to ask again, re-interrogate', perepýtuvatyIPFV 'to ask repeatedly'). In some nouns, a complete match in segments and prosody between a base and the derivative is found in the infinitival stem of either or both aspects, as in nadríz 'cut, incision', nadrízatyPFV, nadrízuvatyIPFV 'to make a slight cut'. For other nouns, a segmental match is found in the infinitival stem, but another verb form would be needed to provide the prosodic match, as in rozrýv 'rupture, break', rozryvátyIPFV, rozirvátyPFV 'to tear, rend, break apart', with a stress match only in rozrývanyjPPP. But for many nouns with stress on the prefix, as in perépyt, there simply is no derivational base available for a prosodic match. The proposal is that stress on the prefix in deverbal nouns is a morphosemantic innovation in Ukrainian motivated by hypostasis, i.e., the process of a noun becoming more concrete, designating a result or product of the action rather than nominalizing the action itself (Townsend 1980). The derivation of deverbal nouns can be seen as a stem-level process subject to a grammar with some version of Base-Derivative faithfulness (Stress Faith >> Stress Prefix). But in hypostatic masculine deverbal nouns, the prosodic adjustment takes place on words and here stress is (re)assigned to the prefix by Stress Prefix >> Stress Faith. Ukrainian thus presents a notable case of prosodically marked semantic change.

Групповая аффиксация при словообразовании в эвенкийском языке

The paper considers cases of derivation in Evenki from verbs to nouns and from nouns to adjectives when the derivative preserves syntactic properties of the base stem (particularly the information on syntactic dependents). The examples of such derivatives are deverbal nouns and denominal adjectives with certain derivation affixes. Nouns preserve the verbal property of subcategorization (they govern a direct accusative object), and adjectives preserve the nominal property of attaching an attributive word: a noun (an appositive), an adjective, a participle, a numeral. The syntactic analysis of such phrases differs from their derivation analysis. In terms of syntax, the base stem and its direct object (or attribute) form one constituent: [[NP/AP + N/VBASE] + NMLZ], reflecting subcategorial and combinatory features of the base stem. The derivation affix in the syntactic representation is attached to the whole constituent, suggesting the construction with a phrasal affix. Such analysis relies on the notion of group flection or phrasal affixation. The phrasal affixation in inflection has been investigated in detail in typologically diverse languages. However, much fewer works are devoted to phrasal affixation in word formation. Evenki language specialists either did not report this phenomenon or mentioned it without giving an explanatory account. The sources of our examples are different: oral stories, newspaper articles, archives, and examples from grammars and other studies in Evenki. These data illustrate the transition of constructions with a deverbal noun and an accusative object from the class of productive (mid-20th century) to the class of idiomatic ones (21st century).

Patterns of deverbal nominalization in Kaqchikel

The paper provides an overview of productive patterns of deverbal nominalization in Kaqchikel (Mayan; ergative, VOS/SVO). Adopting the universal typology for deverbal nominals developed by J. Grimshaw, H. Borer, and K. Moulton, we demonstrate that, while in English and other well-studied languages of Europe the same morpheme is often used to create all kinds of deverbal nouns, Kaqchikel clearly disambiguates between the three cases: complex events, simple events, and result nominals. We consider in detail the core semantic and syntactic properties of the three classes of items, thus filling in a gap in the description of Mayan syntax and further contributing to the general discussion of nominalization across the world’s languages.

Regarding the Verb “ĮTAKOTI”

The first attempts to correct the verb įtakoti and, naturally, its derivatives were observed in the 1970s. The main assumption for correcting (not to mention a certain “tradition” of correcting) is as follows: įtaka – an inflectional derivative from įtekėti, therefore suffixal derivatives with -oti are not possible from the systemic perspective. Thus, this is the influence of the Russian language. However, such an assumption is erroneous and originates from misinterpretation of derivation and history of correcting. The article aims to show that, on the one hand, įtaka → įtakoti can be seen as a regular model of derivation and, on the other hand, if the noun įtaka is considered to be a loan translation, there is no reason for thinking that it functions in the language differently from all the other a-stem nouns, which serve as basis for derivatives with the suffix -oti. &#x0D; Abundancy of systemic examples of derivative verbs with the suffix -oti shows that the neologism įtakoti are in the same group with pasakoti and sąlygoti. They are prefixal verbs, i.e., derivatives with the suffix -oti from prefixal deverbative nouns: įtekėti → įtaka → įtakoti; nuimti → nuoma → nuomoti; pasekti → pasaka → pasakoti; pravežti → pravėža → pravėžoti; sulygti → sąlyga → sąlygoti. Therefore, correction of the verb įtakoti is not justified from the perspective of systemic word derivation.&#x0D; If įtaka is generally regarded as a part of derivational system of the Lithuanian language (and this is true, because it is a submorphemic loan translation, europeism, book neologism, although structurally successfully matching with examples of productive derivation models and likely to be influenced by analogous processes), its functioning in the Lithuanian language does not differ from other a-stem nouns – the derivational model of suffix -oti from the a-stem is abundant. The derivatives with this suffix are frequently derived from base nouns as well as from deverbatives, sometimes even from prefixal or concrete or even abstract nouns; the meaning of derivation does not fall out of the context here. Names of persons with the suffix -tojas are formed in big numbers and a systemic way from derivatives with the suffix -oti and with the root of verb – pasakotojas, sąlygotojas, nuomotojas, pravėžotojas, įtakotojas.&#x0D; The suffix -oti is successfully used to derive verbs from prefixal deverbatives, although some limitations can also be observed – the derivative with suffix -oti is not made from įlanka. This leads only to one conclusion – a theoretical approach to a model of derivation has to be all-encompassing and considering various possibilities. Moreover, exaggerated support/denial of a certain model leads to erroneous generalizations. In general, in such complex systems (a) there is always a considerable diversity of non-systemic usage – due to different frequency of usage as well as because of historical and cognitive reasons, (b) there are always blank spaces that appear due to formally different but semantically identical or very close derivation models, which usually have to be evaluated not only from the systemic point of view but also considering a common sense of language and live speech of people (aras/erelis, siuvėjas/siūtojas, rašytojas/rašėjas, pasakoti/padangoti…).&#x0D; Due to all the aforesaid circumstances, the verb įtakoti is a systemic derivative/loan translation, which occupies a reasonable place in one or another derivation sub-system in the Lithuanian language as well as a fact of live speech, which does not contradict the systemic structure of language.

Accusative Licensing of Nouns in Turkish

The observation that some Turkish nouns license accusative marking of their complements has puzzled linguistics for the last three decades. The first and the most common hypothesis is that such nouns are part of light-verb compounds in their infinitive nominal form where the verbal part is dropped. In this paper, I argue that light-verb hypothesis is incorrect by providing several constructions where it fails to account for. I propose an alternative, two-part hypothesis. The first part is independent of the light-verb constructions and claims that in Turkish, the accusative case is licensed by verb stems rather than finite verbs. This is a natural corollary of a yet larger hypothesis about the structure of syntax trees for languages like Turkish which claims that the syntax trees go deeper than the word level. The leaves of such trees are morphemes or morpheme groups and the whole of infection/derivation is considered within a single morphosyntactic structure. The implication is that as far as the case-licensing is concerned, only the verb stems license accusative case. In constructions where a deverbal noun seems to be licensing accusative case, it is actually the verb stem in the noun’s derivation tree that licenses the accusative case. The second part of the hypothesis is the claim that the case-licensing nouns are actually lexicalizations involving multiple adjacent leaves in the morphosyntactic tree. The most common manifestations of this are the lexicalizations of verb stem-participle pairs through replacement with templatic surface forms borrowed from Arabic. The new proposal naturally explains the observation that accusative licensing is most common for a small set of words borrowed from Arabic. I illustrate that these words are the templatic forms of their multi-morpheme counterparts in Turkish which correspond to deverbal nouns, adjectives or adverbs.

Mihin suuntaan saamen progressiivirakenteet ovat menossa?

The Saami languages utilize a long-established progressive construction based on the inflected copula verb and the so-called action essive form of the main verb, for example North Saami lea dahkamin ‘is doing’ of dahkat ‘to do’. The present paper examines an apparently innovative construction that has not been described before, similarly appearing in a progressive function but based on the inflected copula and the locative case form of the deverbal noun in -u, for example lea jođus ‘is going’ of johtit ‘to travel, go, be in motion’. The main data source used is the SIKOR corpus, containing contemporary written language material in several Saami languages; supplementary sources of both written and oral material and of different ages are used as well. The data reveals that the new construction is frequently used of the verb johtit ‘to travel, go’ in modern North Saami (leat jođus) and fairly known in Inari Saami, too (leđe joođoost). It is used more rarely of the verb mannat ‘to go’ in North Saami (leat manus); from Inari Saami there is only a single attestation of this verb in older data. Other verbs are not observed to be used in a similar construction, and the innovation seems to be confined to the contemporary use of these two Saami languages. It is argued that there are both language-internal and external factors that have contributed to the emergence of the leat jođus construction, including the global tendency of progressives to develop out of locative constructions and most importantly the model of the contact language Finnish, where a structurally identical deverbal noun based progressive construction is commonly used of the most frequent motion verbs (olla menossa ~ tulossa ~ lähdössä of mennä ‘to go’, tulla ‘to come’, lähteä ‘to depart’).

The present participle and gender assignment in Swedish

AbstractThe paper considers gender assignment of deverbal nouns, originally present participles, in Swedish. The perspective is diachronic. The corpus consists of a choice of Swedish texts from 1225-1732. The results show that nouns denoting entities ranking higher in the Animacy hierarchy show tendencies to be placed in the utrum gender (originally masculine and feminine genders) and nouns denoting mass, collective or abstract referents to be assigned neuter gender. This tendency is visible throughout the history of the Swedish language.

Metaphorical Structures Involving Deverbal Nouns Characteristic of the Akathist Text

Orthodox hymnography comprises a wide variety of musical-poetic structures. Among them, the akathist stands out both in terms of size and aesthetic features or in terms of frequency of use in the practice of prayer. From the point of view of linguistic interest, we notice the abundance of deverbal nouns in the structure of the akathists, present at all levels of text structure. The multifunctionality of the deverbal nouns within this type of text also includes the aesthetic dimension of the hymn. In the current article we will focus on the dominant metaphorical structures, formed on the basis of deverbal nouns, which highlight fundamental concepts of Christianity.