European Master in Lexicography EMLex Diachronic lexicography and
- Slides: 29
European Master in Lexicography (EMLex) Diachronic lexicography and lexicology 3 Éva Buchi
Diachronic lexicology n This unit: concluding episode, about internal creations n OED’s Principal Etymologist Based on: - Philip Durkin: The Oxford Guide to Etymology (2009) - Rebecca Posner: Linguistic Change in French (1997)
Etymological classes n (1) Inherited lexical units = normally transmitted lexical units (from the common ancestor of the language family) n (2) Borrowings (loan words) = lexicals units which were taken from another language n This unit (3) Internal creations = new lexical units constructed from existing materials in the same language
Two types of internal creations n (1) Adding new lexemes to vocables → Semantic change Inherited from Proto-Germanic *hailag-oz Internal creation Example: HOLY 1 adj. ‘sanctified, sacred’ (since ca 825) HOLY 2 adj. ‘intense, total’ (since 1837) n Focus (2) Adding new (mostly monolexemic) vocables to the lexicon → Word-formation
Semantic change n Very, very large sub-class! n In order to deal with semantic change, we need to: – explicitly name it – explain what it is based on For instance: n Metaphor: semantic transfer based on an association of similarity (“hidden comparison”) n Metonymy: semantic transfer based on an association of contiguity n
Inheritance, borrowing, creation? n Distinctive criteria for internal creations: n (1) Dating: all genetic constituants (lexemes, affixes) of the new lexeme existed in the language prior to its coinage n Principle of semantic compositionality (2) Semantics: all genetic constituants (lexemes, affixes) of the new lexeme contribute in a natural way (i. e. in accordance with their semantics) to its global meaning
Semantic compositionality n Chauveau, Jean-Paul (2005): “Remarques sur la dérivation dans les notices historiques et étymologiques du Trésor de la langue française” Points inconsistencies in the TLF n ‘Action of speaking in a witty and teasing manner’ Example: TLF s. v. badinage m. n. ‘banter’: < BADIN n. m. ‘banterer’ + -AGE n n n TLF s. v. -age: verb + -AGE > action noun; noun + -AGE > collective noun Thus: BADINAGE m. n. ‘banter’ < BADINER v. ‘banter’ + -AGE
Significance of wordformation n Durkin (2009: 94): ‘Let us imagine for a moment a future age where only a few scraps of modern English survive. If an etymologist in this future age encounters the word bitterness in a scrap of surviving writing, and the word bitter is not attested in the surviving records, but dark, darkness, and hardness all are, then comparison among these words will provide just enough evidence to show that bitterness should be analysed as bitterness (not *bit-terness), that -ness is a derivative suffix, and that bitter is an adjective. ’
Word-formation typology n n n n There are other patterns (these are the most important ones) n n n 1. Derivation 2. Compounding 3. Conversion 4. Back-formation 5. Ellipsis 6. Clipping 7. Blends 8. Initialisms 9. Acronyms 10. Onomatopoeia
1. Derivation n ‘Type of word-formation in which new vocables are created by adding affixes to existing lexemes’ n Frequently with change in word class: an affix may form abstract nouns from adjectives, or verbs from nouns n Examples: BITTER > BITTERNESS (TO) WASH > WASHABLE KIND > UNKIND
Affixes n Derivational affix Affix ‘elementary grammatical sign which serves to produce a derivative or a wordform’ Inflectional affix n Prefix ‘affix occurring at the beginning of a linguistic sign’ n Suffix ‘affix occurring at the end of a linguistic sign’
Origin of affixes Affixes often result from grammaticalization of adverbs or prepositions n Example: OVER prep. ‘across a barrier’ > OVER- pref. ‘to an excessive degree’ See DÉRom PROTECTIVE > OVERPROTECTIVE s. v. */'mɛnt-e/ n In some cases, nouns are reanalized as affixes. For instance, the adverb. Sp. CLARAMENTE, Fr. forming suffix -MENT(E) in Spanish, CLAIREMENT, It. French and Italian originates in uses CHIARAMENTE of Latin MĒNS in the ablative case in ‘clearly’ collocations such as CLĀRĀ MENTE ‘with a clear mind’ n
2. Compounding n From Latin and Greek ‘Type of word-formation in which new vocables are created by joining two or more lexemes’ n Examples: (TO) SCARE + CROW > SCARECROW SNOW + WHITE > SNOWWHITE n Neo-classical combining forms: exist only as productive bound forms in compounds (↔ affixes: form compounds with other bound forms: MICROGRAPHY)
Derivation or compounding? n It can sometimes be difficult to determine whether we have a case of compounding or derivation MICROFILMER n. <? n n Derivative! Morphology and semantics: (1) -ER = commonest agent-noun-formi suffix in English (2) MICROFILM + -ER > ‘microfilm maker’ Not: MICRO- + FILMER > *‘very small maker of films’
3. Conversion n ‘Type of word-formation in which a vocable pertaining to one word class (part of speech) gives rise to one of identical form in another one’ n Examples: (TO) LOOK v. > LOOK n. TAPE n. > (TO) TAPE v.
4. Back-formation ‘Type of word-formation in which new vocables are created by removing actual or supposed affixes’ n Example 1: Microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation > Supposed MASER n. ‘device that emits coherent affix microwave radiation’ (since 1955) > (TO) MASE v. ‘(to) function as a maser’ (since 1962) n Example 2: EDITOR n. > (TO) EDIT v. n
5. Ellipsis n ‘Type of word-formation in which a compound or phrase is shortened in a way that one element comes to take on the previous meaning of the whole compound or phrase’ n Examples: Engl. WELSH RAREBIT ‘toast with melted cheese’ > RAREBIT ‘id. ’ Lat. MILLE PASSUUM ‘mile’ > MILLE ‘id. ’
6. Clipping n ‘Type of word-formation in which the form of a vocable is shortened without change of meaning or word class, leaving a form which is morphologically incomplete or unanalysable’ n Remodelling of the ending: NAPKIN > NAPPY n Common in contemporary English, usually forming colloquial synonyms of the clipped vocables Examples: PREFABRICATED adj. > PREFAB (1956) WEBLOG n. > BLOG (1999)
Typology of clippings n Aphaeresis ‘clipping occurring at the beginning of a linguistic sign’ Example: AGAINST prep. > GAINST n Apocope ‘clipping occurring at the end of a linguistic sign’ Example: PHOTOGRAPH n. > PHOTO n Syncope ‘clipping occurring in the middle of a linguistic sign’ Example: COVERCHIEF n. > KERCHIEF
7. Blends n ‘Type of word-formation in which two usually truncated word stems combine to form a new vocable’ n Often phonemic overlap ! Examples: SMOKE + FOG > SMOG MOTOR + HOTEL > MOTEL THREE + SEQUEL > THREEQUEL EDUCATION + ENTERTAINMENT > EDUTAINMENT
8. Initialisms n ‘Type of word-formation in which new vocables are created by pronouncing the initial letters of phrases as a series of letter names’ n Example: digital video disk > DVD (although a group of companies later agreed to reinterpret the initialism as in fact standing for digital versatile disk)
9. Acronyms n ‘Type of word-formation in which new vocables are created by pronouncing the initial letters of phrases as the word-form spelt by the resulting string of letters’ n Example: light amplication by the stimulated emission of radiation > LASER
10. Onomatopoeia n ‘Humans are only imitating the sounds of animals in a very loose sense, and can often make much better imitations when not operating within the constraints of language. ’ (Durkin 2009: 127) ‘Type of word-formation in which new vocables are created by vocal imitation of the sound associated with their referent’ n Examples: Engl. MEOW, Germ. MIAU, Fr. MIAOU, Sp. MIAU, It. MIAO, Jap. NYAA, Chin. MIAO Engl. CHIT-CHAT n. ‘small talk, gossip’
Let’s play with French! Attribute each example to its proper category m. n. ‘aristocrat’ (< ARISTOCRATIE Acronym f. n. ‘aristocracy’) ARISTOCRATE LIBRE-SERVICE f. n. ‘self- service’ Back formation m. n. ‘guaranteed minimal wage’ (< salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance) Compounding adj. ‘turquoise’ (< TURQUOISE f. n. ‘sort of jewel’) Conversion SMIC TURQUOISE
Etymologizing an internal creation n Imagine you are planning a vacation in Burgundy. On the internet, you find the following advertisement: n ? Située aux portes de Mâcon, la Vieille Ferme vous propose également 4 studios (2 pièces et cuisinette) à la location n ‘Situated at the gateway to Mâcon, the Vieille Ferme also rents out 4 studio flats (2 rooms + kitchenette)’
Analyzing CUISINETTE n The French noun CUISINETTE is an internal creation peculiar to the French language n Can you guess how it is derived? n French CUISINETTE decomposes in: + French CUISINE f. n. ‘kitchen’ + French suffix -ETTE ‘/+ little/, /+ feminine/’
Sure? n Check this etymology by using the TLFi n (1) Did all the genetic constituants of CUISINETTE exist in French prior to its coinage? n 1ère attest. = ‘first appearance’ (1 a) Since when is the lexeme CUISINETTE documented? n According to the TLFi, CUISINETTE is documented since 1936. It was probably coined some (but not that many) years before
Dating process n (1 b) Dating CUISINE? n Since ca. 1170 in the sense ‘kitchen’ (and since 1155 in the sense ‘cookery’) n (1 c) Dating -ETTE? Since the 15 th century (bestelete ‘little animal’) n n Yes! n n CUISINETTE: 1936 CUISINE: ca. 1170 -ETTE: 15 th century
Semantics n (2) Do all genetic constituants of the lexeme CUISINETTE contribute in a natural way to its global meaning? n Yes! In the meaning ‘little kitchen’ of CUISINETTE, the part ‘kitchen’ comes from the lexical base CUISINE and the part ‘little’ from the suffix -ETTE
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- What is synchrony and diachrony
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