Semantic Peculiarities of Feminine Derivatives in the Old English Language (original) (raw)
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Token: A Journal of English Linguistics, 2013
Sociolinguistic variables, such as gender, help nuance historical claims about language change by identifying which subsets of speakers either lead or lag in the use of different linguistic variants. But at present, scholars of historical sociolinguistics have focused primarily on syntax and inflectional morphology, often leaving derivational morphology unexplored. To fill this gap in part, this paper presents a case study of men’s and women’s use of five different nominal suffixes- ‑ness, ‑ity, -age, -ment, and –cion- within the fifteenth and sixteenth century portions of the Corpus of Early English Correspondence. This study finds that men led women in the use of derivatives ending in some suffixes (-cion and ‑ment), while women generally led men in the use of -ity. Discovering that different suffixes likely have different histories that depend, in part, on social variables, the paper argues that additional synchronic and diachronic studies of derivational morphology and social variation are needed.
Gender of Abstract Noun Suffixes in the Brittonic Languages
Studies on the Collective and Feminine in Indo-European from a Diachronic and Typological Perspective. Ed. Sergio Neri & Roland Schumann. Leiden/Boston Brill: 57-113 (Brill's Studies in Indo-European Languages & Linguistics 11)., 2014
The article discusses the gender of suffixes deriving abstract nouns of the Brittonic languages Welsh, Breton and Cornish against the theoretical background of functional gender theories. These theories assume that gender plays a role in the classification of the nominal lexicon, i.e. it classifies nouns according to the feature [±particularized] thus expressing nominal aspect. The effects of this classification may be observed in abstract nouns in Modern High German, but the feature is assumed to be ultimatively inherited from Proto-Indo-European. Although all Brittonic languages display remarkable similarities with regard to their nominal morphology, the gender of suffixes and the restructuring which each language experienced varies considerably between them. The association of feminine (and neuter) gender with abstractness was probably already lost in Proto-Brittonic. Abstract nouns are predominantly masculine in Welsh and Cornish, while the higher proportion of feminine patterns in Breton is largely due to French influence. Further, Breton points to the emergence of a functional gender system within some parts of the lexicon.
A Study of Noun-Deriving Suffixes in Competition in Middle English
2018
This paper presents a corpus-driven analysis of the Germanic suffixes -dom, -hood, -lac, -ness, -rede(n), and -ship in Middle English. The main objective is to assess the occurrence and use of synonymous derivations in the corpora examined, namely the Middle English Grammar Corpus (MEG-C) (Stenroos et al. 2014) and the Middle English Local Documents Corpus (MELD) (Stenroos and Thengs 2014). The six suffixes could be attached to the same base with no apparent distinction in meaning, giving way to competing abstract formations. The analysis can shed light and offer fresh insight into the co-occurrence of these contending formations in different Middle English text types, including specialised and more general texts, and help explain their survival or demise.
Folia Linguistica, 2011
In this study we discuss the distribution of gender exponents in Old and early Middle English based on an analysis of two historical documents (Orosius, Peterborough Chronicle). The gender exponents investigated include demonstratives, adjectives, numerals and pronouns. We analyzed 179 noun phrases from the Orosius and 1,090 noun phrases from the Peterborough Chronicle. While the Orosius illustrates a highly consistent distribution of gender exponents, the Peterborough Chronicle contains substantial variation. As for the Peterborough Chronicle, we can demonstrate that the number of gender exponents that is used in conflict to the Old English gender system increases over time. In addition, we investigate the most important factors responsible for the observable variation focusing on the properties of the head nouns and their referents. Our results show that noun phrase internal and noun phrase external gender exponents behave differently. Moreover, formal properties of the head noun (structural and morphological case, number) are better predictors for gender variation than the properties of the referent (abstractness, degree of individuation).
This journal article takes issue with the morphological structure of complex nouns in Old English. This stage of the language is characterised by a rich morphology and, with most of its lexemes being morphologically complex, Old English provides a fertile field of study for the kind of analysis here undertaken. The present study analyses the interaction between affixation, compounding, zero-derivation and inflection in terms of the feeding of the morphological processes, that is, the successive order in which they appear, thus allowing for the establishment of regular patterns of noun formation and generalizations on lexical creation. Overall, 119 different word structures have been identified, depending on the type and number of morphological processes involved. The conclusion is reached that non-basic nouns in Old English contain up to six levels of complexity, with the bulk of the formations consisting of three and four levels, that is, with three or four derivational steps taking place.
Suffix competition in old english word formation
Rael Revista Electronica De Linguistica Aplicada, 2013
This article deals with noun formation in Old English and, to be more precise, the competition that arises in suffixation. Four questions are addressed: What are the instances of affix competition in the formation of Old English nouns? Can affix competition be explained exclusively on morphological grounds? Can affix competition be accounted for in terms of the semantics of the base of derivation exclusively? and What is the role of diachronic evolution? The conclusion is reached that morphological or semantic explanations in isolation do not suffice. Regarding diachronic evolution, this discussion leads to the conclusion that the winner of competition is the affix that has survived for a longer time throughout the evolution of the language.
Even though many studies of historical morphology have described trends and changes in the productivity of borrowed suffixes in English, such as-able,-age,-ance,-ity,-cion,-ment and-ous, few studies have been able to illustrate how borrowed suffixes initially came to be perceived by speakers as independent, productive units. This study aims to identify and analyze two types of textual evidence – so-called base paradigms and suffix paradigms – to demonstrate how and when English writers and readers might have perceived the endings of borrowings as analyzable, detachable suffixes. Textual examples are selected from a variety of fourteenth-through sixteenth-century registers, including guild records, early English Biblical discourse, medical writing, and personal correspondence.
SUFFIX COMPETITION IN OLD ENGLISH WORD FORMATIONBibliographical References
This article deals with noun formation in Old English and, to be more precise, the competition that arises in suffixation. Four questions are addressed: What are the instances of affix competition in the formation of Old English nouns? Can affix competition be explained exclusively on morphological grounds? Can affix competition be accounted for in terms of the semantics of the base of derivation exclusively? and What is the role of diachronic evolution? The conclusion is reached that morphological or semantic explanations in isolation do not suffice. Regarding diachronic evolution, this discussion leads to the conclusion that the winner of competition is the affix that has survived for a longer time throughout the evolution of the language. Abstract 'youth' hālig 1 adj. Abstract 'holy' hǣðen 1 adj. Abstract 'pagan' hagosteald 1 adj. Abstract 'unmarried' (ge)riht 1 N. n. Abstract 'justice; privilege' scacan v. st VI Active 'shake off' unriht 2 adj. Abstract 'wrong, evil' geuntrum adj. Abstract 'sick, ill' wōh 2 adj. Abstract 'crooked' Figure 8: Analysis of the bases of derivation of the suffixes -dōm, -nes and -hād. Base Inflectional morphology Semantic analysis Predicate translation ārlēas adj. Abstract 'disgraced' ābylgan v. w Active 'offend' behēfe N. m Abstract 'convenience' carlēas adj. Abstract 'careless' (ge)scendan v. w Causative 'put to shame, confound' gīemelēas adj. Abstract 'negligent' giccan v. w Stative 'itch' gif 2 N. n Abstract 'grace' (ge)hǣlan v. w Active 'save' lang adj. Concrete 'long' gelēaflēas adj. Abstract 'unbelievable' (ge)lēaf N. f Abstract 'vow' myrge 1 adj. Abstract 'pleasant' rēcelēas adj. Abstract 'careless' rīpian v. w Active 'rip, harvest' strang adj. Abstract 'strong' wanhāl adj. Abstract 'weak' wiergan v. w 1 Active 'curse'
This journal article explores the interrelation between affixes in Old English in the formation of complex nouns and discusses the constraints posed on their possible combinations. The research is carried out around a series of pre-analytical questions, regarding the morphological nature of the Old English affixes and their combinatorial properties, including their origin, the issue of separability and the existence of affix loops and closing affixes. Old English, being a rich language in its inflection, proves itself a suitable target language for the kind of analysis here developed, as it presents a long range of double-affixed nouns. The most relevant conclusions include the identification of independent selectional restrictions for the processes of prefixation and suffixation, the existence of consistently repeated combinations of affixes and the identification of a closing suffix (-estre), which blocks further derivations.