The semantics of morphological relations pdf

Semantics / linguistics

1. Chapter 13
The semantics of
morphological relations
Presented by : Fatima Sahem Khalil

2. Roadmap
•Formal Processes of derivation
•Semantic processes in derivation
•Verbs formed from nouns
•Verbs from adjectives
•Verbs from verbs
•Adjectives derived from verbs
•Adjectives derived from nouns
•Adjectives derived from adjectives
•Nouns derived from verbs
•Nouns derived from adjectives
• Nouns derived from nouns

3. Questions
•1- Give an example of an action noun derived from a verb.
•2- Provide an example of an agent/instrument noun derived from a verb.
3- Effect nouns are derived from adjectives T/F
4- Mutation is ________.
•5- Person nouns are labels for non-humans associated with whatever the
basic noun signifies T/F

4. Formal processes of derivation
•There are four different types of derivational
relationship between words :
•1- addition
•2- mutation
•3- conversion
•4- subtraction

5. Formal processes of derivation
•1- Addition : some lexemes are formed by combining
morphemes which consist entirely of free morphemes,
which have partly free and partly bound morphemes ,
and which are composed entirely of bound morphemes.
•Example : Arm+chair = Armchair
Violin+ -ist = violinist
Bio+logy = Biology

6. Formal processes of derivation
• 2- Mutation : derivation is accomplished here by a change of vowel; in
other words the change may be in consonants; or both vowel and
consonant, or by change of stress.
•Examples : proud – pride
believe – belief
Choose- choice
Verb ( extráct) – noun ( extract)

7. Formal processes of derivation
•3- Conversion ( zero change ) :The simple change of a
word of one class to a word of another class with no
formal alteration.The relation of the adjective clean to the
verb clean is the same as that of the adjective long to the
verb lengthen.
•Fan , grasp and hammer are verbs and also nouns.

8. Formal processes of derivation
•4- Subtraction (reduction) : by removing parts of certain lexemes
new lexemes are formed.
•One kind of shortening is called an acronym; that is a word derived
from the written form of a construction; a construction is a
sequence of words that together have a meaning.
•Examples : ‘United Kingdom’- (UK)
‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’ – AIDS
Television -(TV)
National Biscuit Company - Nabisco

9. •What types of derivational relationship ?
•belief → mutation (believe)
•Doubt → conversion (doubt)
•Possession→ addition (possess)
• TV subtraction→ (television)

10. Formal processes of derivation
•Another form of subtraction is clipping that refers to the use of part of the
word to stand for the whole word.
•Examples : Laboratory – lab
• Telephone – phone
• But sometimes clipped forms come to have meanings that are distinct
from the original sources.
•Examples: Underwear – undies
Nightgown – nightie

11. Formal processes of derivation
•When one word is formed by adding to another ( paint-er) or by
subtracting from another ( prep from preparation) , the direction of
derivation is clear. But when process is mutation or conversion the
direction is not clear.
•So in some cases there may be a problem in deciding what is derived from
what or which comes first,the noun hammer or the verb to hammer
consequently we may have to be arbitrary in saying which is the primary or
basic words and which is the derived word.

12. Semantic processes in derivation
•Nouns represent entities , verb represents activities or
states and adjectives represent qualities or
characteristic.
•1) When a verb converted to a noun, the noun may refer to
concrete entity -a person, object or place associated with
what the verb signifies. For example , He kicked it ( a kick ,
a couple of kicks , several kicks )

13. Semantic processes in derivation
•2) When a verb is derived from a noun, an entity becomes
a predicate --an entity or status-- losing its quantifiable
nature but becoming part of a tense - aspect system.
•For example , Soldier → soldiered , is soldiering , would
have soldiering ...
•Rich (adj) – enrich (V)

14. Semantic processes in derivation
•3) A noun or verb converted to an adjective gives a word
that names a quality associated with some entity.
•For example , Milk (n) → milky (adj)
Periodic (adj) → period (n)

15. Verbs formed from nouns
•1- Transfer meanings :
•Roger painted the wall -> put paint on the wall
•Thematic structure :

16. 1- Transfer meanings
•Other such verbs are :
•Water ( the flowers)
•Oil ( a hinge)
•Comfort ( a friend)

17. Recapitualation
•Transfer verbs
•The movement of something to a goal or from a source
•→ The inception of a new location or the termination of a previous one.
•The noun from which the verb is derived may name the thing moved , the
new location (goal) , or the previous one (source).

18. Verbs formed from nouns
•2- Effective meanings :
•The accident crippled my friend-> cause him to be a cripple

19. 2- Effective meanings
•Some nouns name a status.
•Verbs derived from such nouns express causation , the inception of that
status.
•She babies her husband-> makes him [ like ] a baby.

20. Verbs formed from nouns
•3- Instrumental meanings :
•Harry locked the door-> use the lock with respect to the
door

21. 3- Instrumental meanings
•Lucy penned the note -> use a pen to write a note.
•Similar verbs :
•Button a coat.
•Comb and brush One’s hair.
•Hammer a nail.

22. Verbs formed from nouns
•4- Vehicular meanings ( instrument + transfer) :
•A special kind of instrument is a vehicule, a means for
going and for moving some entity from one place to
another.
•Sandra is skating from here to the corner -> move
(oneself) on skates
•Other verbs that are derived from nouns which name
instruments of moving:bicycle, bus, canoe, parachute,
ski

23. 4- Vehicular meanings
•The company is trucking ore from the mine to the factory -> move
(something) by truck

24. Classification of Verbs derived from nouns

25. Verbs from adjectives
•1- Causative
•Ella dried the dishes -> Ella caused the dishes to be dry.
•2- Inchoative
•The towels dried( in the sun)-> The towels become dry.

26. Verbs from adjectives
•In English, there are:
•1-Causative verbs which are also inchoative.
•Eg: dry ('make dry' and 'become dry’)
•2-Causative verbs verbs that are not usually inchoative.
•Eg: sterilize ('make sterile' but not 'become sterile’)
•No verbs that are inchoative but not causative.

27. Verbs from adjectives
•3-Verbs that are identical with the adjective:
• Eg: brown, cool, clean, clear, complete, dry, free, open, slow, wet, etc.
•4- A number of verbs add a particle:
•Eg: clear away, calm down, quiet down, cool off, dry off, dry out, empty out,
thin out.

28. Verbs from verbs
•Nearly all other verbs derived from verbs have prefixes.
•Repetitive (prefix re-)
•ex: re-write, re-capture, re-tell
•Reversive ('undoing' prefix, namely un-,de or dis-)
•ex: lock- unlock , classify- declassify , appear-disappear
•Privative (remove or detach N from)
•ex: arm - disarm, cover - uncover, load-unload

29. Adjectives derived from verbs
•1-Active - subjective (-ing)
•Ex: amusing, charming, interesting
• This book is boring (to me)
•2-Passive - objective (-ed, -en)
•ex: amused, broken, interested
•ex: I am bored (with / by this book)

30. Adjectives derived from verbs
•Resultative: The road was closed (all day), [a status]
• Passive: The road was closed (by the police at ten o'clock). [an event]
•So The road was closed is ambiguous by itself. German and Spanish,
among other languages, keep these expressions separate.

31. •Some deverbal adjectives with the negative prefixes un- and in-
(im-it-, ir-), such as undaunted and incessant 'not ceasing,' are
more common than the corresponding adjectives without the
prefixes. Of course, it is the positive adjectives that are derived
from verbs; there are no such negative verbs as *undaunt or
*incease.
•Examples of active-subjective adjectives from verbs are:
calculating, inspiring ,stimulating ,thriving ,unrelenting
,dependent ,incessant (in)coherent ,repentant, (in)tolerant,
appreciative ,argumentative.

32. •Some passive-objective adjectives are equivalent to past participles or
archaic past participles; for example:
•Bent, broken, chosen, cut, mixed, molten, past , shrunken , slain ,stolen
stricken , swollen, tired
•The majority of passive-objective adjectives have the suffix -ible/-able.
• A is refillable- A can be refilled;
•A is accessible to B = A can be accessed by B:
•Conceivable , contemptible , impassable, impenetrable, interminable,
reasonable.

33. Adjectives derived from nouns
•1-The adjective means "like N",
• Ex: childish-> like a child
•Jerrry is a child
•Jerry is childish

34. Adjectives derived from nouns
•2-The adjective means "having (some quantity of) N, affected by N,
displaying N’ muddy= having mud

35. Adjectives derived from nouns
•3-Some adjectives mean "leading to N, likely to produce N"
•ex: healthful -> leading to (good) health

36. Adjectives derived from nouns
•4 Numerous English adjectives do not really add a meaning to that of the
noun; they merely convert the occurrence of that meaning to a different
syntactic function.
•Examples:daily , hourly , weekly , monthly , yearly, biological
geographical , residential, partial, medicinal , peninsular,
cinematic..etc.

37. Adjectives derived from adjectives
•There are two kinds of adjectives formed from other
adjectives.
• The less common type has a suffix -ish with the meaning
"partially, tending toward".
• Ex: bluish, oldish, yellowish
•The other type has a prefix to indicate the negative of the
plain adjective or changes the suffix –ful to -less.
• Ex: unfinished, uneasy, painless, etc.

38. Nouns derived from verbs
•1-Action nouns
• 2-Effect nouns
•3-Agent/ instrument nouns
•4-Affected nouns
•5-Place nouns

39. Nouns derived from verbs
•When a N is derived from a V, the V is one that can predicate some
action.
•This predication is turned into a name that designates the act;
•the product or result of the act;
•the agent or means of carrying out the act;
•the entity affected by the act;
•or the place where the act occurs.

40. 1-Action nouns
•Ex: the bus arrived promptly - the prompt arrival of the bus.
•V refers to a physical action
•and N means the event or act of the V
•N indicates both the event or activity signalled by verb
• attack => attack
•revive => revival
•rob => robbery
•disappear => disappearance

41. 2-Effect nouns
•Ex: George replied to our letter- George's reply to our letter.
•V refers to a basically physical action
•and N means the result, product, effect of the V
•N is the result or product of that action
•grieve => grief
•cough => cough
•jump => jump
•kick => kick

42. 3-Agent/ instrument nouns
•A-
•Ex: Harry drives - Harry is a driver
•Agent/instrument nouns with the suffix -er, -or productive suffix
•announce => announcer (person)
•borrow => borrower
•manage => manager
•contain => container (thing)
•divide => divider
•heat => heater

43. 3-Agent/ instrument nouns
•B-
•stimulate => stimulant
•lubricate => lubricant
•=> agent/matter making it
•V refers to some activity
•and N means the habitual, usual agent or instrument of V

44. 4-Affected nouns
• Ex: somebody employs Harry - Harry is employee
•V refers to some activity
•and N means the entity affected by action of the V
•acquaint => acquaintance
•address => addressee
•ampute => amputee

45. 5-Place nouns
• Ex: The ship anchor here – This is an anchorage.
•Nouns indicate the place of action
•V refers to some activities
•And N means the place where the action of V occurs
•anchor => anchorage
•bake => bakery
•brew => brewery

46. Nouns derived from adjectives
•1-Abstract nouns -> a way of treating the quality as a
thing,
•Ex: deep = depth,
•Kind = kindness,
•Free = freedom
•Dependent = dependency
•Equal = equality

47. Nouns derived from adjectives
•2-Characterized nouns-> places characterized by what the adjective
represents :
•Ex: absent =absentee,
•Young = youngster
•Rapid =rapids,
•Shallow = shallows

48. Nouns derived from nouns
•1-Place nouns -> These name localities where the
referent of the basic noun is to be found,
•Ex: fish= fishery,
•Hermit = hermitage,
•Orphan = orphanage
•Nouns refers to some activity and N means the place
where the denote noun represents.

49. Nouns derived from nouns
•2-Person nouns-> A
•labels for humans associated with whatever the basic noun signifies,
• Ex: mountain= mountaineer,
•Island = islander,
•New york =New Yorker
•Vietnam = vietnamese
•The derived noun names an inhabitant.

50. Nouns derived from nouns
•2-Person nouns-> B
•engine => engineer
• library => librarian
• machine > machinist
•The derive nouns provide labels for people by what they do for living.

51. Nouns derived from nouns
•2-Person nouns-> C
•(commune =>) communism => communist
•One noun is an abstract condition/system and the other noun names a
person who is affected by the condition or is an adherent of the system.

52. Thank you