NewArchive / 05 - The main units of derivational analysis. Derivational patterns

5. The main units of derivational analysis. Derivational patterns.

It is important alongside morphological analysis of a word to carry out its derivational (word-formation) analysis in order to determine the type and arrangement of immediate constituents there i.e., to establish a word’s derivative (derivational) structure. Restoring a derivative structure in a word helps to answer the question how new words are formed, or derived.

The basic elements of a derivative structure of a word are immediate constituents –

• A derivational base (DB)

• A derivational affix (DA)

• A derivational pattern (DP) of their arrangement.

 A derivational base is the word constituent to which a rule of word-formation is applied.

Structurally, DBs fall into 3 classes:

1. bases that coincide with morphological stems of different degrees of complexity. A DB which is the starting point for new words may coincide with a simple morphological stem as the DB father- used for creation of the verb to father coincides with a simple morphological stem father- which is a starting point for such noun forms as fathers, father’s. A DB may coincide with a derived morphological stem as computer- in computer-ize or even compound morphological stem as week-end- in the word weekender. This class of DBs is the biggest.

2. bases that coincide with word forms as the base known- in un-known or dancing- in a dancing-girl;

3. bases that coincide with word groups of different degrees of stability as the DB narrow mind- in narrow-minded or blue eye(s)- in blue-eye-d, or second rate- in second-rateness.

The important peculiarity of a DB in contrast to a morphological stem is that it is monosemantic. Rules of word-formation are applied to a DB representing only one meaning of a polysemantic stem. For example, the DB bed in the compound word a flower-bed has only one meaning: “a flat or level surface as in a plot of ground prepared for pants” while the word bed is highly polysemantic.

 Another component of a derivative structure is a DA which is added to a DB.

DAs (prefixes and suffixes) are highly selective to the etymological, phonological, structural-semantic properties of DBs. The suffix –ance/-ence, for example, never occurs after s or z (disturb-ance, but: organiz-ation). The prefix in- has limitations, too (insecure, inconvenience but non-conformist, disobedience). Or, even though the combining abilities of the adjectival suffix –ish are vast they are not unlimited: it is possible to say boyish, bookish, monkeyish, sevenish, but not, for example, enemish. The conditions under which affixes of a certain type may be attached to a certain DB and the limits of possible use of affixes are still not clear and being actively investigated.

 A DP – is a regular meaningful arrangement of immediate components, which can be expressed by a formula denoting their part of speech, lexical-semantic class and individual semantics. For example:

Pref + adj → Adj (adj + n) + -ed →Adj

Or being written in a more abstract way not taking into account the final results:

Pref + adj (adj + n) + suf

Or vice versa, taking into account the final results and with individualization of some of the immediate constituents,

Like in:

Re- + v → V or pref + read → V.

Like DA DP may be productive and nonproductive.

For example, a number of patterns of different productivity are used to lexicalize concepts denoting a doer of an action:

V + -er → N is a highly productive DP (teach → teacher, build → builder, sing → singer);

n + -ist → N is quite a productive pattern (piano → pianist, art →artist ), but

n + -ian → N (Christ → Christian ; politics/policy → politian ; comedy → comedian) is active though not a productive pattern because a limited number of words are derived according to it.