John Benjamins Publishing Company
Chapter 10. Analogy and contrast at the morphology-syntax interface
Abstract
This chapter brings together the issues of analogy and contrast through a perspective of linguistic borrowing. We analyze the integration of new [N[N]] compounds, borrowed from English into Russian (e.g. top-igrok ‘top player’). By discussing two corpus studies and two small experiments, we show that Russian new [N[N]] compounds reflect both “levelling” and “extension”. There are at least three factors that can block “leveling”: statistical preemption, which is overridden by pragmatic factors; multiplicity of competing alternatives, when several suffixes could be added to the stem to form a relational adjective; and semantics that leads to a split between the two forms. Compound modifiers seem to represent terms and official titles, whereas adjective phrases become qualitative, where possible, or pragmatic.
Abstract
This chapter brings together the issues of analogy and contrast through a perspective of linguistic borrowing. We analyze the integration of new [N[N]] compounds, borrowed from English into Russian (e.g. top-igrok ‘top player’). By discussing two corpus studies and two small experiments, we show that Russian new [N[N]] compounds reflect both “levelling” and “extension”. There are at least three factors that can block “leveling”: statistical preemption, which is overridden by pragmatic factors; multiplicity of competing alternatives, when several suffixes could be added to the stem to form a relational adjective; and semantics that leads to a split between the two forms. Compound modifiers seem to represent terms and official titles, whereas adjective phrases become qualitative, where possible, or pragmatic.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Editors and contributors ix
- Foreword xi
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. From theory to data-driven research
- Chapter 1. What could be more fundamental? 15
- Chapter 2. Diagrammatic iconicity and rendering time in a narrative text 47
- Chapter 3. Analogy in action 61
- Chapter 4. ‘My enemy’s enemy is my friend.’ 83
- Chapter 5. Contrast and analogy in aspectual distinctions of English and Polish 115
-
Part II. From data-driven research to theory
- Chapter 6. From nouns to verbs 159
- Chapter 7. Complex prepositions of analogy and contrast in English 193
- Chapter 8. Emergent categories 245
- Chapter 9. A case of constructional contamination in English 283
- Chapter 10. Analogy and contrast at the morphology-syntax interface 303
- Chapter 11. Modeling constructional variation 341
- Chapter 12. Moving reader or moving text? 371
- Chapter 13. Contrasts and analogies in cluster categories of emotion concepts in monolingual and cross-linguistic contexts 405
- Index 439
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Editors and contributors ix
- Foreword xi
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. From theory to data-driven research
- Chapter 1. What could be more fundamental? 15
- Chapter 2. Diagrammatic iconicity and rendering time in a narrative text 47
- Chapter 3. Analogy in action 61
- Chapter 4. ‘My enemy’s enemy is my friend.’ 83
- Chapter 5. Contrast and analogy in aspectual distinctions of English and Polish 115
-
Part II. From data-driven research to theory
- Chapter 6. From nouns to verbs 159
- Chapter 7. Complex prepositions of analogy and contrast in English 193
- Chapter 8. Emergent categories 245
- Chapter 9. A case of constructional contamination in English 283
- Chapter 10. Analogy and contrast at the morphology-syntax interface 303
- Chapter 11. Modeling constructional variation 341
- Chapter 12. Moving reader or moving text? 371
- Chapter 13. Contrasts and analogies in cluster categories of emotion concepts in monolingual and cross-linguistic contexts 405
- Index 439
