11 Diminutives among other -k(a) words in colloquial Russian: Frequency and suffix variation
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Maria D. Voeikova
Abstract
Based on data from the Russian National Corpus, this chapter researches diminutives as part of the productive morphophonological model of k(a)-derivatives. The latter are spoken variants of nouns used for semantic, pragmatic, and/or structural reasons. Structurally, k(a)-derivatives belong to the productive declension classes, show no stress retraction, and have more salient and homogeneous inflectional endings in comparison to the base nouns from which they are formed. Other k(a)- derivatives include feminitives, hypocoristics, truncated informal nominations and univerbations. They sound colloquial and Russian native speakers frequently use them in informal speech. Four main types and several subtypes of k(a)-nouns are discussed with a focus on frequency, productivity, suffix rivalry and blocking. Suffix rivalry is typical of feminitives and hypocoristics (in the sense that various suffixes can combine with the same base noun), while diminutives, univerbations and informal truncations tend to exhibit lexical and/or pattern blocking (i.e. they block alternative derivations).
Abstract
Based on data from the Russian National Corpus, this chapter researches diminutives as part of the productive morphophonological model of k(a)-derivatives. The latter are spoken variants of nouns used for semantic, pragmatic, and/or structural reasons. Structurally, k(a)-derivatives belong to the productive declension classes, show no stress retraction, and have more salient and homogeneous inflectional endings in comparison to the base nouns from which they are formed. Other k(a)- derivatives include feminitives, hypocoristics, truncated informal nominations and univerbations. They sound colloquial and Russian native speakers frequently use them in informal speech. Four main types and several subtypes of k(a)-nouns are discussed with a focus on frequency, productivity, suffix rivalry and blocking. Suffix rivalry is typical of feminitives and hypocoristics (in the sense that various suffixes can combine with the same base noun), while diminutives, univerbations and informal truncations tend to exhibit lexical and/or pattern blocking (i.e. they block alternative derivations).
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- 1 Introduction: Diminutives across languages, theoretical frameworks and linguistic domains 1
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Part I: Theoretical approaches to diminutive formation
- 2 On a low and a high position for diminutive non-manual markers in Italian Sign Language 37
- 3 Diminutive or singulative? The suffixes -in and -k in Russian 65
- 4 Slavic diminutive morphology: An interplay of scope, templates and paradigms 89
- 5 Diminutive formation in Spanish: Evidence for word morphology 115
- 6 The syllable as the basis for word formation: Evidence from diminutives, hypocoristics and clippings in English, Dutch, Afrikaans, Swedish and French 131
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Part II: Corpus-based and other empirical studies
- 7 The Swedish suffix -is and its place within evaluative morphology 153
- 8 Diminutives and number: Theoretical predictions and empirical evidence from German in Austria 179
- 9 Diminutive verbs in the Austrian language area: Morphological and semantic challenges 205
- 10 Challenges in analyzing Polish diminutives 231
- 11 Diminutives among other -k(a) words in colloquial Russian: Frequency and suffix variation 253
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Part III: Sociolinguistic, pragmatic and acquisitional studies
- 12 Borrowed or inspired? Komi diminutive under Russian influence 277
- 13 Acquisition of diminutives in Russian and Estonian from a typological perspective 305
- 14 Morphological richness and priority of pragmatics over semantics in Italian, Arabic, German and English diminutives 335
- 15 Diminutive variation in Austrian Standard German: A corpuslinguistic study 363
- 16 Gender discrepancies and evaluative gender shift: A cross-linguistic study within Distributed Morphology 387
- Index 415
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- 1 Introduction: Diminutives across languages, theoretical frameworks and linguistic domains 1
-
Part I: Theoretical approaches to diminutive formation
- 2 On a low and a high position for diminutive non-manual markers in Italian Sign Language 37
- 3 Diminutive or singulative? The suffixes -in and -k in Russian 65
- 4 Slavic diminutive morphology: An interplay of scope, templates and paradigms 89
- 5 Diminutive formation in Spanish: Evidence for word morphology 115
- 6 The syllable as the basis for word formation: Evidence from diminutives, hypocoristics and clippings in English, Dutch, Afrikaans, Swedish and French 131
-
Part II: Corpus-based and other empirical studies
- 7 The Swedish suffix -is and its place within evaluative morphology 153
- 8 Diminutives and number: Theoretical predictions and empirical evidence from German in Austria 179
- 9 Diminutive verbs in the Austrian language area: Morphological and semantic challenges 205
- 10 Challenges in analyzing Polish diminutives 231
- 11 Diminutives among other -k(a) words in colloquial Russian: Frequency and suffix variation 253
-
Part III: Sociolinguistic, pragmatic and acquisitional studies
- 12 Borrowed or inspired? Komi diminutive under Russian influence 277
- 13 Acquisition of diminutives in Russian and Estonian from a typological perspective 305
- 14 Morphological richness and priority of pragmatics over semantics in Italian, Arabic, German and English diminutives 335
- 15 Diminutive variation in Austrian Standard German: A corpuslinguistic study 363
- 16 Gender discrepancies and evaluative gender shift: A cross-linguistic study within Distributed Morphology 387
- Index 415
