Morphological productivity has, over the centuries, been a major factor in providing the huge vocabulary of English and remains one of the most contested areas in the study of word formation and structure. This book takes an eclectic approach to the topic, applying the findings for morphology to syntax and phonology. Bringing together the results of twenty years' work in the field, it provides new insights and considers a wide range of linguistic and psycholinguistic evidence.
Author(s): Laurie Bauer
Series: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 260
Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Contents......Page 9
Figures......Page 11
Tables......Page 12
Preface......Page 15
1.1 The issue......Page 17
1.2 Diachronic variation in productivity......Page 23
1.3 Summary......Page 26
2.1 Productivity and its synonyms......Page 27
2.2 What is productive?......Page 28
2.3 Degrees of productivity......Page 31
2.4 Prerequisites for productivity......Page 36
2.5 The domain of productivity......Page 38
2.7 Synchrony and diachrony......Page 41
2.8 Competence and performance......Page 45
2.9 Summary......Page 48
3.1 Introduction......Page 49
3.2.1 Existing words......Page 50
3.2.2 New words......Page 54
3.2.3 Potential words......Page 56
3.2.4 Probable words......Page 57
3.3 Lexicalisation......Page 59
3.4.2 Token frequency......Page 63
3.4.3 The relationship between frequency and productivity......Page 64
3.4.4 The relationship between frequency and markedness......Page 65
3.4.5 The relationship between frequency and lexicalisation......Page 66
3.5.1 Refining the notion of transparency......Page 67
3.6 Regularity......Page 70
3.7 Attestation......Page 72
3.8 Markedness and naturalness......Page 74
3.9 Default......Page 76
3.10 Creativity......Page 78
3.10.2 Figurative extension......Page 79
3.10.4 Generalising over productivity and creativity......Page 80
3.10.5 How inclusive is creativity?......Page 82
3.11 Paradigm pressure......Page 87
3.12.1 Is there any difference between analogy and productivity? First approach......Page 91
3.12.2 Reasons for taking a rule-governed approach to morphology......Page 92
3.12.3 Reasons for taking an analogical approach to morphology......Page 95
3.12.4 Parallel distributed processing......Page 100
3.12.5 Is a compromise possible?......Page 107
3.12.6 Examples......Page 109
3.12.7 Conclusion......Page 112
3.13 A working definition of productivity......Page 113
3.14 Summary......Page 114
4.1 Introduction......Page 116
4.2.2 Inflection......Page 118
4.2.3 Derivation......Page 123
4.2.4 Compounding......Page 126
4.2.5 General discussion......Page 127
4.3 Production and comprehension......Page 128
4.3.1 Inflection......Page 129
4.3.2 Derivation......Page 130
4.3.3 Compounding......Page 133
4.3.4 Morphophonemics......Page 135
4.3.5 General discussion......Page 137
4.4 Summary......Page 140
5.1 Introduction......Page 141
5.2 Restrictions or constraints......Page 142
5.2.1 Phonological constraints......Page 144
5.2.2 Morphological constraints......Page 146
5.2.3 Syntactic constraints......Page 149
5.2.5 Lexical constraints......Page 150
5.2.7 Aesthetic constraints......Page 151
5.2.8 Blocking as a constraint......Page 152
5.2.9 Is profitability simply a function of constraints?......Page 155
5.2.10 Constraints on bases or constraints on affixes?......Page 158
5.3 Measuring productivity......Page 159
5.3.1 Productivity as equatable with the number of analysable words......Page 160
5.3.2 A first attempt: Aronoff 1976......Page 161
5.3.3 Including token frequency......Page 163
5.3.4 Reintroducing type-frequency......Page 169
5.3.5 An alternative view......Page 172
5.4 Summary......Page 177
6.2 Proto-Germanic…......Page 179
6.2.2 Danish......Page 180
6.2.3 Dutch......Page 181
6.2.5 German......Page 182
6.2.6 Comparison......Page 183
6.2.7 Implications......Page 184
6.3.1 A problem and an experiment......Page 188
6.3.3 Etymology......Page 190
6.3.4 Morphology of the base......Page 191
6.3.6 Discussion and implications......Page 192
6.4 Nominalisation endings in English......Page 193
(c) Suffix -s......Page 194
6.4.2 Moderately successful nominalisation affixes......Page 195
(a) Conversion......Page 196
(c) Various suffixes ending in -ion......Page 197
6.4.4 Comparison......Page 199
6.4.5 Relative productivity of different processes......Page 200
6.4.6 Measures of productivity: corpus-based......Page 201
6.4.7 Comparing measures of productivity......Page 213
6.5 Agentive and non-agentive -er......Page 215
6.6 Summary......Page 219
7.1.1 Availability and coinage......Page 221
7.1.2 Profitability......Page 223
7.1.3 The interaction of availability and profitability......Page 225
7.1.5 Discussion and implications......Page 227
7.2 Productivity in other areas of linguistics......Page 229
7.3 Summary......Page 238
7.4 Looking back and looking ahead......Page 239
References......Page 240
Language index......Page 255
Subject index......Page 256
