The Competition Between Overt Suffixation and Zero-Affixation in Present-Day English Nominalisation

1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-3-631-93063-2
Verlag: Peter Lang

Buch, Englisch, Band 25, 216 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 396 g

Reihe: Hallesche Sprach- und Textforschung / Language and Text Studies / Recherches linguistiques et textuelles

In linguistic morphology, competition is expected to be resolved, on the grounds that it is not economical for a system to keep two or more processes for one purpose. This volume researches overt suffixation and zero-affixation for the nominalisation of the semantic categories action, agentive, instrument and state aiming at hints of resolution, diachronically and in present-day English, using both lexicographic and corpus sources. Specifically, the book explores resolution in terms of specialisation regarding mode, register, and meaning. To this aim, (i) the frequency of use of each semantic category is computed for every competitor, (ii) statistical analysis is performed to test association between mode or register and word-formation process and (iii) semantic specialisation is explored in individual groups of competition.
The results enlarge on the claim that competition may take place to varying degrees and prove that it needs to be researched at the level of the semantic category.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lara-Clares, Cristina

Über Autor(innen)

Cristina Lara-Clares is a lecturer at the University of Jaén. She completed her PhD in 2023 at the University of Granada. She has been a researcher in three publicly funded research projects and has presented her research on competition in international publications (2017, 2019). She has co-edited two volumes on derivational paradigms (2020, 2022).