Cover not available

In:A Constructional Account of Verb-Forming Suffixation
Jacqueline Laws
[Constructional Approaches to Language 36] 2023
► pp. vii–xii

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
authorization required
Published online: 19 September 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/cal.36.toc

Table of contents

List of figures xiii
List of tables xvii
Acknowledgements xxi
Abbreviations and notations xxiii
Chapter 1.Introduction 1
1.1What this book is about 1
1.2Derivative formation, transparency and lexicalization 1
1.3Semantic categorization and polysemy 2
1.4The constructional framework 3
1.5The importance of spoken language and register variation 5
1.6Aims, scope and research questions 6
1.7Structure of this volume 7
1.7.1Part I. Study 1: A descriptive analysis of verb-forming suffixation 7
1.7.2Part II. Theoretical background 8
1.7.3Part III. Study 2: A semantic analysis of verb-forming suffixation 8

Part I.Study 1: A descriptive analysis of verb-forming suffixation

11
Chapter 2.Form and register characteristics of verbal derivatives 12
2.1Verb-forming suffixation 12
2.1.1The suffix -ize 12
2.1.2The suffix -ify 13
2.1.3The suffix -en 14
2.1.4The suffix -ate 15
2.1.5Comparison of verb-forming suffixes 16
2.2Study 1 Methodology: Corpus-based analysis 19
2.2.1Data sources 19
2.2.1.1Content of the three corpora 20
2.2.1.2Everyday spoken British English: Two corpora 20 years apart 21
2.2.1.3Two synchronous corpora: Two levels of formality in spoken British English 21
2.2.2Corpus search for verbal derivative forms 22
2.2.3Selection of target verbal derivatives 23
2.2.4Classification of derivatives by transparency 25
2.2.5Classification of derivatives by grammatical class 27
2.2.5.1The main verb 29
2.2.5.2Stative Passives and Predicative Participial Adjectives 30
2.2.5.3Premodification 31
2.2.5.4Postmodification 32
2.2.5.5Clause-level structures 33
2.2.5.6Nominalization and other word class structures 35
2.2.5.7Summary of register-related predictions for the grammatical analysis 36
2.2.6Preliminaries regarding data analysis and representation 36
2.3Study 1 Results and discussion: Corpus-based analysis 38
2.3.1Frequency of suffix categories 38
2.3.2Variation across suffix categories: Grammatical analysis 40
2.3.3Overview of inter-corpus differences 41
2.3.4Variation across the spoken corpora: Grammatical analysis 43
2.4Summary and conclusions 46

Part II.Theoretical background

49
Chapter 3.Verb-forming suffixation: Previous semantic analyses 50
3.1Perspectives on the semantic analysis of verb-forming suffixation 50
3.1.1Locative – transitive change-of-location 56
3.1.2Ornative – transitive change-of-location 57
3.1.3Causative – transitive change-of-state 58
3.1.4Resultative – transitive change-of-state 59
3.1.5Inchoative – intransitive change-of-state 60
3.1.6Performative – intransitive 61
3.1.7Similative – transitive and intransitive 62
3.1.8Key issues relating to the semantic analysis of verb-forming suffixation 62
3.2Senses, paraphrases, meaning and semantic categories 64
3.3The semantic scope of verb-forming suffixation 67
3.3.1The Locative semantic category 71
3.3.2The Ornative semantic category 71
3.3.3The Inchoative-Ornative semantic category 73
3.3.4The Causative semantic category 74
3.3.5The Inchoative-Causative semantic category 74
3.3.6The Resultative semantic category 74
3.3.7The Inchoative-Resultative semantic category 74
3.3.8The Performative semantic category 75
3.3.9The Similative semantic category 75
3.3.10Additional categories of verbal derivative senses 75
3.3.11Discussion on the nature of semantic categories 77
3.4The semantic scope of verb-forming suffix categories 78
3.4.1The semantic scope of -ize derivatives 79
3.4.2The semantic scope of -ify derivatives 79
3.4.3The semantic scope of -en derivatives 81
3.4.4The semantic scope of -ate derivatives 81
3.5Summary and conclusions 81
Chapter 4.A constructional approach to verbal derivation 83
4.1Construction Grammar 83
4.1.1Argument structure constructions 85
4.1.1.1The central sense of a construction and its extensions 89
4.1.1.2Network of constructions within argument structure constructions 92
4.1.1.3Links between levels within argument structure constructions 94
4.1.1.4Links between argument structure construction types within the constructicon 96
4.1.2Argument structure alternations 99
4.1.2.1Constructional approaches to argument structure alternations 99
4.1.2.2The Ditransitive Alternation 101
4.1.2.3The Locative Alternation 102
4.1.2.4Considerations relating to the with-Applicative construction 105
4.1.3Usage-based model of linguistic knowledge 107
4.1.4Summary of issues relating to argument structure constructions 108
4.2Construction Morphology 108
4.2.1The analysis of complex words 108
4.2.2Affix polysemy 110
4.3The constructional approach adopted in this volume 112
4.4Summary and conclusions 117

Part III.Study 2: A semantic analysis of verb-forming suffixation

119
Chapter 5.Constructional properties of verbal derivative senses 120
5.1Study 2 Methodology: Semantic analysis 120
5.1.1Identification of derivative senses 120
5.1.2Conversion of derivative meanings to sense-related schemas 124
5.1.3Assignment of derivative semantic roles 127
5.1.4Data types: Schema relatedness 128
5.1.5Development of semantic category construction hierarchies 128
5.1.5.1Derivative meanings corresponding to a construction type 129
5.1.5.2Derivative meanings corresponding to multiple construction types 132
5.1.6Reliability checking of semantic category assignment 133
5.1.7System for representing polysemous derivatives 134
5.1.8Key information relating to the results of the semantic analysis 135
5.2Study 2 Results and discussion: Established semantic categories 137
5.2.1The Locative semantic category revisited 137
5.2.2The Ornative semantic category revisited 140
5.2.3The Inchoative-Ornative semantic category revisited 148
5.2.4The Causative semantic category revisited 150
5.2.5The Inchoative-Causative semantic category revisited 156
5.2.6The Resultative semantic category revisited 158
5.2.7The Inchoative-Resultative semantic category revisited 160
5.2.8The Performative semantic category revisited 161
5.2.9The Similative semantic category revisited 163
5.2.10Summary of findings for Established semantic categories 165
5.3Study 2 Results and discussion: Additional semantic categories 165
5.3.1The Imposative semantic category 165
5.3.2The Inchoative-Imposative semantic category 168
5.3.3The Regardative semantic category 170
5.3.4The Representative semantic category 172
5.3.5The Achievement semantic category 174
5.3.6The Approximative and Tentative semantic categories 176
5.3.7Summary of findings for Additional semantic categories 177
5.4Study 2 Results and discussion: Newly-identified semantic categories 177
5.4.1The Conformative semantic category 178
5.4.2The Inchoative-Conformative semantic category 180
5.4.3The Defining semantic category 182
5.4.4The Determinative semantic category 184
5.4.5The Acknowledging semantic category 186
5.4.6The Confirmative semantic category 187
5.4.7Summary of findings for Newly-identified semantic categories 188
5.5Study 2 Results and discussion: Unclassified verbal derivatives 188
5.5.1Unclassified transitive Change-of-State verbal derivatives (1A) 190
5.5.2Unclassified intransitive Change-of-State verbal derivatives (1A) 191
5.5.3Unclassified transitive Non-Change-of-State verbal derivatives (1B‑7) 191
5.5.4Unclassified intransitive Non-Change-of-State verbal derivatives (1B‑7) 193
5.5.5Summary of findings for Unclassified verbal derivatives 194
5.6Overview of frequency distributions 195
5.6.1Frequency distributions of verbal derivatives across semantic categories 195
5.6.2Frequency distributions of neologisms and new senses 197
5.7Relationships between semantic categories and constructions 197
5.8Summary and conclusions 202
Chapter 6.The characteristics of verbal derivatives
in spoken British English 204
6.1Frequency distributions of suffix categories 204
6.2The semantic profile of each suffix category 209
6.2.1The semantic profile of the [[x] -ize]V construction 209
6.2.2The semantic profile of the [[x] -ify]V construction 211
6.2.3The semantic profile of the [[x] -en]V construction 212
6.2.4The semantic profile of the [[x] -ate]V construction 214
6.2.5Comparison of suffix profiles 215
6.3Comparison of findings across corpus types 217
6.3.1Register comparisons of semantic class frequency 218
6.3.2Diachronic comparisons of semantic class frequency 220
6.4Neologisms and new senses across suffix classes and corpora 222
6.5Summary and conclusions 225

Conclusion

229
Chapter 7.Summary and evaluation 230
7.1Summary of findings 230
7.2Evaluation of the approach from a theoretical and methodological perspective 233
7.3Directions for further research 234
7.4Concluding remarks 235
References 237
Appendices
A:List of verbal derivatives by suffix, frequency and transparency rating 247
B:Statistical results of register and diachronic-based token comparisons 263
C:Assignment of verbal derivatives to semantic categories 265
D:List of neologisms and new senses 379
E:Suffix comparisons within semantic categories 382
F:Register and diachronic comparisons within semantic categories 384
Constructions index 388
Name index 389
Subject index 391
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue