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In:Investigating West Germanic Languages: Studies in honor of Robert B. Howell
Edited by Jennifer Hendriks and B. Richard Page
[Studies in Germanic Linguistics 8] 2024
► pp. 51–68

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The semantics and grammatical status of -frei

 | The University of Iowa
Published online: 16 May 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/sigl.8.04fag
Abstract
This paper re-investigates the semantics and grammatical status of frei in morphologically complex forms such as alkoholfrei ‘non-alcoholic’, bügelfrei ‘no-iron’, and rostfrei ‘stainless, rustproof’. Taking the position that there is no need for an in-between category of semi-affix (Bauer et al. 2013; Olsen 2014), the study demonstrates that the constituent -frei occurs with the same meanings as the free form frei and concludes that it is not necessary to assume the existence of a suffix. The analysis also accounts for complex forms that are argued to necessitate the recognition of a semi-suffix because they contain an instance of -frei that does not exhibit the meaning of its free counterpart, for example, scheinfrei ‘besitzt alle Scheine (has all credits)’.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The category of semi-affix
  • 3.The status of -frei
    • 3.1The morpho-phonological properties of -frei
    • 3.2The semantics of -frei
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (22)
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