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In:Germanic Genitives
Edited by Tanja Ackermann, Horst J. Simon and Christian Zimmer
[Studies in Language Companion Series 193] 2018
► pp. 275–299

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Genitives and proper name compounds in German

 | University of Leipzig
Published online: 26 April 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.193.10sch
Abstract
This paper deals with an issue related to the syntax-morphology interface, namely the comparison of proper name compounds and genitives in German. It has been claimed in the literature that proper name compounds have recently increased in use at the expense of the genitive. For this reason, proper name compounds are sometimes considered as competitors to the genitive. A prerequisite for this assumption is that both constructions are equivalent with respect to meaning and function. The paper examines the relevant properties of both constructions. It is argued that there is no true meaning equivalence between proper name compounds and genitives. However, specific subtypes of proper name compounds and genitives that exhibit a substantial amount of semantic overlap are identified. It is discussed under which circumstances they can be used interchangeably.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Genitives and compounds: Morphological and syntactic properties
    • 2.1Genitives
    • 2.2Compounds
  • 3.Genitives and compounds: Semantic properties
  • 4.Semantic overlap between proper name compounds and genitives
  • 5.Restrictions on proper name compounding
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (55)
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