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In:Lexical Variation and Knowledge Construction across Historical, Methodological, and Cultural Ecologies
Edited by Rossella Latorraca, Rita Calabrese, Jacqueline Aiello and Dirk Geeraerts
[Terminology and Lexicography Research and Practice 25] 2026
► pp. 303–318

Morphemic phrasemes in German

The case of particle verbs

 | University of Salerno
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
The present work reflects on the characteristics of specific verbal constructions in German that present a complex structure on the edge between morphology and syntax. In particular, it is debated whether German complex verbal formations — that are constituted by more than one wordform under some circumstances and a single wordform under others — should be considered part of phraseology — regardless of their morphosyntactic appearance — if the meaning of the verbal complex is not compositional. Specific attention is devoted to German so called trennbare Verben (en. ‘particle verbs’), because of their peculiar morphosyntactic structure and their semantic complexity (Köper and Schulte im Walde 2016). The findings are discussed in the light of language ecology (cf. Haugen 2001: 57).
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction and theoretical issues
  • 2.Methodology: German particle verbs and phrasemes
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Deutsches Universalwörterbuch Duden
    • 3.2Deutsche Idiomatik Pons
    • 3.3Deutsches Universalwörterbuch Duden and idiomaticity
  • 4.Discussion and conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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