Semantics of diminutivization
Semantics of diminutivization
evidence from Russian
Whereas the study of the semantics of word formation in the generative tradition concentrates on the question of how a meaning can be associated with a form, in the onomasiological tradition a different range of questions determines the research of word formation. In this chapter this approach is illustrated on the basis of the word formation theory developed by Jan Horecký. Central in this approach is the so-called complete semantic definition (CSD). A CSD is a hierarchical structure of semantic features describing the possibilities arising in a particular domain of word formation. Here a CSD is developed for Russian diminutives. The questions arising in this process are which features play a role in the CSD and how they are positioned hierarchically with respect to each other. Compared to Horecký’s description of Slovak, the CSD of Russian diminutives requires three additional features. One of the outcomes of the CSD is a semantic characterization of the class of words that can be input to diminutivization in Russian. The latter is interesting, because despite its wide applicability, especially for nouns, there are some systematic exceptions of nouns that cannot be diminutivized.
Keywords: onomasiological approach, evaluative morphology, diminutives, complete semantic definition, semantic features, Russian
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