Билет № 9

1. Explain the formal and conceptual difference between prefixes and suffixes.

Affixation – is a linear type of word-formation, consists in adding derivational non-root m. to the stem.

• Inflections (infl.m. – only grammar meaning)

• Affixes (derive.m)

Formal diff.:

• We can build on the basis of the stem words of various lvls of derivation, but, as soon as we add an inflexion – the derivational potential becomes exhausted.

Ex: useful – usefulness, cf. use/s (the boundaries of the word are set)

• The co-occurrence of inflations with stems is not limited (as related to words of a particular gram.class), whereas the productivity affixes is limited.

Ex: hand/s, girl/s

Cf. hand/y, girl/ish

Unlimited combinations

Suffixation – derive. m. that follows the root and changes the lexical meaning of the word and – very often – its part-of-speech relation.

• Lexico-gramm meaning

Ex: to play – play/er

(-er being a lex-gr. marker of a noun derived from a verbal stem)

• Lexical meaning

Ex: to play – play/er

(-er being a lex-gr. marker of an active agent/instrument)

Prefixation - derive. m. that precedes the root and cnahges – ONLY – the lexical meaning of the word.

• Lexical meaning

Ex: to count – to re/count

(-re being a lex. marker of a repeated action)

Искл!! Sometimes the prefix can change the words part-of-speech relation (in borrowed words) – to cover with bronze

2. Explain the extralinguistic causes of semantic change.

As language develops, word meaning can surprisingly change.

Ex: worm < OE wurm, wyrm – “serpent, dragon”

nice < OF nice, “silly, foolish”, lat. Nescius – ‘ignorant’

Causes of semantic change:

• Extra-ling

• Ling

Extraling

• Deeper knowledge about the word:

Ex: earth < OE eorpe “ground, soil, dryland”

quicksilver < OE cwicseolfor < seolfor “silver”, lit. “living silver”

• Creation of a new object

Ex: screen < OF escran – upright piece of furniture providing protection from heat of a fire

Book < OE boc – ani written document < P.Gmc bokiz ‘beech’ – a kind of tree

Hardware < ‘small metal goods’

• Social development

Ex: fee < OF fien, fief – possession, holding, domain feudal duties payment + OE feoh – movable property, cattle (скот)

• Ethics

Ex: to go > to die

Departed > dead

Heavy > fat

Gay > homosexual

БИЛЕТ № 14

1. What is the stem of a word and how are stems classified?

Stem/base – is the carrier of its lexical meaning, the part that remains after inflexions are excluded from the morphological structure of the word.

Ex: work/ing, worker/s

• The stem includes the root and can formally coincide with the root, if there is a zero derive. Morph.

• Express the part-of-speech relation

• But the stem lacks the separateness and completeness of a word and exists only within a word form

• Doesn’t express the gramm meaning

Diff btw root/stem/word:

Ex: Work – work/er/s (root – work, stem – worker, word form – workers)

Stem is a basic unit of morph. Analysis of the word. We use them to build new words.

Classification:

• Free stems (свободные основы) – coinciding with words

Ex: work-, worker-

• Bounded stems (связанные) – do not coincide with words and do not occur without affixes, but can participate in w-formation.

Ex: arrog+ance – arrog+ant

• Isolated stems (изолированные) –do not occur without affixes, and only within one word

Ex: ham+let – little settlement (let has a diminutive meaning, cf. booklet)

• Productive stems (производящие) – serve as a base for the formation of a new word.

Ex: girl – girl/ish

• Derived (производные) – representing the result of w-romation.

Ex: girl – girl/ish - girl/ish/ness

*can be also a productive for other