1. Topic 6: word meaning Introduction to Semantics

2. Morpheme • The minimal unit of meaning • A smallest linguistic form in which its sound and meaning cannot be further divided and analyzed. • Example: • Boy-s • Teach-er • brother

3. derivation • A process of forming new words based on pre-existing words. • 3 simultaneous processes • A morphological process • A syntactic process • A semantic process

4. morphological process: suffix -er Teach syntactic process: verb-noun Teach-er semantic process: denoting an agent

5. Zero derivation • No morphological process occurs • Cook-cook

6. Kinds of derivation • Inchoative • Causative • Resultative

7. inchoative • Denotes the beginning, or coming into existence, of some state. • Soft, soften

8. causative • Denotes an action which causes something to happen • Open (a door)

9. resultative • Denotes a state resulting from some action • Broken –break • Frozen –freeze

10. derivational process STATE Inchoative PROCESS Causative ACTION Resultative STATE Words denoting STATE Words denoting PROCESS Words denoting STATE Words denoting ACTION

11. derivational process: example STATE Inchoative PROCESS Causative ACTION Resultative STATE Straight (adj) denoting STATE Straighten (intrans. V) denoting PROCESS Straightened (passive participle as adj) denoting STATE Straighten (trans. V) denoting ACTION

12. ‘gaps’ in the process STATE Inchoative PROCESS Causative ACTION Resultative STATE Noble (adj) ? Ennobled (passive participle as adj) Ennoble (trans. V)

13. The productivity of derivational processes • A derivational process is completely productive • if it can be used to produce an existing derived word from EVERY appropriate source word. • Doubtful whether any derivational process is actually completely productive.

14. Some are very more productive than others • Which is more productive? • Adverbial –ly • Happy-happily; quick-quickly • Female –ess • Actor-actress; prince-princess