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The semantics of noun-to-verb zero-derivation in English and Spanish.
- Source :
- Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft; Jun2023, Vol. 42 Issue 1, p153-180, 28p
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- The semantics of zero-derivation/conversion has attracted renewed interest both as a subject of description and as a means towards refined descriptions of the process. This paper takes the latter stance and compares which semantic categories occur in zero-derivation/conversion and in overt affixation in two languages with a different morphological model: English and Spanish. For attestation and distribution of the semantic categories, the paper relies on a stratified sample of denominal verbs collected from two comparable corpora: the British National Corpus and the Corpus de Referencia del Español Actual. The sample consists in sets of ca. 50 denominal verb-forming resources, one per affixation process, namely affixation by -ate, -(i)fy, -ize/-ise, -en, en- in English, a-...-ar, en-...-ar, -ear, -ecer, -(i)ficar, -izar in Spanish, and zero-derivation/conversion in both languages. The results are contrasted within and across affixes/processes, within each language and across the two languages for the adequacy of a description as zero-derivation or as conversion. Statistical analysis shows that the process/affixes form a cline with overlaps and closer associations between specific affixes/processes and semantic categories, but no clear divide between zero-derivation/conversion and the rest of processes as far as the semantic categories are concerned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- ENGLISH language
SPANISH language
SEMANTICS
CORPORA
VERBS
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 07219067
- Volume :
- 42
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 164177213
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1515/zfs-2022-2016