pile of books		 skip main nav
 Ling 131: Language & Style		  
Home ¦ Introduction ¦ Contents ¦ Glossary
<!-- function MM_swapImgRestore() { //v3.0 var i,x,a=document.MM_sr; for(i=0;a&&i<a.length&&(x=a[i])&&x.oSrc;i++) x.src=x.oSrc; } function MM_preloadImages() { //v3.0 var d=document; if(d.images){ if(!d.MM_p) d.MM_p=new Array(); var i,j=d.MM_p.length,a=MM_preloadImages.arguments; for(i=0; i<a.length; i++) if (a[i].indexOf("#")!=0){ d.MM_p[j]=new Image; d.MM_p[j++].src=a[i];}} } function MM_swapImage() { //v3.0 var i,j=0,x,a=MM_swapImage.arguments; document.MM_sr=new Array; for(i=0;i<(a.length-2);i+=3) if ((x=MM_findObj(a[i]))!=null){document.MM_sr[j++]=x; if(!x.oSrc) x.oSrc=x.src; x.src=a[i+2];} } //-->

Topic 2 (session A) - Being creative with words and phrases > Changing word class affixation
skip topic navigation
Session Overview
(Semi) Automatic poetry
Introducing word classes
More on word classes
Manipulating word classes
Changing word class - affixation
Changing word class - functional conversion
New words for old
Word class problems
Word class checklist
 
Useful Links
Readings
Grammar Website
 

Creativity and word class changes - In English almost any noun can be verbed!

Text only version of task - our answers

1) the morphological route

chutnification:

chutney arrow pointing rightchutnify arrow pointing rightchutnification

'Chutney' (noun) becomes a verb - 'chutnify' - through the addition of the productive affix '-ify' (cf. 'solidify', 'purify', 'beautify'). That verb in turn gets turned back into a noun with the addition of the '-ation' affix (cf. 'agitation', 'levitation', 'compilation').

featheriest:

feather arrow pointing rightfeathery arrow pointing rightfeatheriest

'Feather' (noun) becomes an adjective 'feathery', which is already a normal derivation in English. That adjective is then converted into its superlative form.

2) The resulting meaning and effect

Chutnification =

The resulting meaning is a result of the derivation from the base form.

Chutnification is the noun which refers to the concept of the process (verb) of making chutney (noun.).

Featheriest =

The meaning is obvious enough: the touch of the women is most delicate, like that produced by the most delicate feather you can imagine.

The word stands out because most speakers of English would assume that 'most feathery' was the superlative form of 'feathery', not 'featheriest'. In modern English we tend to use the 'more/most' comparative/superlative forms with words which are two syllables long and above, reserving the '-er'/'-iest' affixes for one-syllable and some two-syllable adjectives. 'Feathery is three syllables long, of course. There is also some evidence (see Laurie Bauer (1994), Watching English Change, London: Longman, pp. 51-60) that English is gradually moving away from the affixed forms altogether.

 

to the top
Next: Changing word class - functional conversion next

Home ¦ Outline ¦ Contents ¦ Glossary