Compunds

Question 1

T/F English is not identical to Sanskrit morphology but many of the principles of compounding Panini discovered in Sanskrit operate in English also, and in many other languages

Answer 1

True

Question 2

What is the main point of compounds?

Answer 2

To discover and understand unconscious principles that native speakers use with compounds

Question 3

Central question

Answer 3

To what extent can native speakers guess the meaning of a given compound merely by using the principles of compounding that they have acquired unconsciously as a result of normal language acquisition

Question 4

Another way to states the question

Answer 4

What extent the semantics (the meaning) of a given compound is available to Native Speakers by virtue of unconscious known rules, and to what extent the meaning of a given compound depends on lexicalization

Question 5

Lexicalization

Answer 5

Learned correspondence between form and meaning

Question 6

3 types of compound

Answer 6

Exocentric
Endocentric determinative
Endocentric descriptive

Question 7

Exocentric Compunds

Answer 7

Compound that lacks the semantic head

Question 8

Examples of exocentric compound

Answer 8

Skyscraper

Pick-pocket

Question 9

What is really the issue between endocentric and exocentric compounds?

Answer 9

Whether the semantic head is present or not

Question 10

Some types of text

Answer 10

Is XY either a type of X or a type of Y?

But it can be reduced

Question 11

Why can the test question, Is XY either a type of X or a type of Y , be reduced?

To what does it reduce?

Answer 11

Because usually in English the semantic head, if present will almost always be the Y member

Is XY a type of Y?

Question 12

Examples of endocentric compounds

Why?

Answer 12

Long-legged person

It is a type of person

Question 13

Spelling is ____ to ___ linguistics

One should not be distracted by?

Answer 13

Irrelevant
Synchronic

One should not be distracted by spelling conventions

Question 14

Endocentric compounds

Answer 14

A compound whose semantic head is one of the words in the compound

Question 15

2 types of endocentric compounds

Answer 15

Descriptive

Determinative

Question 16

Descriptive Endocentric compound

It also what?

Answer 16

The relationship between the X element and Y elemental is purely descriptive (at least superficially)

Attributes a characteristic to the item

Question 17

Example of descriptive endocentric compounds

Explain

Answer 17

Blue bird

Blue describes the bird
Attributes a characteristic to the bird
Test: A Y that is X
A bird that is blue

Question 18

The meaning of a descriptive compound may significantly ___ or ____ from the straight descriptive meaning of X and Y.

Example

Why?

Answer 18

Exceed
Deviate

Blackbird (female)

Is actually brown, but the compound is still considered a descriptive compound

One can say “a bird that is black”

Question 19

Another example of a endocentric descriptive compound

Explain

Answer 19

White House

It is a stretch to call it a “house” and it might not be completely white

Yet we can still say: it is a house that is white

Which qualifies as an endocentric descriptive compound

Question 20

Which of the endocentric compounds is more numerous?
Which is less?

Why?

Answer 20

Determinative more numerous

Descriptive less numerous

Because the descriptive compound requires an adjective X, in an attribute relationship with a noun

Question 21

Be careful with descriptive compounds, they might not be compounds but rather phrases

So what is needed to qualify as a compound?

Answer 21

1. The adj. and noun combination has to have some special semantics
2. Most also be a solid constituent that resisted interruption

Question 22

One cannot interpose any words between what words

Answer 22

Bluebird

Whitehouse

Question 23

In a noun phrase you can what?

Example

Answer 23

You can interpose other descriptors in between the adjective and the noun

Fast car

Fast expensive car

Doesn’t lose the original meaning

Question 24

Determinative endocentric compunds

Answer 24

Compound has a relationship between the X and Y element

that is not just descriptive

Question 25

Examples of determinative compounds: Explain Explain why it’s a determinative compound (test)

Answer 25

Snow shovel Is it a snow? No Is it a shovel? Yes So it’s and endocentric compound Is it an descriptive or determinative compound? Is it a shovel that is snow? No So it’s a determinative compound It’s a shovel for shoveling snow Test: A Y that is X

Question 26

Relational Rules (RRs)

Answer 26

Describes the relationship between the morphemes and the compounds

Question 27

Canonical

Answer 27

Means the intended, central function of Y in Y is for Y-ing X in the canonical manner of Y

Question 28

Examples that are with the Y is for Ying X type Though there’s a note!

Answer 28

``` Butter knife Bread knife Steak knife Car wax Clothespin Dish towel Ice pick Face towel Hair brush Tooth brush Nail brush Shoe polish ``` In some cases the Y item does not always form the appropriate verb, but rather there is a related verb that is used instead Cutting Drying Are canonical uses of knives and towels So it fits the case of Y for Ying X

Question 29

Lexical coercion Example

Answer 29

The meaning of the Y item is to some degree determined or coerced by the X item Bread knife Knife for spreading butter

Question 30

T/F there is no definite line rant determines how far we should abstract away from specific cases, nor how much lexical coercion should be accommodated

Answer 30

True

Question 31

The “correct” set of rules and generalizations are just those that must?

Answer 31

Neatly describes and explain the data

Question 32

T/ F With respect to the semantic rules for determinative and exocentric compounds, some linguistics think that there really are no general rules at all, but rather that the relations between lexical items in such compounds are always idiosyncratic

Answer 32

True

Question 33

Transparency

Answer 33

The degree that a NS could guess the meaning of the compound if he encountered it for the first time, out of context

Question 34

Compound fall into stable general classes with respect to ___ and ___ ____ which allows them to be neatly organized by type

Answer 34

Syntax | Broad Semantics

Question 35

RR are quite ___ and not completely ___ from the ___ or ___ of compound

Answer 35

Diverse Predicative Syntax Type

Question 36

Fact lexical items ? We use ___ to shape the ___ meaning of __

Answer 36

Lexical items are unique in some way We use pragmatics Compounds

Question 37

Pragmatics

Answer 37

Knowledge of the world, including cultural knowledge

Question 38

In exocentric compounds there will always be what? Why? Example

Answer 38

3 terms (X,Y and Z) Because exocentric compounds have a semantic head that is outside the X,Y part of the compound hence the Z item Example: pick-pocket Pick & pocket are the X,Y terms respectively the person who picks pockets is the Z term A Z that Xs Ys.

Question 39

There are also 3 terms in cases where there is an agentive nominal affix (er) attached to the Y term, which in those cases is always a verb.

Answer 39

True.