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Part of
Competition in Word-Formation
Edited by Alexandra Bagasheva, Akiko Nagano and Vincent Renner
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 284] 2024
► pp. 34–71

Chapter 2
A lexicalist approach to affixal rivalry and its explanatory basis

ORCID logo | University of Shizuoka

This chapter explores the phenomenon of affixal rivalry, namely, the competition between synonymous affixes, using comparative data and the lexical semantic framework (LSF), which is a lexicalist theory in the generativist tradition. The LSF’s major goal is to explain derivational polysemy, and it uses the conceptual tools of (i) feature, (ii) underspecification, and (iii) merge and coindexation to address this issue. Crucially, these tools are indispensable to explaining why languages often have more than one derivational affix for one derivational function, as we demonstrate using paradigms of nominalization and adjectivization in English and Japanese. We interpret the observation of the same mechanisms underlying different phenomena not as a coincidence but rather as a suggestion that derivational polysemy and affixal rivalry are in fact two sides of the same coin, constituting a tight-knit interdependence on each other. As a related topic, we discuss the issue of base selection and elucidate key factors to successfully respond to the challenges raised in language acquisition and language change.

Keywords: affixal rivalry, affixal polysemy, semantic features, underspecification, merge, nominalization, adjectivization, base selection, English, Japanese
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Derivational polysemy in the LSF
    • 2.1Framework
    • 2.2The polysemy question
    • 2.3Three theoretical elements to explain the polysemy question
  • 3.Personal and participant nominalization in English
    • 3.1-er and ‑ee
    • 3.2LSF analysis
      • 3.2.1Transitive-verb-based doublets
      • 3.2.2Ditransitive-verb-based doublets
      • 3.2.3Morphological correspondence rules
  • 4.Personal and participant nominalization in Japanese
    • 4.1Deverbal nominalization
    • 4.2LSF analysis
      • 4.2.1Transitive or ditransitive-verb-based ‑te and ‑mono nominalizations
      • 4.2.2Intransitive-verb-based ‑te and ‑mono nominalizations
    • 4.3Denominal nominalization
    • 4.4Interim summary
  • 5.Base selection
    • 5.1Features rather than labels
    • 5.2Inclusion rather than mutual exclusion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 8 May 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.284.02nag
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