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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. 139–175

Chapter 5
Exploring linguistic competition in English derivatives ending in ‑ie and ‑o through a cognitive-onomasiological approach

ORCID logo | IPU New Zealand, Tertiary Institute
ORCID logo | University of Alicante

This study investigates the issue of linguistic competition by analysing a dataset comprised of ‑ie/-o doublets, e.g. kiddie/kiddo, weirdie/weirdo. The analysis is based on the key tenets of the onomasiological approach to word-formation (Štekauer 1998) supplemented by the prototypical approach to affix rivalry (Hamawand 2007). The analysis aims to identify the nature of connections between the conceptual, semantic, and onomasiological levels within ‑ie and ‑o paradigms taken separately and whether these connections may play a role on the onomatological level. The analysis of the data allows for identifying four generic onomasiological models (i.e. quality, patient, object, and action), in which the categories of quality and patient convey the highest degree of competitiveness within the evaluative domain of pejoration.

Keywords: onomasiological approach, linguistic competition, -ie suffix, -o suffix, evaluative derivation
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The scope of study
    • 2.1The evaluative suffixes ‑ie and ‑o
    • 2.2Affix rivalry, evaluative morphology, and the onomasiological approach
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Stage 1: Compilation of ‑ie/-o doublets in opposition to identify cases of affixal rivalry
    • 3.2Stage 2: Componential analysis of DP1 and DP2 types that are in competition to identify the subdomains in which the affixes compete
    • 3.3Stage 3: Onomasiological analysis of the ‑ie/-o doublets in competition
  • 4.Results and discussion
    • 4.1Morphosemantic analysis of ‑ie/-o derivatives pertaining to DP1 and DP2
    • 4.2An onomasiological analysis of DP1 and DP2 types that are in competition
      • 4.2.1The quality model
      • 4.2.2The patient model
      • 4.2.3The object and action models
      • 4.2.4Affixal rivalry through the lens of the prototype approach
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 8 May 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.284.05tar
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