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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. 176–205

Chapter 6
Diminutive formation in Modern Greek

Variation and competition

ORCID logo | Democritus University of Thrace
The aim of this chapter is to investigate variation in Modern Greek diminutive derivational means (affixes and affixoids) by focusing on their selectional restrictions (e.g. phonological, morphological, semantic) and their competition (e.g. psilo.xondrós ‘dim.fat’ vs. xondr.oúlis ‘fat.dim’). Given that the use of all Greek diminutive morphemes (affixes or affixoids) is subject to selectional restrictions, it is shown that the variation found in diminutive derivational morphemes can be explained with reference to their particular restrictions and their multifunctional character. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the domain of Modern Greek diminutive morphemes can be thought of as a complex ecosystem structured around a fairly complementary distribution (rather than competition).
Keywords: Modern Greek, diminutives, competition, restrictions, complementarity
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The basic characteristics of diminution
  • 3.Diminution in Modern Greek
  • 4.Productivity and constraints
    • 4.1Nominal suffixes
    • 4.2Adjectival suffixes
    • 4.3The prefix ipo‑ and prefixoids
    • 4.4Summary of the properties of diminutive morphological means
  • 5.Competition and complementarity
    • 5.1Less productive suffixes and “niche productivity”
    • 5.2Rivalry between adjectival suffixes and the prefixoid psilo-
    • 5.3Affixal rivalry between the prefixoid psilo‑ and the suffix ‑áki
    • 5.4Rivalry between suffixation and prefixation
    • 5.5Rivalry between affixes and prefixoids
    • 5.6Rival prefixoids
    • 5.7Interim summary
  • 6.(Nearly) synonymous diminutives
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 8 May 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.284.06eft
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