Morphology and Lexical Semantics

Rochelle Lieber discusses the lexical semantics of word formation in a systematic way, allowing the reader to explore the nature of affixal polysemy.

Rochelle Lieber (Author)

9780521831710, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 1 July 2004

208 pages
23.5 x 16 x 1.8 cm, 0.471 kg

'… this monograph provides a very interesting and useful framework. Perhaps the greatest value of this book is that it shows that semantics is essential for a proper theory of word formation. To give just one example, the relisting-analysis for conversion is highly convincing because of its very simple semantic motivation. Morphology and Lexical Semantics is a highly valuable book, which is very stimulating for further discussion and research.' Linguist List

Morphology and Lexical Semantics explores the meanings of morphemes and how they combine to form the meanings of complex words, including derived words (writer, unionise), compounds (dog bed, truck driver) and words formed by conversion. Rochelle Lieber discusses the lexical semantics of word formation in a systematic way, allowing the reader to explore the nature of affixal polysemy, the reasons why there are multiple affixes with the same function and the issues of mismatch between form and meaning in word formation. Using a series of case studies from English, this book develops and justifies the theoretical apparatus necessary for raising and answering many questions about the semantics of word formation. Distinguishing between a lexical semantic skeleton that is featural and hierarchically organised and a lexical semantic body that is holistic, it shows how the semantics of word formation has a paradigmatic character.

Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Features
2. Co-indexation
3. The semantics of verb formation
4. Extending the system - location
5. Extending the system - quantity
6. Combinability and the correspondence between form and meaning
7. Looking back, looking forward
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Linguistics [CF]