English Nouns since 1150: A Typological Study

English Nouns since 1150: A Typological Study
ISBN-10
3111317714
ISBN-13
9783111317717
Category
Foreign Language Study
Pages
270
Language
English
Published
2024-04-22
Publisher
Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Author
Marion Neubauer

Description

Morphological typology is usually limited to the realm of grammar. Accordingly, English is considered an analytic language due to its poor grammatical morphology – but what about the lexicon? Taking a twofold approach, this study investigates the typological development of English nouns since 1150. First, the focus is on the means used to extend the lexicon: Correlating the central noun formation processes as well as borrowing reveals, for the first time, their quantitative importance – with some surprising results. Second, the structure of the lexicon takes center stage: The morphological analysis of all nouns uncovers diachronic shifts – and striking parallels between grammar and lexicon.

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