In this squib, I describe the lexicalization patterns of properties in German. First, I show that German belongs to the set of languages with a open set of adjectives. Second, German is compatible with Stassen's (1997:169) hierarchy for the lexicalization of properties. Third, the discussed data argues for a slight revision of Haspelmath's (1993) classification of the German inchoative/causative alternation while at the same time confirming the tendencies observed by him.
Furthermore, I will show how the different types of properties as defined by Schaefer & Egbokhare (1993:160) and Stassen (1997:169) are lexicalized in German.
A note on translation: There are several cases where I had to chose between different possible translations. In those cases, I tried to find the intuitively more adequate translation. In cases, when all alternatives where equally acceptable, I decided for the one that seemed to be most frequent. This is probably a general problem in cross-linguistic comparisons like the one done by Haspelmath (1993) – choosing another translation can result in a different lexicalization pattern for that concept. For example, whether I decide that 'kind' should be translated nett or whether I decide to translate it as freundlich or lieb, etc. will result in a different relation between noun and adjective for the "concept" ... the adjective freundlich is derived the noun from Freude whereas the noun Nettigkeit is derived from the adjective nett.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Adjectives
3. The data: property types and syntactic category
4. Property concepts: The generalizations
5. About inchoative/causative
6. Conclusions
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the lexicalization patterns of various property types in the German language, evaluating how these properties are encoded morphologically and syntactically. The core research aim is to assess the applicability of established linguistic hierarchies—specifically those proposed by Stassen and Haspelmath—to German data, while analyzing the derivational relationships between inchoative and causative verb constructions across different property domains.
- Morphological derivation and adjectival formation in German
- Taxonomy of property types including Speed, Color, Dimension, and Human Propensity
- Analysis of the inchoative/causative verb alternation patterns
- Application of cross-linguistic hierarchies to German lexical entries
- Distribution of stative verbs and their limitations within property classes
Excerpt from the Book
Adjectives
German certainly has an open class of adjectives. There are several derivational suffixes that are productive, e.g.: -lich (e.g. gelblich 'yellow-like', zerbrechlich 'easily breakable'), -bar (unzerstoerbar 'un-destroy-able', lesbar 'read-able'), -ig (e.g. riesig 'giant-like'), etc. Fleischer & Barz (1995:223-276) summarize the morphological means of forming new adjectives in German. They alone mention 11 suffixes and 4 prefixes that are more or less productive in adjectivization. Furthermore, compounding is productive, too, e.g. in the color domain: herbstgruen ('fall-green'), todgrau ('death-grey'), kornblumenblau ('corn-flower-blue'), schamrot ('shame-red').
According to Wellman (1984:408) and Erben (1980:166) adjectives make for 15% of the lexicon. The number of adjectival simplicia (underived adjectives) is estimated to be a "couple of hundreds" (Wellman 1984:481).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This section provides an overview of the study’s goals, which include analyzing property lexicalization in German and validating cross-linguistic hierarchies.
Adjectives: This chapter details the morphological productivity of German adjectives, including suffixation, prefixation, and compounding strategies.
The data: property types and syntactic category: This section classifies various properties (e.g., Speed, Color, Value) and provides tables outlining their lexical patterns.
Property concepts: The generalizations: This chapter synthesizes the data to evaluate how systematic the lexicalization patterns are in German compared to existing theories.
About inchoative/causative: This section focuses on the derivational relationship between inchoative and causative verbs and categorizes them by property domain.
Conclusions: The final section summarizes the findings regarding the hierarchy of property encoding and the limitations of verbal lexical entries for certain categories in German.
Keywords
Lexicalization, German linguistics, Adjectives, Inchoative, Causative, Morphology, Stative verbs, Property concepts, Derivation, Syntactic category, Cross-linguistic comparison, Verbal entries, Morphological productivity, Reflexive alternation, Semantic classification.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research focuses on the lexicalization patterns of property concepts in German and how these properties are integrated into the language's verbal and adjectival systems.
Which linguistic frameworks are used to analyze the data?
The author utilizes frameworks established by Haspelmath, Stassen, and Schaefer & Egbokhare to evaluate the German data against cross-linguistic standards.
What is the main goal of the study?
The goal is to determine if German follows proposed universal hierarchies regarding the lexicalization of properties and to describe the mechanisms of the inchoative/causative alternation in German.
Which methodology does the author employ?
The author uses empirical data collection in class and comparative analysis of morphological and syntactic patterns to create comprehensive tables of lexicalization.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers morphological derivation processes, the categorization of property types, and the specific distribution of alternation patterns like reflexive, equipollent, and suppletive constructions.
Which keywords characterize this paper?
Key terms include Lexicalization, Inchoative, Causative, Morphology, Property concepts, and Adjectivization.
How does German treat the category of "MATERIAL"?
According to the findings, MATERIAL is predominantly lexicalized by nouns that have corresponding denominal adjectives, rather than through verbal entries.
What is the most common inchoative pattern in German?
The study identifies the reflexive use of the causative verb as the most common inchoative pattern, characterizing the main alternation as anticausative.
Do stative verbs exist for all property types in German?
No, the study concludes that only human propensities can be realized as stative verbs, while other categories lack such verbal entries.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Tim Florian Jaeger (Autor:in), 2002, Lexicalization of properties in german, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/45472
