47.Conversion. Types of transposition.

Conversion is a characteristic feature of the English word-building system. It is also called affixless derivation or zero suffuxation. Conversion is the main way of forming verbs in Modern English. Verbs can be formed from nouns of different semantic groups and have different meanings because of that.:

a) verbs can have instrumental meaning if they are formed from nouns

denoting parts of a human body, tools, machines, instruments, weapons:

to eye, to hammer, to machine-gun, ti rifle;

b) verbs can denote an action characteristic of the living being: to crowd, to

wolf, to ape;

c) verbs can denote acquisition, addition, deprivation: to fish, to dust, to

paper;

d) verbs can denote an action performed at the place: to park, to bottle, to

corner.

Verbs can be converted from adjectives, in such cases they denote the

change of the state: to tame, to slim.

Verbs can be also converted from other parts of speech: to down (adverb), to

pooh-pooh (interjection).

Nouns can also be converted from verbs. Converted nouns can denote:

a) instant of an action: a jump, a move;

b) process or state: sleep, walk;

c) agent of the action expressed by the verb from which the noun has been

converted: a help, a flirt;

d) object or result of the action: a find, a burn;

e) place of the action: a drive, a stop.

Sometimes nouns are formed from adverbs: ups and downs.

A certain stem is used for the formation of a categorically different word without a derivative element being added.

Bag – to bag

Back – to back

Bottle – to bottle

This specific pattern is very productive in English

The most popular types are noun → verb or verb → noun

To take off – a take off

Conversion can be total or partial

Partial: the then president (тогдашний)

An adverb is used as an adjective, only in this particular context.

Total: work – to work

Substantivation and adjectivization

Substantivation is the process in which adjectives (or participles) acquire the paradigm and syntactic functions of nouns. One should distinguish two main types of substantivation^ complete and partial.

Completely substantivized adjectives have the full paradigm of a noun, i.e. singular and plural case forms. They may be associated with various determiners (definite, indefinite and zero articles, demonstrative and possessive pronouns, etc.) e.g. an official, the official, officials, this official, our officials, etc. Complete substantivation is often regarded as a pattern of conversion ( A ), though it may be argued, since, as a rule, it is the result of ellipsis in an attributive phrase: a conservative politician  a conservative, a convertible car  a convertible.

In the case of partial substantivation adjectives do not acquire the full paradigm of a noun. They fall into several structural-semantic groups:

1. partially substantivized adjectives (PSA) or participles which are singular in form though plural in meaning. They are esed with the definite article and denote a group or a class of people, e.g. the rich, the accused, the English, the blind, the living, etc.,:,

2. PSA used mostly in the plural and denoting a group or a class of people, e.g. reds, greens, buffs, blues, etc.:,

3. PSA used mostly in the plural and denoting inanimate things, e.g. sweets, ancients, eatables, etc.:,

4. PSA presenting properties as substantive abstract notions, e.g. the good, the evil, the beautiful, the singular, etc.:.

5. PSA denoting languages, e.g. English, German, Ukrainian, Italian, ect.

Adjectivization

Premodification of nouns by nouns is highly frequent in Modern English. Noun-adjuncts should not be considered as adjectives produced by means of conversion. Nevertheless, some nouns may undergo the process of adjectivization and function as attributes with idiomatic meanings, e.g.:

Coffee-table (n.)  coffee-table (adj.) – “ Of a large size and richly illustrated.