4.5. Analysis into immediate constituents (ic)

ICs are any of the 2 meaningful parts forming a larger linguistic unity. A synchronic morphological analysis (L. Bloomfield) reveals not the history of the W but its motivation. Unmotivated Ws, Ws with faded motivation are remembered & understood as separate signs. W characterised by morphological divisibility is involved in certain structural correlations. L. Bloomfield’s analysis of ungentlemanly.

Un- + adjective stem: uncertain, unconscious, uneasy, unfortunate, unmistakable, unnatural → un- is a negative prefix. Some of the cases resembled the W even more closely: unearthly, unsightly, untimely, unwomanly → the 1^st cut we ICs: un- + gentlemanly.

Gent occurs as a free form in low colloquial usage; lemanly is found neither as a free nor as a bound constituent. N-stem + -ly (womanly, masterly, scholarly, soldierly) ‘having the quality of the person denoted by the stem’. The 2 1^st stages → separating a free & a bound form: 1) un- + gentlemanly, 2) gentleman + -ly.

The 3^rd cut → gentle- + -man; adjective stem+ man. Man – a semi-affix / a variant of the free form man.

At any level we obtain only 2 ICs, 1 of which is the stem of the W. The analysis is based on the patterns characteristic of the English vocabulary. A pattern showing the interdependence of all the constituents segregated at various stages: un- + {[{gent- + -le) + -man] + -ly}.

Breaking a W into its IC we observe in each cut the structural order of the constituents. The ultimate constituents can be arranged according to their sequence in the W: un-+gent-+-le+-man+-ly. The analysis on the W-formation level showing the ICs & the structural pattern on which the W is built (proportional oppositions):

1) un- + adjective stem, affixational derivation. Un- ‘not’ / ‘the reverse of’, with the implication of blame / praise.

ungentlemanly unfair unkind unselfish

gentlemanly fair kind selfish

2) noun stem + -ly, ‘characteristic of (a gentleman, a woman, a scholar).

gentlemanly womanly scholarly

gentleman woman scholar

Combining a formal procedure with semantic analysis of the pattern → distinguishing gentlemanly from monthly: qualitative & frequentative -ly. Adj built on the pattern personal N-stem+-ly – ‘characteristic of’ / ‘having the quality of the person denoted by the stem’. Ws built on the pattern stem of a N denoting a period of time + -ly – ‘occurring every period of time denoted by the stem’. Gentlemanly ≠ occurring every gentleman.

There are cases (borrowed Ws) that defy analysis altogether: calendar, nasturtium, chrysanthemum.

The analysis into ICs → the recognition & classification of same & different morphemes & same & different W patterns. It permits the tracing & understanding of the vocabulary system.

4.6. Derivational & functional affixes

Derivational & functional morphemes may be identical in sound form, but they are different in meaning, function, valency, statistical characteristics & structural properties.

Functional affixes convey grammatical meaning, build different W forms. A W form is 1 of the different aspects a & may take as a result of inflection. Complete sets of all the & forms are paradigms. A paradigm in grammar is the system of grammatical forms characteristic of a &: near, nearer, nearest; son, son’s, sons, sons’.

Derivational affixes supply the stem with components of lexical & LG meaning, form different Ws. The same LG meaning of the affix is sometimes accompanied by different combinations of various lexical meanings. The LG meaning of the suffix -y – the ability to express the qualitative idea peculiar to Adjs (Adjs from N-stems). The lexical meanings: ‘full of’ bushy, cloudy, ‘composed of’ stony, ‘having the quality of’ slangy, ‘resembling’ baggy, ‘covered with’ hairy, emotional components of meaning (bossy).

Derivational & functional affixes are different positionally. A functional affix marks the W boundary, follows the affix of derivation & comes last. No further derivation is possible for a stem to which a functional affix is added. E. Nida: inner (derivational) & outer (functional) formatives. W containing no outer formatives is open, homonymous to a stem, further derivational affixes may be added to it. Once we add an outer formative, the form is closed.

Of the 3 main types of morphemes (roots, derivational, functional affixes), the roots are the most numerous. There are thousands of roots in English; derivational affixes are a few scores. The functional affixes are about 10. Regular English Vs have 4 forms; German Vs have 16.

The valency of these 3 groups is in inverse proportion to their number. Functional affixes can be appended to any element belonging to the part of speech they serve. Derivational affixes combine less freely & regularly. The suffix -en (golden, leaden) cannot be added to steel-. They serve to mark groups of Ws, their correlations always contain more than 2 oppositions: boy :: boyish, child :: childish, book :: bookish. The valency of roots is of a different order, the oppositions may be isolated (heart :: sweetheart).

With inflecting the countable Ns (the plural functional suffix –s), the probability of a mistake is not great. Knowing the complete list of affixes of feminisation, we can recognise a new W if we know the root. But derivational affixes are attached to their particular stems in an unpredictable manner: Guest :: guestess, host :: hostess. Lion :: lioness, tiger :: tigress, but bear :: she-bear, elephant :: she-elephant, wolf :: she-wolf; bull :: cow, cock :: hen.