7.5. Diachronic approach to conversion

New CPs are created on the analogy of those already in the W-stock. Conversion is highly productive in the formation of Vs, especially from compound Ns. 20^th century new Ws include many Vs formed by conversion: to motor – ‘travel by car’; to phone; to wire – ‘send a telegram’; to microfilm; to tear-gas; to fire-bomb; to blueprint – ‘work out, outline’.

A diachronic survey of the present-day stock of CPs → not all created on the semantic patterns described. Some are a result of the disappearance of inflections; 2 Ws of different parts of speech coincided in pronunciation: love n (OE. lufu) – love v (OE. lufian); work n (OE. wēōrc) – work v (OE. wyrcan); answer n (OE. andswaru) – answer v (OE. andswarian). → I. Ivanova, I. Arnold distinguish between homonymous W-pairs which are a result of the loss of inflections & those formed by conversion. The term conversion is applied only to cases like doctor n – doctor v; brief a – brief v that came into being after the disappearance of inflections.

A. Smirnitsky: synchronically in ME there is no difference between cases like taxi n – taxi v & love n – love v from the point of view of their morphological structure & the W-building system of the language; the historical background is irrelevant.

A diachronic semantic analysis of a CP → the semantic structure of the base may acquire a new meaning / several meanings under the influence of the meanings of the converted W (reconversion). Reconversion operates with denominal Vs & deverbal Ns. The Oxford English Dictionary:

SMOKE n 1) the visible volatile product given off by burning / smouldering substances; 2) the act of smoke coming out into a room instead of passing up the chimney

SMOKE v 1) intr. to produce / give forth smoke; of a room, chimney, lamp, etc.; 2) to be smoky, to emit smoke as the result of imperfect draught / improper burning

The V smoke formed in 1000 from the N smoke in the corresponding meaning had acquired another meaning by 1663 by a metaphorical transfer, which gave rise to a correlative meaning of the N smoke in 1715 through reconversion.

7.6. Productivity. Traditional & occasional conversion

Conversion is restricted both semantically & morphologically.

Semantic restrictions. All Vs are divided into 2 groups: a) Vs = a succession of isolated actions from which Ns are easily formed: fall v – fall n; run v – run n; jump v – jump; b) Vs (to sit, to lie, to stand) denoting processes that cannot be represented as a succession of isolated actions, defying conversion. An examination of ME usage → it is difficult to distinguish between these 2 groups: to invite – an invite, to take – a take, to sing – a sing, to bleed – a bleed, to win – a win. The possibility for the Vs to be formed from Ns through conversion seems to be illimitable.

Morphological restrictions. The complexity of W-structure does not favour conversion. In ME there are no Vs converted from Ns with the suffixes -ing & -ation. But: innumerable occasional CPs of complex structure: to package, to holiday, to wireless, to petition, to reverence. → Conversion is a highly productive way of forming Ws in ME.

Traditional conversion – the accepted use of Ws recorded in dictionaries: to age, to cook, to love, to look, to capture.

The individual / occasional use of conversion: Vs & Adjs converted from Ns / vice versa for bringing out the meaning more vividly in a given context only; do not enter the English W-stock: to girl the boat; when his guests had been washed, mended, brushed & brandied; How am I to preserve the respect of fellow-travellers, if I’m to be Billied at every turn?