Compounding

Background: Nadin Picker's presentation.

Types of lexical information about compound words:

• Structure:
  • Word class (external structural properties; relation to context)
  • Internal structure: word classes of components of the compound; principles of composition (combinatorial operations); subclasses (e.g. transitive/intransitive verbs, types of verb subjects/objects/...
  • General question: is the word class of the whole a function of the word classes of the parts? Explain this in terms of synthetic compounds.
• Interpretation - semantics:
  • Meanings of parts of compound
  • Meaning of whole compound
  • Combinatorial operations affecting meaning - relative transparency (i.e. idiomaticity); metaphor; ...
  • General question: is the meaning of the whole a function of the meaning of the parts? Explain this in terms of tatpurusa, dvandva and bahuvrihi compounds.
• Interpretation - surface:
  1. Pronunciation:
     • Pronunciation of the parts.
     • Pronunciation of the whole.
     • Combinatorial operations affecting the pronunciation of the whole (e.g. stress)
     • General question: is the pronunciation of the whole a function of the pronunciation of the parts?
  2. Spelling:
     • Spelling of the parts.
     • Spelling of the whole.
     • Combinatorial operations affecting the spelling of the whole (e.g. stress)
     • General question: is the spelling of the whole a function of the spelling of the parts?