Week 5 – conversion

Question 1

What is conversion?

Answer 1

= a change of word class w/o the addition of affix, no morphological restrictions

Question 2

Aspect of conversion

Answer 2

1. productivity: almost no morphological restrictions
2. word class: base > converted term
3. direction: criteria = intuition based on a productive pattern, formal indication, frequency of use, historical evidence, semantic and syntactic restraints
4. extent: total X partial (nouns and adjectives)
5. semantic relation b/w base and the converted term

Question 3

Most frequent conversion?

Answer 3

N to V, V to N, also Adj. to V

• only shift to open class categories from closed class

Question 4

Deverbal nouns

Answer 4

• state of mind/sensation: experience, fear, feel, hope
• events/activities: attack, alert, increase, command;; processes: go-have a go;; results: burn, catch
• the subject of the original verb, e.g. a clone, contact, judge
• the instrument of the original verb, e.g. cover

Question 5

Denominal verbs

Answer 5

• action of putting in or on the noun: to pocket, to film, to practice
• to provide with/to give: to name, to shape, to fuel
• the action done w/ the noun as instrument: e.g. to hammer, to yo-yo, to brake

Question 6

Deadjectival verb

Answer 6

to make (adj.): e.g. to black, to open, to lower, to slow//to become: to dry, to empty, to narrow

Question 7

Conversion from closed category

Answer 7

prepositions: up

adverbs: inside, outside

conjunctions: if, but

interjections: ha ha ha

Question 8

Partial x full conversion

Answer 8

partial: the wealthy
* I met a wealthy.
* Those welthies.