Pejorative suffixes and combining forms in English / José A. Sánchez Fajardo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sánchez Fajardo, José A., author.

Series:

Studies in language companion series ; Volume 22.

Studies in language companion series ; Volume 22

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English language--Suffixes and prefixes.

English language.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (247 pages)

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; Philadelphia : John Benjamins Publishing Company : John Benjamins Publishing Company, [2022]

Summary:

"The book is a research monograph that reviews and revises the cross-linguistic definition of pejoration, and explores the role of 15 suffixes and combining forms, such as -ie, -o, -ard, -holic, -rrhea, -itis, -porn, -ish, in the formation of English pejoratives. The examination of the inner structure of the resulting derivatives is based on an innovative methodology that encompasses the theories and approaches of Construction Morphology, Componential Analysis, and Morphopragmatics. Following the principles of this methodology, pejorative words collected from dictionaries and corpora (a total of approximately 950 words) are abstracted into generalizations (or constructional schemas) where structural and functional similarities are used to cognitively trace the ways in which negative (or derisive) meaning is connected with a specific form. Through this multifaceted methodology, my analysis showcases the fact that the universal properties of 'diminution', 'excess', 'resemblance', and 'metonymization' are what underlie the making of pejorative meaning. These generalizations, along with the schematic representations of formatives, can help linguists, or linguistics enthusiasts in general, to understand the conventions and intricacy of lexical pejoration"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Pejoration and beyond. What is pejoration?

Pejoration at the interface of semantics and pragmatics

A cross-linguistic interpretation of pejoratives

A two-dimensional analysis of pejorative lexis

Pejoratives: What for?

Pejoration and X-phemisms

Euphemisms as neutralizers of pejorative meaning

Dysphemisms as enhancers of pejorative meaning

Pejoration and slang

Pejoratives and the conceptualization of taboo

How pejoratives are made. Compounding

Affixation

Conversion

Clipping

Abbreviations

Loanwords

Reduplication

Semantic extensions

From diminution to pejoration. Size definitely (and semantically) does matter

The suffix -ie

The suffix -o

From excess to pejoration. Too much can be bad

The suffix -ard

The combining form -holic

The combining form -rrhea and the suffix -itis

The combining forms -later and -maniac

The combining form -porn

From resemblance to pejoration. When partial resemblance meets evil

The suffix -ish

The suffix -oid

The suffix -aster

From metonymization to pejoration. It's not you, it's (a part of) me

The combining form -head

The combining form -pants

The case of pejoratives ending in -ass

Concluding remarks.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Sánchez Fajardo, José A. Pejorative Suffixes and Combining Forms in English

ISBN:

9789027258229

OCLC:

1290246282