The functional-semantic category of causativity can be expressed on different levels of the language system. However, one of the main lexical means of expressing causativity is considered to be causative verbs, the definitions of which are in part contradictory.
Generally, linguists single out causative verbs as being those transitive verbs with the meaning of ‘changing a state’ or ‘causing an action’, which is expressed by a corresponding verbal stem. Taking this definition of causative verbs into account, in the article we refer to this group, verbs which cause a different action or state in, at least, two situations connected by causation relations and reflect cause-and-effect relations on a referential level.
The object of this research is thus DCV (derived causative verbs) – verbs united by the general meaning of causativity, formed (in the paper, the terms “formed” and “motivated” are used synonymously) from motivated stems of different parts of speech with the aid of word forming means inherent to verb formation, i.e. units creating word forming category of causativity.
The main empirical material is obtained by means of continuous sampling of DCV from definition dictionaries of the German and the Ukrainian languages.
The results obtained from dictionary and text sampling were used to establish the productivity degree of certain DCV formation means and ways, semantic types in both languages, productivity correlation of DCV semantic types and their frequency.
Table of Contents
1. Structural Types of Derived Causative Verbs
Objectives and Topics
The primary research objective is to analyze the structural peculiarities, formation patterns, and productivity of derived causative verbs (DCV) within the German and Ukrainian language systems, focusing on the categorization of motivational stems and word-forming mechanisms.
- Lexical-semantic structures and definitions of causative verbs.
- Comparative analysis of word-forming productivity in German and Ukrainian.
- Taxonomy of structural types: non-affixal, affixal, and compound verbs.
- The influence of nominal, adjectival, and verbal stems on causative derivation.
- Syntactic and semantic constraints in the formation of causative meaning.
Excerpt from the Book
Structural Types of Derived Causative Verbs
The description of DCV as word formation units allows for the opposition of MS belonging to different parts of speech. This is considered to be the main characteristic of derivatives in determining their role in DCV formation, as it shows the limits of derivatives formation. In analyzed languages we single out DCV formed from such parts of speech (see Table 1):
1) verbs in the following ways: a) non-affixal: dorren ‘to dry’ → dörren ‘to dry’; b) prefixal: nähen ‘to sew’ → abnähen ‘durch eine keilförmige Naht einer Stofffalte enger machen’ (DUW: 64) ‘to make the material narrower with the help of wedge-shaped seem, to take in’; варити → уварити ‘варячи, зменшувати кількість, об’єм чогось’ ‘to become less after it is cooked’ (VTS: 1493); c) suffixal: wacken ‘to swing’ → wackeln ‘to swing’; condēnsāre (lat.) → конденсувати ‘перетворювати газ на рідину’ (VTS: 549) ‘to change gas into liquid’;
2) nouns in the following ways: a) non-affixal: das Öl ‘oil’ → ölen ‘mit Öl versehen’ (DUW: 1100) ‘to saturate with oil, to oil’ (exists only in German); b) prefixal: die Waffe ‘weapon’ → bewaffnen ‘mit Waffen versehen’ (DUW: 252) ‘to provide with weapon, to arm’ (intrinsic only to German); c) suffixal: das Stück ‘a piece’ → stückeln ‘in Stücke teilen’ (DUW: 1490) ‘to divide into pieces; кокс → коксувати ‘перетворювати на кокс’ ‘change into coke’ (VTS: 553); d) prefixal-suffixal: der Grad ‘a degree’ → degradieren ‘im Dienstgrad herabsetzen’ (DUW: 325) ‘to deprive of degree’; база → перебазувати ‘переміщати що-небудь на нову базу’ (VTS: 899);
Summary of Chapters
Structural Types of Derived Causative Verbs: This chapter provides a detailed taxonomy of derived causative verbs by analyzing their formation from various parts of speech, distinguishing between non-affixal, affixal, and compound structures in both languages.
Keywords
Derived Causative Verbs, DCV, German, Ukrainian, Word Formation, Causativity, Morphological Productivity, Affixation, Nominal Stems, Verbal Stems, Syntactic Structure, Lexical-Semantic, Contrastive Linguistics, Derivation, Aspect Pairs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research examines the functional and structural characteristics of derived causative verbs (DCV) in both German and Ukrainian, analyzing how these verbs are formed from different parts of speech.
What are the primary themes discussed in the study?
The study covers the classification of causative verbs, the role of stems in word formation, the productivity of specific affixes, and the influence of language-specific semantic and syntactic structures on causative verb development.
What is the central research question?
The paper seeks to identify the common and divergent tendencies in the formation and functioning of derived causative verbs within the linguistic systems of German and Ukrainian.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author uses a comparative analysis based on continuous sampling from dictionary corpora and text analysis, complemented by semantic-syntactic investigation and morphological productivity assessment.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section details the structural types of DCV (non-affixal, affixal, and compound), the motivational relationship between stems and derived verbs, and the statistical productivity of various formation patterns.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include causative verbs, word formation, affixation, comparative linguistics, morphological productivity, and derivational analysis.
How do German and Ukrainian differ regarding compound causative verbs?
Compound causative verbs are observable in German, utilizing adverbs, adjectives, or numerals as the first component, whereas Ukrainian lacks these compound structures due to its reliance on different syntactic construction methods.
What significance do "aspect pairs" hold in the context of Ukrainian DCVs?
In Ukrainian, the definition of causative verbs is influenced by aspectual pairs; researchers must distinguish between simple aspect changes and genuine word-forming causative derivations to correctly categorize DCV units.
- Quote paper
- Prof. Dr. Inna Stupak (Author), 2016, Word Formation of Derived Causative Verbs in German and in Ukrainian, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/347114
