The lexicalization of complex constructions: an analysis of adjective-noun combinations

• Κύριοι συγγραφείς: Schlechtweg, Marcel, Härtl, Holden
• Μορφή: Online
• Γλώσσα: English
• Έκδοση: Mediterranean Morphology Meetings (MMM) 2016
• Θέματα: 0; suspended affixation; Lexical Integrity Hypothesis; derivational suffixes; coordination; constructed words; L2 Greek; prefix; conceptual salience; consistency judgement; roots; Hebrew; Spanish; cross-linguistic; diminutives; verbs; French; Modern Greek; motion events; typological change; Latin linguistics; sytem; usage; reciprocals; reflexives; templates; Hebrew; collective and distributive; root; features; morphology; periphrasis; compound formation; morphological productivity; productivity measures; corpus-based statistical methods; lexical integrity; autonomous morphology; base types; sign language; two-handed signs; motivation in phonology; duality of patterning; lexicalization; memorization; adjective-noun combinations; compounding; Italian; overabundance; number inflection

The current paper discusses the lexicalization of complex constructions composed of an adjective and a noun. It is argued that compounds/compound-like constructions are more prone to become lexicalized than phrases/phrase-like constructions. The relationship between lexicalization and the cognitive process of memorization represents a key point of our analysis. We report evidence from psycholinguistic studies contrasting compounds/compound-like constructions to phrases/phrase-like constructions either within a single language or across different languages. The results suggest that the former type of constructions show a memorization advantage in comparison to the latter type. These findings support the idea that the two construction types fundamentally differ with regard to their lexicalization.