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.Such an analysis would predict that wewould find -ance nominals only if there are corresponding -ant adjectives.This issurely not the case, as evidenced by riddance (*riddant), furtherance (*furtherant), andwe can therefore assume the existence of an independent suffix -ance, in addition to asuffix combination -ant-ce.The distribution of the different variants is not entirely clear, several doubletsare attested, such as dependence, dependency, or expectance, expectancy.Sometimes thedoublets seem to have identical meanings, sometimes slightly different ones.Itappears, however, that forms in -ance/-ence have all been in existence (sic!) for a verylong time, and that -ance/-ence formations are rather interpreted as deverbal, -ancy/-ency formations rather as de-adjectival (Marchand 1969:248f).-antThis suffix forms count nouns referring to persons (often in technical or legaldiscourse, cf.applicant, defendant, disclaimant) or to substances involved in biological,chemical, or physical processes (attractant, dispersant, etchant, suppressant).Most basesare verbs of Latinate origin.-cy/-ceAs already mentioned in connection with the suffix -ancy, this suffix attachesproductively to adjectives in -ant/-ent (e.g.convergence, efficiency, emergence), but alsoto nouns ending in this string, as is the case with agency, presidency, regency.Furthermore, adjectives in -ate are eligible bases (adequacy, animacy, intimacy).Theresulting derivatives can denote states, properties, qualities or facts (convergence can,for example, be paraphrased as  the fact that something converges ), or, by way ofChapter 4: Affixation111metaphorical extension, can refer to an office or institution (e.g.presidency).Again thedistribution of the two variants is not entirely clear, although there is a tendency fornominal bases to take the syllabic variant -cy.-domThe native suffix -dom is semantically closely related to -hood, and -ship, whichexpress similar concepts.-dom attaches to nouns to form nominals which can beparaphrased as  state of being X as in apedom, clerkdom, slumdom, yuppiedom, or whichrefer to collective entities, such as professordom, studentdom, or denote domains,realms or territories as in kingdom, cameldom, maoridom.-eeThe meaning of this suffix can be rather clearly discerned.It derives nouns denotingsentient entities that are involved in an event as non-volitional participants (so-called episodic -ee, see Barker (1998) for a detailed analysis).Thus, employee denotessomeone who is employed, a biographee is someone who is the subject of a biography,and a standee is someone who is forced to stand (on a bus, for example).Due to theconstraint that the referents of -ee derivatives must be sentient, an amputee can onlybe someone who has lost a limb and not the limb that is amputated.As aconsequence of the event-related, episodic semantics, verbal bases are most frequent,but nominal bases are not uncommon (e.g.festschriftee, pickpocketee).Phonologically, -ee can be described as an auto-stressed suffix, i.e.it belongs to the small class ofsuffixes that attract the main stress of the derivative.If base words end in the verbalsuffix -ate the base words are frequently truncated and lose their final rime.Thishappens systematically in those cases where -ee attachment would create identicalonsets in the final syllables, as in, for example, *ampu.ta.tee (cf.truncated amputee),*rehabili.ta.tee (cf.rehabilitee).-eerThis is another person noun forming suffix, whose meaning can be paraphrased as person who deals in, is concerned with, or has to do with X , as evidenced in formssuch as auctioneer, budgeteer, cameleer, mountaineer, pamphleteer.Many words have aChapter 4: Affixation112depreciative tinge.The suffix -eer is autostressed and attaches almost exclusively tobases ending in a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable.-er (and its orthographic variant -or)The suffix -er can be seen as closely related to -ee, as its derivatives frequently signifyentities that are active or volitional participants in an event (e.g.teacher, singer, writeretc.).This is, however, only a sub-class of -er derivatives, and there is a wide range offorms with quite heterogeneous meanings.Apart from performers of actions we findinstrument nouns such as blender, mixer, steamer, toaster, nouns denoting entitiesassociated with an activity such as diner, lounger, trainer, winner (in the sense winning shot ).Furthermore, -er is used to create person nouns indicating place oforigin or residence (e.g.Londoner, New Yorker, Highlander, New Englander).Thisheterogeneity suggests that the semantics of -er should be described as ratherunderspecified, simply meaning something like  person or thing having to do withX.The more specific interpretations of individual formations would then followfrom an interaction of the meanings of base and suffix and further inferences on thebasis of world knowledge.-Er is often described as a deverbal suffix, but there are numerous forms (notonly inhabitant names) that are derived on the basis of nouns (e.g.sealer, whaler,noser, souther), numerals (e.g.fiver, tenner), or even phrases (four-wheeler, fourth-grader).The orthographic variant -or occurs mainly with Latinate bases ending in /s/or /t/, such as conductor, oscillator, compressor.-(e)ryFormations in -(e)ry refer to locations which stand in some kind of connection towhat is denoted by the base.More specific meanings such as  place where a specificactivity is carried out or  place where a specific article or service is available couldbe postulated (cf., for example, bakery, brewery, fishery, pottery or cakery, carwashery,eatery), but examples such as mousery, cannery, rabbitry speak for an underspecifiedmeaning, which is then fleshed out for each derivative on the basis of the meaning ofthe base.Chapter 4: Affixation113In addition to the locations, -(e)ry derivatives can also denote collectivities (asin confectionery, cutlery, machinery, pottery), or activities (as in summitry  having manypolitical summits , crookery  foul deeds ).-essThis suffix derives a comparatively small number of mostly established nounsreferring exclusively to female humans and animals (princess, stewardess, lioness,tigress, waitress).The OED lists only three 20th century coinages (hostess, burgheress,clerkess) [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]