STEM EXTENDERS

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 434.

In the last chapter we saw that languages sometimes have word-building elements that are devoid of content. Such empty formatives are often referred to, somewhat inappropriately, as empty morphs.

In English empty formatives are interposed between the root, base or stem and an affix. For instance, while the irregular plural allomorph -en is attached directly to the stem oxto form ox-en,in the formationof chil-r-nenand breth-r-en it can only be added after the stem has been extended by attaching -r-to child-and breth-.Hence, the name stem extenderfor this type of formative.

The use of stem extenders may not be entirely arbitrary. There may be a good historical reason for the use of particular stem extenders before certain affixes. To some extent, current word-formation rules reflect the history of the language.

The history of stem extender -r-is instructive. A small number of nouns in Old English formed their plural by adding –er.The word “child” was cild in the singular and cilderin the plural (a form that has survived in some conservative North of England dialects, and is spelled childer). But later, -en was added as an additional plural ending. Eventually -er lost its value as a marker of plural and it simply became a stem extender:

SingularPluralNew SingularPlural

Cild “child” cild-er cilder cilder-en