On the Semantics of English Coordinate Compounds

Abstract

In the current literature on English compounding, the most common terms to designate those compounds whose internal semantic relation is coordinate (ex.: space-time, bittersweet, stop-go) are dvandva and copulative compound. 1 Several morphologists-e.g. ten Hacken, Plag, and Katamba and Stonham 2-consider that the two terms are synonymous, and they use them indiscriminately. Dvandva is however an ambiguous term as other linguists-e.g. Arnaud and Bauer 3-use it only in the case of heteroreferential coordinate compounding, i.e. for compounds composed of two nouns whose denotata are unfused (ex: dinner dance, tractor-trailer). They do so in accordance with the historical meaning of the term, which was originally used by Sanskrit grammarians to designate heteroreferential coordinate compounds. 4 This ambiguity sometimes leads to confusion, as the following remark by Plag 5 shows: "It is often stated that dvandva compounds are not very common in English (e.g. Bauer 1983:203), but in a more recent study by Olsen (2001) hundreds of attested forms are listed, which shows that such compounds are far from marginal." When using dvandva, Bauer refers to non-embedded heteroreferential compounds (ex.: Alsace-Lorraine), whereas Olsen's corpus contains almost exclusively either homoreferential or embedded heteroreferential compounds (ex.: dancer-singer; patient-doctor [partnership]). The extension of the concept DVANDVA sometimes includes compounds whose elements are not simply juxtaposed. Bauer 6 applies the term to syndetic coordinate compounds (ex.: bubble-and-squeak, milk-and-water), even though he stresses that these compounds differ from true dvandvas because a coordinator is inserted 1 I am grateful to Pierre Arnaud, Nicolas Ballier, Laurie Bauer, and Diana Lewis for helpful comments on earlier versions of this research. Errors are my own.

A study of English blends: From structure to meaning and back again

“…in Downing (1977), Bauer (1983), Benczes (2006) and Renner (2008). In some cases particular semantic properties were used as distinguishing features of blends.…”

The similarities and differences of four neglected lexical categories: English [VerN]N and [VingN]N, and French [NVveur]N and [NVant]N units

“…N is the subject of an implicit verb whose stem serves for derivation by the agentive suffix -eur. Multifunctional coordinative compounds (Renner 2008) with an -eur derivative in the right-hand position, like libraire-éditeur 'bookseller-publisher', chanteur-compositeur 'singer-composer', are bicentric and therefore should not be included in the [NVeur] N class.…”

Repetitions which are not repetitions: the non-redundant nature of tautological compounds

“…9 Nevertheless, Renner's (2008) other examples, teeny-tiny or hustle-bustle, can be considered as synonymous compounds that have been conjoined for most likely an emphatic effect. However, pathway might be simply considered as an analogical formation on the basis of highway (the first mention of which dates back to 859 -OED), i.e.…”