The evolution of noun incorporation

Against split morphology

“…This ties in with the observation that, generally, nouns in the non-head position of compounds do not have referential value, i.e. they do not introduce discourse referents but function as modifiers (Mithun 1984, Denny 1989, Olsen 1992.…”

Less form – more meaning: Why bare singular nouns are special

“…As pointed out by Mithun (1984, 1986), Dayal (1999 and others, incorporation constructions are frequently associated with idiomatic meanings, so that the referent of the bare noun N is involved in the activity of V in a way that is customary or appropriate for N. Notice the following contrast in Dutch:…”

“…The view that incorporated objects are non-referential goes back to Mithun (1984 which the introduction of a discourse referent is not required. We adopt this view here and suggest that it extends to the other constructions involving bare nominals.…”

Linguistic differences and language design

“…All three must be expressed in both languages. The observation that a noun incorporated into a compound can only express the object is also valid for both languages: English has the compound form gift-giving, but baby-giving could only have the unlikely meaning that people give away their babies [10,11]. The one difference is an easily-stated parameter that governs how participants are expressed in each language.…”