On an Integral Theory of Word Formation in Chinese and Beyond

doi:10.1017/9781108329019.011

9 - On an Integral Theory of Word Formation in Chinese and Beyond

from Part Two - Morpho-lexical Issues in Chinese

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2022

Edited by

I-Hsuan Chen and

Chu-Ren Huang: Affiliation:
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Yen-Hwei Lin: Affiliation:
Michigan State University
I-Hsuan Chen: Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
Yu-Yin Hsu: Affiliation:
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

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Summary

After critically reviewing the conflicting theories of word-formation, the integral model in Li 2005 is presented which is shown not only to make a minimal number of postulations but also to cover a wide range of cross-linguistic facts: morphological causativization in Bantu and Semitic, compounding in Chinese and English, the resultative constructions in Chinese, and noun-incorporation in Amerindian. Underlying this chapter is the long-lasting debate in this part of linguistic theorization as well as the methodological implications of the integral solution.

Keywords

word formation lexicalism Uniformity of Theta-Assignment Hypothesis Morphology–Syntax Mapping Hypothesis

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Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Handbook of Chinese Linguistics , pp. 174 - 197

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108329019.011 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2022

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