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تسجيل

Locus nominalizations

المؤلف:  R.M.W. Dixon

المصدر:  A Semantic approach to English grammar

الجزء والصفحة:  332-10

2023-04-11

1748

Locus nominalizations

There are three kinds of nominalization relating to the locus of the underlying verb, Locus-nom.

(i) Several verbs from the REST-b subtype form a nominalization such that ‘X Verb at/on Y’ implies ‘X’s Locus-nom is (at/on) Y’. Residence was illustrated in (2); there is also encampment and settlement:

 

(ii) A number of verbs from the MOTION-b and MOTION-d subtypes form nominalizations such that ‘X Verb the Y’ can imply ‘X is on/in the Locus-nom to/of the Y’. These include

 

(iii) A number of verbs from the REST-c, REST-d and REST-e subtypes form a nominalization for which ‘X Verb the Y’ implies ‘The Y is in/on the/ a Locus-nom’. For example:

 

Other verbs in this set include land, ground and shelve.

All of the Locus-nom’s of type (iii)—except for enclose/enclosure—involve a zero derivation. Each of these forms originally entered the language as a noun, the same form being used as verb at a later stage. Diachronically we have a process of verbalization; nevertheless, within a synchronic grammar of modern English, it is useful to regard these as Locus-nom’s. The three Locus-nom’s of type (i) involve the addition of -ence and -ment, while for type (ii) we have enter/entrance but the same form for others—approach, track (and exit).

 

In type (i) there is possessive relation between the underlying S argument of the verb and the Locus-nom, as in John’s residence. For type (ii), it is just possible to have the erstwhile O as possessor, as in the hall’s entrance (an alternative to the entrance of/to the hall). No relation of possession pertains to type (iii).

 

Some of the nominalizations of type (ii) have double function. Besides its Locus-nom sense, entrance can also be a Unit-nom, as in:

 

Approach behaves in a similar way. And besides the Locus-nom track, there is also an Activity-nom tracking, as in [The policeman’s careful tracking of the criminal] earned him a medal.

 

A further type of nominalization relating to a place is included under (f) of Inst-nom’s. It is marked by suffix -er; for example, sleeper.