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Is there any productive diminutive marking on the noun (exclude marking by system of nominal classification only)?
Summary
Diminutive marking encodes smaller size. This marker must be phonologically bound to the noun. The marker may also encode other meanings but needs to minimally encode smaller size. Reduplication and stem changes count. This needs to be a productive pattern.
Procedure
- Code 1 if there is a phonologically bound morpheme on nouns that denotes small size that is not also a noun class marker.
- Code 0 if the only diminutive marker(s) is/are phonologically free.
- Code ? if the source is not comprehensive and may have missed a bound diminutive marker.
Examples
Nend (ISO 639-3: anh, Glottolog: nend1239)
Nend is coded 1. Diminutives are marked by reduplication (Harris 1990:135).
a. iliv ‘bow’ iliv iliv ‘toy bow’
b. olam ‘house’ olam olam ‘shelter/blind’
c. alaz ‘flying fox’ alaz alaz ‘small bat’
(Harris 1990: 135)
Ainu (ISO 639-3: ain, Glottolog: ainu1240)
Ainu is coded 1. The diminutive marker -po attaches to words referring to small or trifling things. It may also express a nuance of affection or familiarity (Tamura 2000: 221).
cep-po
fish-DIM
‘small fish’ (Tamura 2000: 221)
Awa-Cuaiquer (ISO 639-3: kwi, Glottolog: awac1239)
Coded 0. Diminutive meaning in Awa-Cuaiquer is expressed by means of the word for ‘child’ (Curnow 1997: 89).
Further reading
Nieuwenhuis, Paul. 1985. Diminutives. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh. (Doctoral Dissertation.)
References
Curnow, Timothy. 1997. A grammar of Awa Pit (Cuaiquier): An indigenous language of south-western Colombia. Canberra: Australian National University. (Doctoral dissertation.)
Harris, Kyle. 1990. Nend grammar essentials. In John R. Roberts (ed.), Two grammatical studies, 73–156. Ukarumpa: Ukarumpa: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Tamura, Suzuko. 2000. The Ainu language. (ICHEL Linguistic Studies, 2.) Tokyo: Sanseido.
Related Features
- GB188 Is there any productive augmentative marking on the noun (exclude marking by system of nominal classification only)?
- GB315 Can diminutive meaning be expressed productively by a shift of gender/noun class?
Patron
Jay Latarche and Jeremy Collins