Possessive /  bahuvrīhi compounds in German: An analysis based on comparable compounds in Modern Greek

This paper deals with structural properties of German possessive compounds. Based on a comparison with compounds in Modern Greek, I argue against a general approach based exclusively on semantic criteria. Instead I distinguish between exocentric and endocentric formations in German, on the basis of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Languages in contrast 2015-01, Vol.15 (1), p.81-101
Main Author: Koliopoulou, Maria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
German language
Greek language
Metonymy
Possession
Semantics
Suffixes
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:This paper deals with structural properties of German possessive compounds. Based on a comparison with compounds in Modern Greek, I argue against a general approach based exclusively on semantic criteria. Instead I distinguish between exocentric and endocentric formations in German, on the basis of specific structural criteria. In particular, I propose that compounds like Dickkopf ‘pigheaded person’ — also called bahuvrīhi or exocentric formations — are to be analysed as endocentric, right-headed compounds with a metonymical meaning. Furthermore, I propose that structures like Vierfüßer ‘quadruped’ and heißblütig ‘warm-blooded/hot-tempered’ are the real bahuvrīhi compounds in German, i.e. exocentric structures with a possessive meaning, headed by the derivational suffixes, - er or - ig .
ISSN:1387-6759
1569-9897
DOI:10.1075/lic.15.1.05kol