Competition in Word-Formation

Book excerpt: This volume focuses on a number of interrelated issues in the theorizing and interpretation of morphological rivalry, including the differences between a semasiological and an onomasiological approach to competition phenomena in word-formation, the scope of such phenomena (micro-level rivalry between individual affixes, as well as macro-level competition between different processes), the different sources of competition, and the possible resolutions of competitive situations. An overview of existing research in the field is provided, as well as new, cutting-edge findings and proposals for analytical innovation. Linguistic data are drawn from European and Asian languages, and morphologists, semanticists, and anyone interested in the dynamics of language will be stimulated by the analytical models and explanations offered in the 11 chapters.