Difference between revisions of "Deverbal nominalization"

From Sereer wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
m
Line 23: Line 23:
 
|}
 
|}
   
Agents nominalized in this way will almost always fall into the ''ox/w'' class, resulting in consonant mutation on the initial consonant of the reduplicant. Alternate forms indicate that the stem is susceptible to overapplication of the consonant mutation process, although this is dispreferred: ''?opaa'''p'''aañ'' 'clamdigger'.
+
Agents nominalized in this way will almost always fall into the ''ox/w'' class, resulting in [[Phonological Alternations#Standard nominal mutation|standard nominal mutation]] on the initial consonant of the reduplicant. Alternate forms indicate that the stem is susceptible to overapplication of the consonant mutation process, although this is dispreferred: ''?opaa'''p'''aañ'' 'clamdigger'.
   
 
It is possible to give a reduplicated agent noun an inanimate referent:
 
It is possible to give a reduplicated agent noun an inanimate referent:

Revision as of 20:25, 13 December 2012

There are multiple clear deverbal nominalization processes attested in Sereer. Two of these processes - deverbal agentive nominalization and eventive nominalization - appear to be entirely productive and can apply to any verb, although this is presumably constrained by semantics to some extent.

Deverbal agentive nouns

Agent nominalization occurs through a completely productive reduplication process whereby the body of the first syllable of the verb stem is reduplicated, and the vowel is lengthened if it was not already long.

Verb Gloss Verb Noun Gloss Agent Noun
refuse fañ naysayer opaafañ
gather clams faañ clamdigger opaafaañ
work jal worker ocaajal
read, study jang student ocaajang
steal guuɗ thief okuuguuɗ
cultivate xox farmer oqooxox

Agents nominalized in this way will almost always fall into the ox/w class, resulting in standard nominal mutation on the initial consonant of the reduplicant. Alternate forms indicate that the stem is susceptible to overapplication of the consonant mutation process, although this is dispreferred: ?opaapaañ 'clamdigger'.

It is possible to give a reduplicated agent noun an inanimate referent:

ambeel a-refa o-mee-meleƈ
(lake 3RD-COP ox-NOM-sparkle)
‘The lake is a sparkler.’

This construction carries an anthropomorphic sense. Some verbs can undergo this nominalization process with a non-human agent; these nouns are lexically determined. Nonhuman agent nominalizations occur in the n/k noun class, rather than the human ox/w class.

Verb Gloss Verb Noun Gloss Agent Noun Determiner
fly yet flying person
insect
oyeeyet
yeeyet
oxe
ne

Eventive nouns

Any verb may become an instantial or eventive noun with the addition of the prefix a-. The initial consonant of the verb stem undergoes standard nominal mutation if applicable. The resulting noun is invariably in the al/ak noun class.

verb meaning noun meaning
ret go atet trip, instance of going
fañ refuse apañ refusal
tos gather manure atos pile of manure
piis draw a line apiis line
weʄ swim abeʄ a swim, swimming
gim sing akim song

Instrumental nouns

Some verbs become instrumental nouns with the application of the verb mutation process on the initial consonant of the verb stem, if possible. The resulting noun is invariably in the n/k noun class.

verb meaning noun meaning
ruus shave nduus shaving knife
rabid pay ndabid payment
jaw cook njaw process of cooking
cit give cit gift