The problem Peter raises is one aspect of word derivation, or
derivational morphology, how we change a word from one class to another.
Typical methods of doing this are
Prefixation: do > redo; tie > untie (prefixation rarely changes word
class)
Suffixation: code > codify; happy > happiness; procedure > procedural;
prefer > preference
Stress shift: im'port (v.) > 'import (n.); re'ject (v.) > 'reject (n.)
A very important method of word derivation in English is what's called
"functional shift", changing a word from one class to another without
any overt marking. We regularly turn nouns into verbs by this means:
We packed the books in a box. > We boxed the books.
This is such a common phenomenon in English that a grammatical maxim has
been coined: Any noun can be verbed. Your examples with "book" are a
good example of functional shift. Sometimes, however, it's difficult to
tell what the direction of the shift is. With words like "hope",
"wish", and "claim", in the following sentences.
I hope it doesn't rain. <> It is my hope that is doesn't rain. Cf. Hope
never dies.
She's wishing for a vacation in the mountains. <> Her wish for a
vacation in the mountains. Cf. Make a wish.
The defendant claimed that he was out of the country when the crime
occurred. <> The defendant's claim that he was out of the country when
the crime occurred. Cf. Where is the Claims Department?
Whether some of these words have separate lexical entries as nouns and
as verbs depends on questions of usage. If their meanings differ more
than simply by word class, or if there isn't a strong sense that the
word is basically of one class or another, then there are two lexical
entries. So they'd be two words. If there is a clear and productive
derivational relationship between them, then only one entry would be
needed. But the decision is frequently not clear cut.
I described functional shift only in terms of nouns and verbs.
Obviously it applies to nouns and adjectives as well and to other pairs.
Herb
On Oct 7, 2007, at 6:59 PM, Martha Kolln wrote:
I think that one problem with terminology is the term "parts of speech."
(I prefer to discuss "word classes" rather than "parts of speech."
After all, we could also identify prepositional phrases and subjects and
predicates as "parts of speech.") Except for the terms "gerund" and
"participle," the Warriner type of traditional school grammar ignores
the concept of function in its descriptions. For example, a noun that
modifies a noun headword (the garbage can, the college professor, the
computer problem) is labeled an adjective; a noun modifying a verb (I
walked home; He's coming Monday) will be called an adverb.
But considering both form and function, we would describe the noun
modifiers as nouns functioning adjectivally; the verb modifiers as nouns
functioning adverbially. The word class is one thing; its function
another.
How about the word "book" in the following sentence:
We always book our reservations six months in advance of our vacation.
Is this "book" a verb? Or is it a noun functioning as a verb? Is its
form class noun, but its function verb? It can take an -ed inflection
(booked), so is it a verb? But it can take a plural (books) and a
possessive (the book's cover), so is it a noun? Or are there two
different words a noun "book" and a verb "book" that just happen to be
spelled and pronounced identically? And, of course, there are lots of
these words that are usually nouns but are occasionally used as verbs or
verbs occasionally used as nouns.
Someone please help me understand how this form and function distinction
works for these words.
= To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web
interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select
"Join or leave the list"
Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"
Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/