Non-prototypicality by (discontinuous) reduplication: The N-non-N construction in Italian

This paper contributes to the research on the morphological expression of approximation by analysing the discontinuous reduplication pattern N-non-N in Italian, giving rise to complex nominals (e.g. sapone non sapone lit. soap neg soap ‘non-soap/soap-free cleanser’). The analysis is based on a datas...

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Main Authors: Francesca Masini, Jacopo Di Donato
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Universitätsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main 2023-04-01
Series:Zeitschrift für Wortbildung
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author Francesca Masini
Jacopo Di Donato
author_facet Francesca Masini
Jacopo Di Donato
author_sort Francesca Masini
collection DOAJ
description This paper contributes to the research on the morphological expression of approximation by analysing the discontinuous reduplication pattern N-non-N in Italian, giving rise to complex nominals (e.g. sapone non sapone lit. soap neg soap ‘non-soap/soap-free cleanser’). The analysis is based on a dataset of 4609 tokens and 692 types extracted from corpora and annotated for orthographical, phonological and categorical parameters. Given its unpredictable formal and semantic properties, N-non-N is analysed as a semi-schematic and productive construction, which is hypothesized to have emerged microdiachronically from the entrenchment and reanalysis of the expression tessuto non tessuto ‘nonwoven fabric’. We claim that the N-non-N construction bears a general function of ‘non-prototypicality’ and produces expressions with complex and specific meanings that are generated in context, by deviating from the ‘prototypical’ N concept in various ways. Despite its productivity, very few N-non-N expressions are conventionalised, making this device similar to other approximative strategies and to evaluative morphology in general.
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publisher Universitätsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
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spelling doaj-art-45408debaeaa4d2e9d1ec644b2d668f42025-08-20T03:21:01ZdeuUniversitätsbibliothek Frankfurt am MainZeitschrift für Wortbildung2367-38772023-04-0171130155https://doi.org/10.21248/zwjw.2023.1.94Non-prototypicality by (discontinuous) reduplication: The N-non-N construction in ItalianFrancesca Masini0Jacopo Di Donato1Alma Mater Studiorum – University of BolognaAlma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna AlumnusThis paper contributes to the research on the morphological expression of approximation by analysing the discontinuous reduplication pattern N-non-N in Italian, giving rise to complex nominals (e.g. sapone non sapone lit. soap neg soap ‘non-soap/soap-free cleanser’). The analysis is based on a dataset of 4609 tokens and 692 types extracted from corpora and annotated for orthographical, phonological and categorical parameters. Given its unpredictable formal and semantic properties, N-non-N is analysed as a semi-schematic and productive construction, which is hypothesized to have emerged microdiachronically from the entrenchment and reanalysis of the expression tessuto non tessuto ‘nonwoven fabric’. We claim that the N-non-N construction bears a general function of ‘non-prototypicality’ and produces expressions with complex and specific meanings that are generated in context, by deviating from the ‘prototypical’ N concept in various ways. Despite its productivity, very few N-non-N expressions are conventionalised, making this device similar to other approximative strategies and to evaluative morphology in general.evaluative morphologyapproximationnon-prototypicalitydiscontinous reduplicationnegationconstruction morphologyitalian
spellingShingle Francesca Masini
Jacopo Di Donato
Non-prototypicality by (discontinuous) reduplication: The N-non-N construction in Italian
Zeitschrift für Wortbildung
evaluative morphology
approximation
non-prototypicality
discontinous reduplication
negation
construction morphology
italian
title Non-prototypicality by (discontinuous) reduplication: The N-non-N construction in Italian
title_full Non-prototypicality by (discontinuous) reduplication: The N-non-N construction in Italian
title_fullStr Non-prototypicality by (discontinuous) reduplication: The N-non-N construction in Italian
title_full_unstemmed Non-prototypicality by (discontinuous) reduplication: The N-non-N construction in Italian
title_short Non-prototypicality by (discontinuous) reduplication: The N-non-N construction in Italian
title_sort non prototypicality by discontinuous reduplication the n non n construction in italian
topic evaluative morphology
approximation
non-prototypicality
discontinous reduplication
negation
construction morphology
italian
work_keys_str_mv AT francescamasini nonprototypicalitybydiscontinuousreduplicationthennonnconstructioninitalian
AT jacopodidonato nonprototypicalitybydiscontinuousreduplicationthennonnconstructioninitalian