Adjectives or Verbs? The Case of Deverbal Adjectives in -ED

Among the different ways an adjective can be formed, one of them is the use of the past participle of a verb, as in, for instance: The house was tucked far back from the main road. This process is not a straightforward case of derivation: an ambiguity often remains as to the status of the V-ED form,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jean Albrespit
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 2020-06-01
Series:Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/lexis/4146
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846132416307003392
author Jean Albrespit
author_facet Jean Albrespit
author_sort Jean Albrespit
collection DOAJ
description Among the different ways an adjective can be formed, one of them is the use of the past participle of a verb, as in, for instance: The house was tucked far back from the main road. This process is not a straightforward case of derivation: an ambiguity often remains as to the status of the V-ED form, between adjective and verb, especially with adjectival passives. The aim of this article is to show how verbs can be “stabilised” into adjectives. With excited in they were excited, the stabilisation is complete, whereas with locked in the door was locked, the deriving verb can be reactivated, as in the door was suddenly locked. The parameters surveyed are: the semantics of the verb, agentivity (recoverable or not), prefixing (for instance the prefix be- in bedecked or the negative prefix un- in unchecked), lexicalization (particularly the contribution of the noun in a collocation of the type abandoned child) and, finally, syntax (attributive or predicative position). The conclusion which is reached is that instability is inherent to the use of V-ED adjectives as any variation (the presence of an adverb for example) can change their interpretation. The process of stabilisation is seen as linked to two major parameters: the suppression of the origin of the potential change of state and the backgrounding of agentivity.
format Article
id doaj-art-cd6cdc4cc61041f9bcec79aa4c50dc7a
institution Kabale University
issn 1951-6215
language English
publishDate 2020-06-01
publisher Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3
record_format Article
series Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology
spelling doaj-art-cd6cdc4cc61041f9bcec79aa4c50dc7a2024-12-09T14:52:47ZengUniversité Jean Moulin - Lyon 3Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology1951-62152020-06-011510.4000/lexis.4146Adjectives or Verbs? The Case of Deverbal Adjectives in -EDJean AlbrespitAmong the different ways an adjective can be formed, one of them is the use of the past participle of a verb, as in, for instance: The house was tucked far back from the main road. This process is not a straightforward case of derivation: an ambiguity often remains as to the status of the V-ED form, between adjective and verb, especially with adjectival passives. The aim of this article is to show how verbs can be “stabilised” into adjectives. With excited in they were excited, the stabilisation is complete, whereas with locked in the door was locked, the deriving verb can be reactivated, as in the door was suddenly locked. The parameters surveyed are: the semantics of the verb, agentivity (recoverable or not), prefixing (for instance the prefix be- in bedecked or the negative prefix un- in unchecked), lexicalization (particularly the contribution of the noun in a collocation of the type abandoned child) and, finally, syntax (attributive or predicative position). The conclusion which is reached is that instability is inherent to the use of V-ED adjectives as any variation (the presence of an adverb for example) can change their interpretation. The process of stabilisation is seen as linked to two major parameters: the suppression of the origin of the potential change of state and the backgrounding of agentivity.https://journals.openedition.org/lexis/4146past participleparticipial adjectivesderivationagentivitypassivereferential stabilisation
spellingShingle Jean Albrespit
Adjectives or Verbs? The Case of Deverbal Adjectives in -ED
Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology
past participle
participial adjectives
derivation
agentivity
passive
referential stabilisation
title Adjectives or Verbs? The Case of Deverbal Adjectives in -ED
title_full Adjectives or Verbs? The Case of Deverbal Adjectives in -ED
title_fullStr Adjectives or Verbs? The Case of Deverbal Adjectives in -ED
title_full_unstemmed Adjectives or Verbs? The Case of Deverbal Adjectives in -ED
title_short Adjectives or Verbs? The Case of Deverbal Adjectives in -ED
title_sort adjectives or verbs the case of deverbal adjectives in ed
topic past participle
participial adjectives
derivation
agentivity
passive
referential stabilisation
url https://journals.openedition.org/lexis/4146
work_keys_str_mv AT jeanalbrespit adjectivesorverbsthecaseofdeverbaladjectivesined