Denominal verb

In grammar, denominal verbs are verbs derived from nouns.^[1] Many languages have regular morphological indicators to create denominal verbs.

English

English examples are to school, from school, meaning to instruct; to shelve, from shelf, meaning to put on shelves; and to symbolize, from symbol, meaning to be a symbol for.

Some common denominalizing affixes in English are -ize/-ise (e.g., summarize), -ify (e.g., classify), -ate (e.g., granulate), en- (e.g., enslave), be- (e.g., behead), and zero or -∅ (e.g., school).^[2]

A variety of semantic relations are expressed between the base noun X and the derived verb. Although there is no simple relationship between the affix and the semantic relation,^[2] there are semantic regularities that can define certain subclasses. ^[3] Such subclasses include:^[1][4][5]

• resultative: to make something into an X, e.g., victimize, cash
• locative: to put something in X, e.g., box, hospitalize
• instrumental: to use X, e.g., sponge, hammer
• ablative: to remove something from X, e.g., deplane, unsaddle
• privative: to remove X from something, e.g., pit (olives), behead, bone, defrost
• ornative: to add X to something or to cover something with X, e.g., rubberize, salt
• similative: to act like or resemble X, e.g., tyrannize, guard
• performative: to do or perform X, e.g., botanize, tango

Rgyalrong

In Rgyalrong languages, denominal derivations are extremely developed and have given rise to incorporating and antipassive constructions.^[6][7]

Latin

Many Latin verbs are denominal.^[8] For example, the first conjugation verb nominare (to name) is derived from nomen (a name),^[8] and the fourth conjugation verb mollire (to soften) derives from the adjective mollis (soft).^[9]

Hebrew

Denominal verb derivation is highly productive in Hebrew. They are derived from denominal roots and mostly get a set of pi'el, pu'al and hitpa'el binyans, but can accept others as well. Only active pi'el binyan is shown here:

• מַחְשֵׁב (makhshev - computer) -> מִחְשֵׁב (mikhshev - computerize);
• סִפְרָתִי/סִפְרָה (sifra/sifrati - digit/digital) -> סִפְרֵת (sifret - digitize);
• תַּמְצִית (tamtzit - extract, summary) -> תִּמְצֵת (timtzet - summarize);
• מַפָּה (mapa - map) -> מַפָּה (mipa - map).

Some roots derive verbs from more than one binyan set:

• מָקוֹם (makom - place) -> מִקֵּם (mikem - place, locate), הִמְקִים (himkim - localize).

See also

• Deverbal noun, where the noun is formed from the verb.

References

1. Clark, Eve V.; Clark, Herbert H. (December 1979). "When Nouns Surface as Verbs". Language. 55 (4): 767–811. doi:10.2307/412745. JSTOR 412745.
2. Carolyn A. Gottfurcht, Denominal Verb Formation in English, Ph.D. dissertation, Northwestern University, 2008 full text
3. Rimell, Laura D. (2012). Nominal Roots as Event Predicates in English Denominal Conversion Verbs.
4. Kastovsky, Dieter (1973). "Causatives". Foundations of Language. 10 (2): 255–315. ISSN 0015-900X. JSTOR 25000716.
5. Plag, Ingo (1999). Morphological Productivity: Structural Constraints in English Derivation. De Gruyter Mouton. doi:10.1515/9783110802863. ISBN 978-3-11-080286-3. S2CID 260644701.
6. Jacques, Guillaume (2012). "From denominal derivation to incorporation". Lingua. 122 (11): 1207–1231. doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2012.05.010. ISSN 0024-3841.
7. Jacques, Guillaume (2014). "Denominal affixes as sources of antipassive markers in Japhug Rgyalrong". Lingua. 138: 1–22. doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2013.09.011. ISSN 0024-3841.
8. Moreland, Floyd L.; Fleischer, Rita M. (1990). Latin: An Intensive Course. London, England: University of California Press. p. 29. ISBN 0520031830.
9. Fortson, Benjamin W. IV (2004). "13.13". Indo-European Languages and Culture. Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-0315-2.