Analogy and contrast at the morphology-syntax interface: A case study of new Russian [N[N]] compounds

Abstract

This chapter brings together the issues of analogy and contrast through a perspective of linguistic borrowing. We analyze the integration of new [N[N]] compounds, borrowed from English into Russian (e.g. top-igrok ‘top player’). By discussing two corpus studies and two small experiments, we show that Russian new [N[N]] compounds reflect both “levelling” and “extension”. There are at least three factors that can block “leveling”: statistical preemption, which is overridden by pragmatic factors; multiplicity of competing alternatives, when several suffixes could be added to the stem to form a relational adjective; and semantics that leads to a split between the two forms. Compound modifiers seem to represent terms and official titles, whereas adjective phrases become qualitative, where possible, or pragmatic.