Poutsma をパラパラめくっていると，興味深い単語一覧がたくさん見つかる．例えば，形容詞から名詞に品詞転換 (conversion) した主要語リストがおもしろい (Chapter XXIX, 1--3; pp. 368--76) ．まず，そのリストの前書き部分を引用しよう．

A large group is made up by such as end in certain suffixes belonging to the foreign element of the language. Some of these seem to be (still) more or less unusual in their changed functions. In the following illustrations they are marked by † . . . . The suffixes referred to above are chiefly: a b l e, al, an, a n t, a r, a r y, a t e, end, e n t, (i) a l, (i) a n, ien, ible, i c, ile, ine, ior, ist, ite, i v e, ut, among which especially those printed in paced type afford many instances. (368)

　特定の接尾辞をもつものが多いことは，以下のリストの具体例を眺めるとよく分かるだろう（ただし，Poutsma は1914年の著書であることに注意）．

adulterant
aggressive
alien
annual
astringent
barbarian
captive
casual
ceremonial
classic
cleric
clerical
confidant
consumptive
constituent
contemporary
cordial
corrective
†degenerate
dependant
†detrimental
dissuasives
domestic
†eccentric
ecclesiastic
†electric
†effeminate
elastic
†epileptic
†exclusive
†expectant
†exquisite
†extravagant
familiar
fanatic
†fashionable
†flippant
†fundamental
gallants
†human
illiterate
†imaginative
imbecile
immortal
†incapable
†incidental
†incompetent
†inconstant
incurable
†indifferent
†inevitable
†infuriate
innocent
†inseparable
†insolent
†insolvent
†intellectual
†intermittent
intimate
†irreconcilable
†irrepressible
juvenile
†legitimate
lenitive
mandatory
mercenary
†miserable
†militant
moderate
mortal
†national
native
†natural
necessary
negative
†neutral
†notable
†obstructive
ordinary
orient
oriental
original
particular
peculiar
†pragmatic
†persuasive
†pertinent
†politic
†political
preliminary
private
proficient
progressive
reactionary
†regular
†religious
requisite
reverend
revolutionary
rigid
†romantic
†royal
†solitary
specific
stimulant
†ultimate
†undesirable
unfortunate
unseizable
†unusual
vegetable
visitant
voluntary
voluptuary
†vulgar

　形容詞から品詞転換した名詞の意味論が気になってきた．もとの形容詞の意味論的特徴も影響してくるだろうし，接尾辞そのものの性質も関与してくるだろう．

　・ Poutsma, H. A Grammar of Late Modern English. Part II, The Parts of Speech, 1A. Groningen, P. Noordhoff, 1914.

[ ツイート | 固定リンク | 印刷用ページ ]