Remarks on the pejorative suffix: testing the speaker’s intuition towards a phase theory in words

Abstract

We seek to investigate the relationship between the semantic and syntactic factors by focusing on the formation of derivational names by suffix derivation, reflecting on bases, affixes, products, and the relationships established between them. Following the theoretical model of Distributed Morphology (Cf. HALLE; MARANTZ, 1993; MARANTZ, 1997), we propose an investigation and description of the syntactic-semantic interface (Cf. MINUSSI; NÓBREGA, 2014) in which the pejorative formations can be inserted. Based on Frota (1985) and Sandmann (1989), we initially determined which suffixes were to be studied and also based on the phase theory in words (MARANTZ, 2001; ARAD, 2003) we selected our data. That consists of 306 words, through oral and written texts, collected in the most diverse media and having as fundamental concept the speaker’s intuition. We perform tests to verify the pejorativeness of the bases, resulting formations and suffixes. The analysis of the respective data resulted in the creation of a pejorativity’s scale. Thus, among the objectives achieved in the work are: a) contribute to a research methodology regarding pejorativity, b) investigate the semantic contribution of the suffix to the interpretation of pejorativity, c) progress in the development of studies on pejoratives word formation and d) perform an analysis of pejorativity in the light of phase theory.

---

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22409/gragoata.2018n46a1131