Derivational compounds or pseudo-compounds are all subordinative and fall into two groups according to the type of variable phrases that serve as their bases and the derivational means used:
a) derivational compound adjectives formed with the help of the highly-productive adjectival suffix –ed applied to bases built on attributive phrases of the A + N, Num + N, N + N type, e. g. long legs, three corners, doll face. Accordingly the derivational adjectives under discussion are built after the patterns [ (a + n ) + –ed], e. g. long-legged, flat-chested, broad-minded; [ ( пит + n) + –ed], e. g. two-sided, three-cornered; [ (n + n ) + –ed], e. g. doll-faced, heart-shaped.
b) derivational compound nouns formed mainly by conversion applied to bases built on three types of variable phrases — verb-adverb phrase, verbal-nominal and attributive phrases.
The commonest type of phrases that serves as derivational bases for this group of derivational compounds is the V + Adv type of word-groups as in, for instance, a breakdown, a breakthrough, a castaway, a layout. Semantically derivational compound nouns form lexical groups typical of conversion, such as an act or instance of the action, e. g. a holdup — ‘a delay in traffic’' from to hold up — ‘delay, stop by use of force’; a result of the action, e. g. a breakdown — ‘a failure in machinery that causes work to stop’ from to break down — ‘become disabled’; an active agent or recipient of the action, e. g. cast-offs — ‘clothes that he owner will not wear again’ from to cast off — ‘throw away as unwanted’; a show-off — ‘a person who shows off’ from to show off — ‘make a display of one's abilities in order to impress people’. Derivational compounds of this group are spelt generally solidly or with a hyphen and often retain a level stress. Semantically they are motivated by transparent derivative relations with the motivating base built on the so-called phrasal verb and are typical of the colloquial layer of vocabulary. This type of derivational compound nouns is highly productive due to the productivity of conversion.
The semantic subgroup of derivational compound nouns denoting agents calls for special mention. There is a group of such substantives built on an attributive and verbal-nominal type of phrases. These nouns are semantically only partially motivated and are marked by a heavy emotive charge or lack of motivation and often belong to terms as, for example, a kill-joy, a wet-blanket — ‘one who kills enjoyment’; a turnkey — ‘keeper of the keys in prison’; a sweet-tooth — ‘a person who likes sweet food’; a red-breast — ‘a bird called the robin’. The analysis of these nouns easily proves that they can only be understood as the result of conversion for their second ICs cannot be understood as their structural or semantic centres, these compounds belong to a grammatical and lexical groups different from those their components do. These compounds are all animate nouns whereas their second ICs belong to inanimate objects. The meaning of the active agent is not found in either of the components but is imparted as a result of conversion applied to the word-group which is thus turned into a derivational base.
These compound nouns are often referred to in linguistic literature as "bahuvrihi" compounds or exocentric compounds, i.e. words whose semantic head is outside the combination. It seems more correct to refer them to the same group of derivational or pseudo-compounds as the above cited groups.
This small group of derivational nouns is of a restricted productivity, its heavy constraint lies in its idiomaticity and hence its stylistic and emotive colouring.
The linguistic analysis of extensive language data proves that there exists a regular correlation between the system of free phrases and all types of subordinative (and additive) compounds[26]. Correlation embraces both the structure and the meaning of compound words, it underlies the entire system of productive present-day English composition conditioning the derivational patterns and lexical types of compounds.
[1] Randolph Quirk, Ian Svortik. Investigating Linguistic Acceptability. Walter de Gruyter. Inc., 1966. P. 127-128.
[2] Robins, R. H. A short history of linguistics. London: Longmans, 1967. P. 183.
[3] Henry Sweet, History of Language. Folcroft Library Editions,1876. P. 471.
[4] Zellig S. Harris, Structural Linguistics. University of Chicago Press, 1951. P. 255.
[5] Leonard Bloomfield, Language. New York, 1933
[6] Noam Avram Chomsky, Syntactic Structures. Berlin, 1957.
[7] Ibidem, p. 15.
[8] Ibidem, p. 4.
[9] Ibidem, p. 11.
[10] Ibidem, p. 10.
[11] Jukka Pennanen, Aspects of Finnish Grammar. Pohjoinen, 1972. P. 293.
[12] K. Zimmer, Levels of Linguistic Description. Chicago, 1964. P. 18.
[13] A. Ross Eckler’s letters to Daria Abrossimova, 2001.
[14] Kucera, H. & Francis, W. N. Computational analysis of present-day American English. University Press of New England, 1967.
[15] Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language. Random House Value Pub. 1996.
[16] A. Ross Eckler’s letters to Daria Abrossimova, 2001.
[17] Dmitri Borgmann. Beyond Language. Charles Scribner’s Sons. 1965.
[18] The Times Atlas of the World. Times Books. 1994.
[19] Rand McNally Commercial Atlas and Marketing Guide. Rand McNally & Co. 2000.
[20] Prof. Smirnitsky calls them “potential words” in his book on English Lexicology (p. 18).
[21] Ginzburg R. A Course in Modern English Lexicology. Moscow, 1979. P. 113.
[22] Ibidem. P. 114-115.
[23] Marchand H. Studies in Syntax and Word-Formation. Munich, 1974.
[24] Ginzburg R. A Course in Modern English Lexicology. Moscow, 1979. P. 115.
[25] The spelling is given according to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1956 and H.C. Wyld. The Universal English Dictionary, 1952.
[26] Prof. A. I. Smirnitsky as far back as the late forties pointed out the rigid parallelism existing between free word-groups and derivational compound adjectives which he termed “grammatical compounds”.