Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 16:31:44 -0600
From: Tom Head tlh[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NETDOOR.COM
Subject: Re: arbitrariness of derivational morphology

On Wed, 18 Mar 1998, RonButters wrote:

"Why can't CONTEMPT be made into a verb in English?" asked my Turkish
student.
"And why can't DESPISE be made into a noun?" English is so very flexible when
it comes to interchanging categories--with and without derivational
morphology--one wonders why we can't say, "*David feels the sailor's
despise/despisation for him" or "*Giovanni contempts/contemptates Jacques."

Any answers--other than the usual language-is-arbitrary response?

There's no reason why it can't. I think that "despise" as a noun may be a
little too awkward for my tastes, but "contempt" as a verb seems profound
and very useful. I may very well use it in this manner myself now that I
have read your post, when I am not writing formal papers (which I
contempt).


Peace be with you,

Tom Head
tlh[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]netdoor.com
http://www2.netdoor.com/~tlh

"This is the exalted melancholy of our fate, that every 'Thou' in
our world must become an 'It'."
-- Martin Buber