Valency

What is valency
Verb valency or valence refers to the
number of arguments controlled by a verbal
predicate
Valency refers to the capacity of a verb to
take a specific number and type of
arguments.

TYPES OF VALENCY
VALENCY ZERO
VALENCY ONE

VALENCY TWO
VALENCY THREE

Valency zero
Example: IT IS SNOWING
Subject => it
Verb => snow
Subject does not correspond to anything in
the underlying proposition.
We say that snow is a zero-argument verb.
Other example
Its raining.

Valency one
Example: MY BROTHER SNORES
Subject => my brother
Verb => snores
This sentence has a subject but no object
They are intransitive verbs or, one-argument
predicate
Other example
The dog is sleeping

Valency TWO
Example: CHRIS IS MAKING AN OMOLET

Subject => Chris

Verb => make
Object => an omelet
Most verbs take a subject and an object, they
are two arguments predicates.
Other example
The cat killed a rat

SEMATICS OF MORPHOLOGICAL
RELATIONS

Formal Processes of
Derivation
Addition : some lexemes are formed by combining
morphemes, ex : armchair, busybody
Mutation :change of vowel, change of consonant, or
both and by change of stress. Ex: proud -> pride,
believe -> belief, choose -> choice, insult -> inslt

Formal Processes of
Derivation
Conversion or zero change : the simple change of a
word of one class to another with no formal
alliteration. Ex: clean, dry, equal (adjective, also verb)
Subtraction (or reduction) : by removing parts of
certain lexemes new lexemes are formed (acronym
and clipping)

Semantic Processes in
Derivation
Nouns represent entities ; verb represents
activities ; adjective represents qualities or
characteristic.
When a verb converted to a noun, the
noun may refer to concrete entity a
person, object or place associated with
what the verb signifies.

Semantic Processes in
Derivation
When a verb is derived from a noun, an
entity becomes a predicate an entity or
status-losing its quantifiable nature but
becoming part of a tense aspect system
A noun or verb converted to an adjective
gives a word that names a quality
associated with some entity.

1. Verbs formed form nouns

Roger painted the wall -> put paint on the wall
Susan peeled an apple -> remove the peel from
an apple

Were bottling wine -> putting wine in bottle

2. Verbs from Adjectives

Causative
ex : Ella dried the dishes -> Ella caused the
dishes to be dry.
Inchoative
ex: The towels dried -> The towels become
dry.

3. Verbs from verbs

Repetitive ( prefix re- )
ex: re-write, re-capture, re-tell
Reversive ( undoing prefix, namely un,de- or dis-)
ex: fold unfold, lock unlock
Privative (remove or detach N)
ex: arm disarm, cover uncover , load
unload

4. Adjectives derived from

verbs
Active subjective (-ing) ex: amusing,
charming, interesting
ex: this book is boring (to me)
Passive objective (-ed, -en) ex: amused,
broken, interested
ex: I am bored (with / by this book)

5. Adjectives derived from

nouns
The adjective means like N, ex: childish > like a child
The adjective means having (some
quantity of) N, affected by N, displaying
N, ex: muddy -> having mud
Some adjectives mean leading to N, likely
to produce N ex: healthful -> leading to
(good) health.

6. Adjectives derived from

adjectives

Negative -> has a prefix to indicate the

negative or change the suffix ful, -less.
Ex: unfinished, uneasy, painless, etc

7. Nouns derived from verbs

Action nouns, ex: the bus arrived promptly
the prompt arrival of the bus
Effect nouns, ex: George replied to our letter
Georges reply to our letter
Agent/ instrument nouns, ex: Harry drives
Harry is a driver
Affected nouns, ex: somebody employs
Harry Harry is employee
Place nouns, ex: the ship anchor here this is
an anchorage

8. Nouns derived from

adjectives
Abstract nouns -> a way of treating the
quality as a thing, ex: depth, warmth,
width, kindness, literacy
Characterized nouns -> places
characterized by what the adjective
represents, ex: absentee, rapids, shallows

9. Nouns derived from nouns

Place nouns -> where the basic noun is to
be found, ex: fishery, hermitage,
orphanage
Person nouns -> labels for humans
associated with whatever the basic noun
signifies, ex: mountaineer, islander, New
Yorker.