Eckhard Bick - VISL

Phonetic-orthographic compatibility is checked at each derivation element border
(marked #)
Combination rules for prefixes, apart from those mentioned in field 2 and 3,
are few and semantic in nature. Examples are the 'es-' and 'a-' prefixes that demand
causation suffixes, and register conditions for the root lexicon (like 'H' for 'high
register language, not implemented in the present version of the analyser).
Output is what appears in the final analysis string, containing the standard
form of the prefix (derivation class) and - so far unutilised - semantic information on
that prefix, like 'DIM' (diminutive) or 'ANT' (antonym).
Most prefixes modify nominals (5 and 6), usually both adjectives and nouns, though
some ('an-') prefer adjectives and some only attach to nouns ('mini-', 'maxi-', 'vice-').
With the possible exception of 'anti-' (anticristo) , none modifies proper nouns -
unless these have been turned into ordinary nominals first, by '-ista'-suffixation, for
instance. Pre-verbal prefixes (9) are often prepositional ('a-', 'des-', 'com-', 'sobre-',
'trans-'), denoting movement or change. The typical pattern is a circumfix-
construction:
(4)
PRP + adjective/noun + CAUSATIVE
des- sacral -izar
con- firm(e) -ar
Of course, in many cases the causative is already lexicalised in a fixed way, and
makes only etymological sense, like in (7), where a double analysis is found, one
with the prepositional prefix frozen into the stem (the "participle" compacto), one
with the causative suffix incorporated in the root ('pactuar'). In (9), both the
analytical stem (sacral) and the lexicalised causative (sacralizar) are present in the
lexicon.
Obviously, the root found in the lexicon may also be a nominalised form of the
causative (for instance, sacralização), and therefore it is safest also to allow nominal
stems for the prepositional prefixes.
The examples below are ordered by complexity. In (5) we find classical,
syllabic prefixes, (5b) demonstrating the word class transparency of prefixes in
general. The prefixes in (6) are semantically heavier, more words than syllables,
typical of the international Esperanto of science where both prefixes, stems and
suffixes are Latin-Greek elements, with word-like prefixes often substituting for
root-compounding. The same element (for example 'gastr' - "stomach") may appear
in both root position ('gastr-ite' - "gastritis") and affix position ('gastro-grafia' -
"gastrography").
(5a) antimonogâmica
"monogâmico" ADJ F S
(5b) arquiinimigos
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