Abstract

BOHRN, Andrea. ABSTRACT NOUNS AND RECATEGORIZATION: ON FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH NOUNS. Linguist.lit. [online]. 2013, n.63, pp.273-293. ISSN 0120-5587.

In this paper, the abstract nouns class, traditionally associated with the 'quality of the adjective' paraphrase, is analyzed from the perspective of Generative Grammar and, specially, from the Distributed Morphology. Abstract nouns like amistad, antigüedad or tontería are usually considered to have the [-bounded] feature, just like mass nouns. In this way, abstract nouns can be combined with the [+bounded] feature, as a result of the recategorization process. The association of abstract nouns with the [+ bounded] feature, under certain morphosyntactic contexts, generates new meanings. These meanings are associated with the paraphrase 'person, object or event that has the quality of the adjective'.

Keywords : distributed morphology; abstract nouns; recategorization; features.

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