Re: Systematic Word Relationships (Was: Arabic and BACK and a whole lot of other things.)

On 12/21/05, Gary Shannon <fiziwig@...> wrote:
> --- Jim Henry <jimhenry1973@...> wrote:
> > In other words,
> > a
> > > list of formal definitions for the relationships
> > > between the members of pairs like "to
> > teach:teacher",
> > > "to learn:to teach", "beach:sand", "to
> > break:broken",
> > We talked about this here a while ago, and I don't
> > think
> > anyone else offered a comprehensive list of the
> > kind you're looking for.  I would be interested in
> > such a thing as well; possibly we could collaborate
> > on it through e.g. the Conlang Wikicity?
> I don't know much about wiki's in general, or the
> conlang wiki in particular. How does it work?
Take a look at

http://conlang.wikicities.com/wiki/Main_Page

The basic idea of a wiki is that it presents an interface
where anyone (or anyone with a login, depending on the
wiki software and how it's configured) can edit the pages
on a site.  This enables easier collaboration on projects like
this and gradual improvement (assuming there's someone
monitoring the site's list of recent changes to revert
changes that are just vandalism).    The wiki syntax
is generally simpler than HTML (though some might disagree
re: MediaWiki's table syntax vs. HTML's table syntax).

A wiki seems like a good way to organize collaboration
on a comprehensive list like this.  I've created a start page
here:

http://conlang.wikicities.com/wiki/List_of_derivation_methods

I made a start of a list like yours on paper some while
ago.  I'll transcribe here what I've got that isn't already
in your list (I think; apologies if I overlook something
you already have).

> Ways in which a word can be related to another word.
>
> I. From VERB.
>        A. VERB To VERB.
>                1. Exchange patient and agent.
>                        a. to teach -> to learn
Also: to lend -> to borrow or vice versa?   Maybe not;
it seems that these exchange the agent with the recipient/source.
E.g.
I (AGT) loaned five dollars (PAT) to Cecil (REC).
Cecil (AGT) borrowed five dollars (PAT) from me (SRC).

Ditto give/receive, send/receive, rent to/rent from, buy/sell...

To do VERB with particular attention
to see -> to look
to hear -> to listen
to smell -> to sniff out
to think -> to meditate deeply (?)

>        B. VERB To NOUN.
Name of substance used as material for action:
to wash -> soap

Body part typically used for doing action:
eat -> mouth
chew -> teeth
speak -> tongue
walk -> legs/feet

Method, system, way of doing action:

to fight -> martial art, fighting style
to program  -> programming methodology

>        C. VERB To ADJECTIVE.
>                3. Decrisptive of ongoing action on agent.
>                        a. to learn -> learning.
Quality of entity _typically_ capable of VERB

to think -> sentient
to conceive -> female
to beget -> male

Quality of entity _actually_ capable of VERB
to read -> literate

> II. From NOUN.
>        A. NOUN To VERB.
To produce, emit, give off NOUN

e.g., milk > to breastfeed ?
sweat (n.) > sweat (v.)

to put something into NOUN
(E.g. Esperanto pattern "en~igi" : "enposxigi" to put into
one's pocket, "enbusxigi", to put into one's mouth, etc.)

to get into NOUN, to put oneself into NOUN
(enlitigxi "to get in bed", etc.)

To do what is typically done with NOUN
eye -> to see (Volapük actually does this:
log "eye" > logön "to see", ditto with
lil "ear" > lilön "to hear".)

legs -> to walk
arms -> to carry ?
mouth -> to eat or drink
breast -> to nurse

>        B. NOUN To NOUN.
>                2. General category of a specific instance.
>                        a. lake -> body-of-water
>                        b. ocean -> body-of-water
>                        c. hammer -> tool
>                        d. apple -> fruit
This can have a mnemonic value, but is not necessarily
productive.  If I use the general-category affix or
vowel-pattern or whatever on a root meaning "dog"
does it refer to all members of genus Canis, all
members of tribe Canini, all members of family
Canidae, or something even more general (mammals,
vertebrates, animals; domestic animals; quadrupeds)?
I use this kind of affix in gzb but word defined with it
must be memorized, since the level of generalization is not
obvious.  You might have a whole array of these for
zoological taxonomy, e.g.

-za   derive genus name from an exemplar species
-pe   derive family  name from an exemplar species
-qu   derive order name from an exemplar species

....etc.  But then how to apply that to non-zoological categories?

>                5. Agregate of a discrete noun.
>                        a. tree -> forest
>                        b. student -> class
See the Ithkuil site, and a recent thread here,
for other collective/aggregate possibilities.  E.g.,

Whole set of NOUN:
human -> the human race

Violation of standard NOUN
moral law -> sin
human law -> crime
grammar -> ungrammatical utterance
programming language -> syntax error

Container for NOUN (Perhaps differentiated further,
e.g. Esperanto -uj and -ing)

Covering/clothing for NOUN
legs -> pants
window -> curtains
floor -> carpet, rug
jar -> lid (?)
book -> dust jacket (?)

Sense for perceiving NOUN
light -> vision
sound -> hearing

Organ for perceiving NOUN/for sense NOUN
light or vision -> eyes
sound or hearing -> ears

A member of the same group
E.g. Esperanto sam~ano, kun~anto patterns
samlandano, samcxambrano, samdomano,
samlingvano, kunludanto, kunlaboranto...

A member of a different group
alilandano, etc.

Typical home of NOUN
beaver -> dam,
spider -> web
human -> house
bird -> nest

Glyph, symbol that represents NOUN
the number two -> the digit "2"
happiness, amusement -> the emoticon " :) "

>       D. NOUN To ADVERB.
Source of information -> evidentiality adverb
See
http://listserv.brown.edu/archives/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0508b&L=conlang&F=&S=&P=12362
and followup messages.

>        B. ADJECTIVE To NOUN.
>                1. Cardinal of an ordinal.
>                        a. third -> three
>                        b. second -> two
A possibility I've considered for gjâ-zym-byn
recently is: derive a probability or degree of truth
adjective/adverb from a fractional number.
E.g. "one half" -> 50% likely, 50% correct, etc.

>        C. ADJECTIVE To ADJECTIVE.
>                1. Opposite property.
>                        a. cold -> hot
>                        b. tall -> short
Rick Morneau somewhere discusses different kinds
of opposites.  I tried to disambiguate them in gjâ-zym-byn,
with limited success.

For instance, from "high" you could derive opposites
"low" (small elevation) or "deep" (negative elevation).

Another possibility is to derive extreme positive,
middling, and extreme negative quality adjectives
from a nominal quality root.  I think Rick Harrison's
Vorlin did this: so "heat" derived "cold", "lukewarm"
and "hot" with different affixes.


> V. From PREPOSITION.
>        A. PREPOSITION To VERB.
>                1. To accomplish the position.
>                        a. within -> to enter.
To cause to be in position PREPOSITION

in -> to insert
around -> to circumscribe, surround with

This will have to be my last post for today,
and depending on how busy I am tomorrow,
maybe my last post till after Christmas.
Merry Christmas, y'all.

--
Jim Henry
http://www.pobox.com/~jimhenry
...Mind the gmail Reply-to: field

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