Nouning
The substantiation (Associated verb substantivize ), also nominalisation or adjectival form called, is the formation of a noun from a different part of speech , especially from verbs and adjectives . It can be found in many languages. A derivation in the opposite direction is called desubstantivation .
General
In the case of nouns, the form of the word can be changed ( derivation , for example through prefixes or suffixes ), or it can be retained ( conversion ). Nouncing changes the part of speech . So new words can be created.
Nouns in German
General
Nouns and substantiated forms are capitalized in German spelling . This convention requires the writer to know precisely whether a word is a noun or a substantiated form. The rules also have exceptions.
The meaning of the source word is initially retained in the substantiation, but can also shift over time ( meaning change ). The phrase "to be up to date" z. B. has only a little to do with the meaning of the verb run . In this way, many of the original nouns developed into completely independent nouns (examples: Junge , Oberst ). These soft not only semantic but occasionally also in terms of their diffraction from the root word from ( several variabl e sizes / multiple Variabl s ; the intersection of two straight he lines / the intersection of two Gerad s ; a Pagan en / of believers ers ).
In the case of nouning, the meaning tends to shift from the concrete to the abstract (e.g. knowing → knowledge ), from the individual to the general. Substantivization is therefore often used as a stylistic device to give a formulation the character of objectivity. If many nouns are used, one speaks of nominal style .
Nouning verbs
All verb infinitives can be used as nouns without changing their form. The corresponding noun is always a declinable neuter and singular tantum (for example, go → go ). Some verbs can also be substantivated by prefixes or suffixes. Then plural forms are also possible.
Examples of nouns from verbs:
- "Walking is easy for me." (To the verb to go without changing form)
- "Running makes you hungry." (To the verb run with the suffix -erei )
- "The touch was hardly noticeable." (To the verb touch with suffix -ung )
- "The howling never ended." (To the verb howling with the prefix Ge )
- "Today there is Geschnetzeltes." (For the verb schnetzeln a declined past participle and this without changing the form as a noun)
- "Please give me the scribe." (To write the verb with the suffix -er )
It is noteworthy that the nouns of the past participle can appear in all three genera : the fallen, the fallen, the fallen.
The infinitive reflexive verbs are usually substantivated without the word themselves ( behave → the behavior ). However, possible to okkasionelle conversion reflexive verbs for which to be written together and the infinitive (the S ichbeklagen) . Words like regen in "regen brings blessings" are not substantiated and are therefore written in lower case.
Substantivating adjectives, participle and number words
The second large group of words that can be substantiated are adjectives .
Adjectival inflection
The inflection usually follows the same pattern as the inflection of normal attributive adjectives (the new colleague → the new one) .
Feminine and masculine mostly refer to people (the stranger, a relative, each delegate), whereby gender distinctions only exist in the singular form, not in the plural (the big ones , students); there are also occasional fixed elliptical terms ( the rights [= collective term for politically right-wing groups]). The neuter form, on the other hand, mostly refers to the inanimate and incalculable (evil, something pretty, everything useful), but occasionally also to young animals or children (the she-bear and her cub; Mr. Meyer's little one) . Another exception are fixed elliptical expressions from certain word fields (e.g. alcoholic beverages, sport, geometry), which also refer to something countable (a light drink, a red drink; the boxer gives his opponent a left; a straight line, a diagonal , a parallel) .
Deviating diffraction
If someone, nobody, something or who precedes the substantiated adjective of one of the indefinite pronouns , there is a deviating inflection in standard language. In the nominative and accusative case, the ending -es follows (meeting someone unknown, nobody known, she wants to meet someone nice); in the dative case the ending -em follows (with someone unknown) . Regionally and deviating from the standard language, however, other forms are also common and permitted.
In standard language there is also a deviating inflection if the substantivated adjective is preceded by an attributive adjective ( she loves jewelry and other beautiful things ; my whole inner being [Thomas Mann]; some interesting things tell ). Deviating from the standard language, however, inflections such as other beautiful things etc. are also permissible and widespread.
Forms without a declension ending
In the case of color and language names, there is, in addition to the syntactic substantiation (hit the mark, fear in the dark; translate from Italian), another type of substantivation: the endless lexical substantiation (a pure black, what a dark here !; the Italian Dantes) .
There is also no declination ending in certain fixed nouns that can be the kernels of noun phrases. Examples: without misery, without wrong, a misery, a cool wet, the round of the earth, Spitz (dog breed), low (meteorology), poor and rich, young and old, big and small, good and bad, equal and equal like to.
Endless nouning is to be distinguished from (non-substantivated) forms that do not appear as kernels of noun phrases, but only in fixed connections with prepositions (examples: sell for stupid, for ages, from an early age, declare invalid; through thick and thin, sooner or later, from near and far ). Sometimes adjectives are also isolated grammatically ( in s chuldig plead [display] against u nbekannt; too s charf makes jagged [saying]).
Suffix forms
Adjectives can also be converted into nouns using suffixes such as -heit or -keit . Examples:
- "Die L änge" (to the adjective long with suffix -e)
- "The R unit" (to the adjective pure with suffix -heit)
- "Die L auterkeit" (to the adjective louder with suffix -keit)
Nouns derived from adjectives
Some nouns are now perceived as real nouns. The distinction between a " strong " and a " weak " form in the masculine and neuter is reminiscent of an adjectival origin:
the employee e / one employee he , the Official e / a Official he , the German e / a German he
(but: the / a employees, an official [ own noun ], German).
Special case: the young e / a Young it ( the cat ), but: the small e / a little he boy ( person ).
Occasional substantivation
Also particles words and other words that are neither verbs nor adjectives, occasionally a substantive. Examples:
- "The A uf and A b had no end." (To the prepositions up and down )
- "This is without W hen and A about right." (To the conjunctions when and but )
- "When does a child understand an N ?" ( No to the particle )
- "The G esters and H oday" (the adverbs yesterday and today )
- "The limits of the I " (to the pronoun I )
- "The spelling of the long I " ; "The shape of a U " (to the single letters I and U )
The transition from casual to quotation substantiation is fluid.
Quote substantivation
Quoted linguistic units, even if they are not actually nouns, can be treated grammatically like nouns. This applies to individual sounds or letters as well as to words, entire sentences or even work titles. Examples: the English "th"; he ends each sentence with a “isn't it?”; she is currently reading “War and Peace” .
Compounds
Even infinitive phrases can be substantiated. This produces either composites or hyphen constructions grammatically in any case such as nouns be treated (for example: the T eetrinken; the G eld-to-window throwing out ).
Syntax and recognizability
Because substantiated words are capitalized in German , the recognizability of nouns in this language is a particular problem. Many of the criteria that language users intuitively use to identify nouns, while working to identify some nouns, may fail others.
Here is an overview (the unproblematic cases are highlighted in green):
| criteria | Infinitive | Adjectives and participles |
|---|---|---|
| the word is the core of a noun phrase , d. that is, it has the function of a subject or a predicative | Examples: Julia loves S chwimmen ; V orbeugen is better than H rush ; but in addition also: v orbeugen is better than h rush (infinitive as the core of a noun phrase are not necessarily to be construed as a substantive); | his favorite color is R ot ; but: he doesn't like green asparagus; he eats only w hite ( ellipse ) |
| Article or demonstrative pronoun is preceded | a R aunen , when L ernen , this W species | the teacher welcomes the N ew ; the G eat Rossen the K linen ; however: the big fish eat the k linen (ellipse) |
| Genitive construction or preceding possessive pronoun | their Z ögern , Lillis W a , the S chweigen the Lambs | your V ier in Latin ; but: my two children to me are better than Paula v ier (ellipse) |
| preceding preposition | from V seen , with B lengths , by Ü ben | it goes to E total made ; but: in cold waters you find this fish rather than in w poor (ellipse) |
| preceding inflected adjective or participle | affirmative N nod , awkward S chweigen , loud K latschen | Dark V iolet , faithful L iebende ; but: rather old, but soft socks as scratchy n ew (ellipse) |
| preceding indefinite pronoun | it's no S Chelten ; it is much E SEN left | lot N ew , all M ossible , nothing B erauschendes |
Nouning in other languages
In some other languages adjectives can be substantiated more often than in German . For example, many German words derived from ancient Greek , such as physics or music , are substantiated Greek adjectives, whereby the noun described ultimately no longer needs to be mentioned:
- from φυσική physiké "natural", to be added: ἐπιστήμη epistéme "knowledge": "the natural science" or
- μουσική mousiké "musically", to be added: τέχνη téchne "art": "the musical art" and so on.
See also
literature
- Ullmer-Ehrich, Veronika: On the syntax and semantics of nouns in German. Monographs Linguistics and Communication Studies 29 . Scriptor, Kronberg 1977.
- Weinrich, Harald ; among employees v. Maria Thurmair, Eva Breindl, Eva-Maria Willkop: Text grammar of the German language . Duden, Mannheim / Leipzig / Vienna / Zurich 1993.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 85 f .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 351 f .
- ^ Dörte Lütvogt: Investigations on the poetics of Wisława Szymborska . Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 1998, ISBN 3-447-03309-6 , p. 111 .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 725 .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 156 .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 348 f .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 998 f .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 961 f .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 349-351 .
- ↑ a b Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 351 .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 205 .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 799 .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 798 f .
- ↑ a b Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 797 f .
- ↑ a b c Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 798 .
- ↑ Duden . The grammar. 8th edition. Bibliographisches Institut / Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-411-04048-3 , p. 769 f .