Pleonastic complex words as functional amalgams Journal Article

Overview

Abstract; ; Syntactic amalgams are innovative phrasal constructions that combine otherwise incompatible subparts of other; constructions (; Lambrecht 1988; ;; Brenier and Michaelis; 2005; ). We describe pleonastic formations like; flavorize; in English and; ψηλαφ-ίζ(ω); [psilafízo]; ‘palpate’ in Modern Greek as functional amalgams at the word level. We examine these formations through the lens of (function-oriented); Sign-Based Construction Grammar; (; Sag 2012; ), arguing that once we see; derivational morphemes as signs, and sign combination as construction-driven rather than head-driven, we can describe such words as coercive; combinations that serve a variety of semiotic functions.;