Clustering and declustering things : The meaning of collective
and singulative derivational morphology in Ukrainian

p 2023

Clustering and declustering things : The meaning of collective and singulative derivational morphology in Ukrainian

WĄGIEL, Marcin and Natalia SHLIKHUTKA

Basic information

Original name

Clustering and declustering things : The meaning of collective and singulative derivational morphology in Ukrainian

Authors

WĄGIEL, Marcin (616 Poland, guarantor, belonging to the institution) and Natalia SHLIKHUTKA (804 Ukraine)

Edition

Institute of Slavic Languages, 19/01/2023, Leipzig University, 2023

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Vyžádané přednášky

Field of Study

60203 Linguistics

Country of publisher

Germany

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

Odkaz na web kolokvia

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14210/23:00134046

Organization unit

Faculty of Arts

Keywords in English

collective nouns; spatial collectives; singulatives; clusters; mereotopology; Slavic; Ukrainian

Abstract

V originále

Collectives are nominal expressions referring to a collection of entities typically conceptualized as a whole, whereas singulatives are derived unit nouns, i.e., expressions designating a singular object individuated from a plurality perceived as a homogeneous collection of entities. Collective and singulative derivational morphology are attested cross-linguistically, e.g., in Celtic, Semitic, Cushitic, Nilo-Saharan, Algonquian and Slavic, and they are puzzling since they seem to reverse the markedness of the singular/plural distinction (Wierzbicka 1988, Gil 1996, Corbett 2000, Dimmendaal 2000, Mathieu 2014, Acquaviva 2015, Dali & Mathieu 2021, de Vries 2021, Wągiel 2021, Kagan & Nurmio to appear, Kagan et al. to appear). Though recent research revealed the theoretical relevance of various types of collective and singulative formations, certain aspects of their meaning are still not well understood. In this paper, we will examine Ukrainian word formations such as hrad `hail' ~ hrad-yna `a hailstone' and volos `a hair' ~ voloss'-a `hair (as a mass)' and propose an analysis on which the collective morpheme forms a cluster of integrated objects by introducing certain constraints on the spatial configuration of a plurality thereof. On the other hand, the singulative morpheme is an atomizer that selects for an aggregate predicate, i.e., a property of entities prototypically conceptualized as clusters, and turns it into a predicate of discrete singular integrated wholes.

Links

GA20-16107S, research and development project

Name: Struktury část-celek napříč jazyky

Investor: Czech Science Foundation

Citovat

WĄGIEL, Marcin and Natalia SHLIKHUTKA. Clustering and declustering things : The meaning of collective and singulative derivational morphology in Ukrainian. In Institute of Slavic Languages, 19/01/2023, Leipzig University. 2023.

@misc{2248177,
   author = {Wągiel, Marcin and Shlikhutka, Natalia},
   booktitle = {Institute of Slavic Languages, 19/01/2023, Leipzig University},
   keywords = {collective nouns; spatial collectives; singulatives; clusters; mereotopology; Slavic; Ukrainian},
   language = {eng},
   title = {Clustering and declustering things : The meaning of collective and singulative derivational morphology in Ukrainian},
   url = {https://www.philol.uni-leipzig.de/institut-fuer-slavistik/institut/news-und-veranstaltungen/detail-1/artikel/gastvortrag-zum-ukrainischen-2022-12-14},
   year = {2023}
}

TY  - SLIDE
ID  - 2248177
AU  - Wągiel, Marcin - Shlikhutka, Natalia
PY  - 2023
TI  - Clustering and declustering things : The meaning of collective and singulative derivational morphology in Ukrainian
KW  - collective nouns
KW  - spatial collectives
KW  - singulatives
KW  - clusters
KW  - mereotopology
KW  - Slavic
KW  - Ukrainian
UR  - https://www.philol.uni-leipzig.de/institut-fuer-slavistik/institut/news-und-veranstaltungen/detail-1/artikel/gastvortrag-zum-ukrainischen-2022-12-14
N2  - Collectives are nominal expressions referring to a collection of entities typically conceptualized as a whole, whereas singulatives are derived unit nouns, i.e., expressions designating a singular object individuated from a plurality perceived as a homogeneous collection of entities. Collective and singulative derivational morphology are attested cross-linguistically, e.g., in Celtic, Semitic, Cushitic, Nilo-Saharan, Algonquian and Slavic, and they are puzzling since they seem to reverse the markedness of the singular/plural distinction (Wierzbicka 1988, Gil 1996, Corbett 2000, Dimmendaal 2000, Mathieu 2014, Acquaviva 2015, Dali & Mathieu 2021, de Vries 2021, Wągiel 2021, Kagan & Nurmio to appear, Kagan et al. to appear). Though recent research revealed the theoretical relevance of various types of collective and singulative formations, certain aspects of their meaning are still not well understood. In this paper, we will examine Ukrainian word formations such as hrad `hail' ~ hrad-yna `a hailstone' and volos `a hair' ~ voloss'-a `hair (as a mass)' and propose an analysis on which the collective morpheme forms a cluster of integrated objects by introducing certain constraints on the spatial configuration of a plurality thereof. On the other hand, the singulative morpheme is an atomizer that selects for an aggregate predicate, i.e., a property of entities prototypically conceptualized as clusters, and turns it into a predicate of discrete singular integrated wholes.
ER  -

WĄGIEL, Marcin and Natalia SHLIKHUTKA. Clustering and declustering things : The meaning of collective and singulative derivational morphology in Ukrainian. In \textit{Institute of Slavic Languages, 19/01/2023, Leipzig University}. 2023.

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