10 Expressiveness of word-building Words may become expressive due to their more morphological structure. Together with the adjectives, this suffix may produce words e.g brown-brownish, that denote a small degree of some quality. Also the suffix may form tactful words that are not found in dictionaries, if the speaker doesn't wish sound too categorical. E.g the lecture was dullish, she came lateish. With nouns +-ish, we get adjectives with a negative contemptuous colouring e.g childish, sheepish. This negative is even stronger with compounds e.g honeymoonish (exception: boyish, girlish do not have any negative connotation). When ish is added to proper names, it adds an uncomplementary colouring e.g mark twainish characters (-ish +proper name) At the same time, with proper names we may have the suffix ian e.g Dickensian characters, Shakesperian characters.
· When numerals are used independently standing for a person then we speak of metonymy (she's a beautiful 16) 5. Expressiveness on the level of word-building Words may become expressive due to their morphological structure. · -ish+ adjective stem may give an emotionally neutral effect (brownish--a small quantity of brown) · -ish may form "tactful" words that are formed as nonce words if the speaker does not want to sound too categorical (dullish lecture, lateish) · Together with noun stems ish forms adjectives with negative, contemptuous colouring (doggish, womanish) · Negative colouring becomes stronger with compound stems (honeymoonish) (boyish, girlish have no negative evaluation) Suffixes may be added to proper names: · -ish adds a derogatory colouring (Dickensish) · -ien with names gives a high flown style (dickensien)
g. "You are a beautiful 20."). EXPRESSIVENESS ON THE LEVEL OF WORD BUILDING (WB) Words may acquire expressiveness due to their structure. Affixation: suffix ish- with the adjective stem the suffix denotes a small degree of some quality (e.g. brownish). Another function is to coin tactful words that are often nonce words because the speaker does not wish to sound too categorically (e.g. dull dullish; big biggish; late lateish; etc.). Together with nouns ish forms adjectives that are negative: doggish, sheepish, childish, etc. The negative colouring is even greater with compound stems (e.g. honeymoonish, come-hetherish, etc.). Exception: the words "boyish" and "girlish" do not have negative evaluation. Suffixes may be added to proper names. The suffix ish- adds a negative colouring (e.g. if the speaker has no respect for Dickens he can use suffix ish- to show it, so he
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