Analysis of the structure of complex words in the German language, their characteristic structural types

One of the important motives for the formation and consumption of composites is saving space. Such a motive is guided by a person writer in a journalistic genre. Some of the text positions require the prosecution of the expression. This refers to headlines of newspaper and journal articles, the names of works, names of paintings, signatures under pictures and photo images. For example:            Doppelziehungsschneck,            Vollautomatischer

Postwertzeichenbeftuchtungsschneck.

The purpose of the choice or education in the process of speech of any nominative unit often arises on the basis of not one, but several motives. At the same time, some motives lead to the development of targets for the composite design, the other appearance of such a targeting is not provided for, these revenues are called counter place. Motives and controls may arise in the process of one and the same act of speaking.

Further it seems possible to go to the classification of German composites.

A variety of types of complex words, their various structural, grammatical, semantic and stylistic features, the different origin of wordforming models make it difficult for their classification. German linguists have developed various types of classifications based on various criteria. So, A.M. Casion and A.F. Lenkov in his book “The Lexicology of the German language” consider two types of composites, based on two different principles:

• •    morphological principle;

• •    Semantic syntactic.

The use or education of composites in speech is motivated in a certain way by the speaker in each specific case. In this case, a motive is understood as a reason prompting the speaker to use a composite in the process of speech to designate an object or phenomenon, and not another construction (phrase). According to V.S. Vashunin, the most complete list of motives leading to the formation of composites was proposed by P. Polents. Among the motives, he names nomination, linguistic economy, the strengthening of expression, the replacement of unmotivated expressions with motivated ones, outdated expressions with new ones, and others.

Further, it seems possible to consider in more detail each of the motives of composite formation.

In German, the most productive way of word formation is compositing. That is why new words in the German language are created in the overwhelming majority due to the formation of composites, and it is quite natural for the speaker to have a goal-setting for compositing in the absence of the desired name in the lexicon. The motive in this case is the lack of the required name. For example: Schneeberge, Regenfalle.

Unmotivated words are most often replaced by transparently motivated composites. For example: Bahnsteig instead of Perron, Hausmadchen instead of Zole.

The obsolescence of a nominative unit can also serve as a motive for the formation of a composite if it has lost its clarity or its motivation has ceased to correspond to reality. For example: Gastarbeiter instead of Fremdarbeiter.

In accordance with the semantic and syntactic criterion of A.M. Iskoz and A.F. Lenkov distinguishes four types of compound words in German:

• -    definitive compound words;

• -    compound words;

• -    shifts;

• - adhesions.

The components of definitive complex words are interconnected by subordination: the first component determines the second. The second component (the main word) determines the belonging of the entire compound to a certain class of words, as well as the nature of its grammatical categories and forms. Both components are lexically significant. For example: Schreibtisch, Zahnarzt, wasserblau, dunkelrot. There is a complicated type of determinative composites - polynomial composites. A word of this type consists of two parts: a qualifier and a main word, but one of these parts is, in turn, a complex word: Hauptbahnhof, Haushaltskonferenz, Eisenbahnmagnat. Bahuvrihi, in which the first component determines the second, is a special subspecies of definitive complex words. They correspond in meaning to the designation of belonging or property of a person, animal or plant, but as a result of metonymic transfer, the name of the person, animal or plant itself is used.

For example: Graukopf - gray-haired man, Nashorn - rhinoceros, Schlafmutze - sleepyhead.

Compound words consist of two grammatically equal components (both the first and the second components must belong to the same grammatical class), which are linked by a composition. Each component has its own meaning, but the meaning of the whole compound expresses a new concept: Strichpunkt, deutsch-russisch, dreizehn.

Shifts form a special type of compound word in German. They represent a combination in one unit of several words or a whole (small) sentence: Rurmichnichtan, allerhochst, stehenbleiben, Tischchen-deck-dich, beiseite. The components of such compounds do not lose their independent lexical meaning and are easily understood.

Adhesions are the result of the interaction of two word-formation processes - compounding and suffixation, or compounding and substantivating. The peculiarity of this process lies in the fact that it transforms a phrase, without changing the form of the latter, into a single word-forming basis and interacts with another way. For example: Fruhaufsteher, Gesetzgebung, rotbackig, Dampfheizung, schwerhorig, Dachgartenbedienung.

When classifying compound words based on a morphological criterion, A.M. Iskoz and A.F. Lenkova indicate that composites can belong to any class of words. Their belonging to one class or another depends, as a rule, on the second component, which reflects the grammatical characteristics of the entire composite; any part of speech can be used as the first component of a compound word.

So a complex noun can have the following morphological structure:

noun + noun: Menschenkraft, Konzertpalast, Hochzeitstag;

adjective + noun: Schwarzbrot, Rotwein, Zartgefuhl;

verb stem + noun:   Schreibtisch, Bohrmaschine, Schlafkleid,

Speisezimmer;

numeral + noun: Zweikampf, Dreigespann;

pronoun + noun: Jchton, Jchform;

adverb + noun: Voraussage;

preposition + noun: Umwelt, Mitschuler.

A complex adjective can consist of:

adjective + adjective: dunkelrot, hellblau, kaltweiss;

noun + adjective: blutrot, stockdunkel, schneeweiss;

verb stem + adjective: siegehess, merkwurdig, glanzebdschwarz;

numeral + adjective: zweigliedrig, dreistockig;

pronoun + adjective: diesbezuglich, selbstgefallig;

preposition + adjective: unterirdisch, uberglucklig.

A compound verb can have the following morphological structure:

verb + verb: stehenbleiben, kennenlernen;

noun + verb: teilnehmen, stattfinden;

adjective + verb: freisprechen, stillstehen;

numeral + verb: vierteilen;

adverb + verb: weitergehen, fortfahren.

Compound numbers, adverbs, prepositions and other parts of speech can consist of different words: zweihundert, auseinander, vorbei, gegenuber.