Locality constraints on the interpretation of roots: the case of Hebrew denominal verbs

This paper argues for a distinction between word formation from roots and word formation from existing words. Focusing on Hebrew, it is shown that words made of roots may be assigned multiple and varied interpretations, while words made of existing words must depend semantically and phonologically on the word from which they are derived. To account for this difference, a locality constraint on the interpretation of roots is postulated: the first nominal or verbal head that merges with the root serves as the immediate environment for determining its interpretation. This head forms a closed domain: any further derivation takes as its input not the root itself, but an element whose semantic (and phonological) properties have been cashed out. Word-derived words thus have access only to the words they are derived from, not to the root itself. While the ability of Hebrew roots to acquire multiple interpretations is language specific, the distinction between word formation from roots and word formation from words is shown to be universal, following from the locality restriction on the interpretation of the root.