Cognitive determinants of subtractive word formation: A corpus-based perspective*

This paper investigates mechanisms underlying the coining of intentional morphological blends and complex clippings. In one case study, I investigate the degree to which (a corpus-based definition of) psycholinguistic recognition points play a role in these subtractive word-formation processes. Also, I am concerned with the issue whether a separation of these two categories, which has been embraced by some but not all morphologists, is supported. Given the role that similarity plays in subtractive word-formation processes, a second case study investigates the degree to which the source words of blends and complex clippings are similar to each other and, again, whether the empirical findings warrant this distinction in the first place.