Unlocking evaluative morphology: Conceptual and methodological challenges
SLE Research Grants – Joint Initiative (2022)
Evaluative morphology is by now a well-established domain of investigation (cf. e.g., Grandi & Körtvélyessy 2015). However, not all semantic functions performed by evaluative morphemes have been equally investigated: whereas diminution has been studied extensively together with augmentation and intensification (cf., among many others, Merlini Barbaresi & Dressler 1994; Grandi 2002; Schneider 2003; Bakema & Geeraerts 2004; Körtvélyessy & Štekauer eds. 2011; Efthymiou, Fragaki & Markos 2015; Rainer 2015; Napoli 2017), other functions, like for instance approximation or contempt have received less attention.
Moving from these observations, the ApproxiMo – Approximation in morphology discontinuous workshop was organized in 2021-2022 (online), with the aim to partially fill this gap by concentrating on the morphological expression of approximation. The workshop raised a lot of interest and gathered a diversified group of scholars throughout Europe working on different languages and phenomena. More importantly, beside tackling the core questions mentioned by the call for papers (means, values, sources of approximative morphology), the workshop raised many new issues, including:
- How many and which evaluative functions are there exactly? The function of approximation turned out to be an amalgam of different, more specific values, each with its own specificities. Can we say the same of other evaluative functions?
- What is the relationship between the different evaluative functions? We know about Jurafsky’s (1996) radial model of diminution. Links between approximation and intensification/ focus have also been noted (e.g. Voghera 2022). Which polysemy patterns can we identify?
- What is the relationship between different forms in terms of competition vs. cooperation? We know that evaluative morphology can be non-blocking (e.g. Italian cas-ina doesn’t block cas-etta, both ‘house-dim’) and cumulative (e.g. Italian cas-ett-ina), but is that always so?
- What is the relationship between evaluative morphology and evaluation performed at other levels? Again, is there competition or cooperation?
- What can we say about under-studied functions and values? A more equal coverage of the possibile evaluative functions conveyed by morphological means is crucial if we want to capture the broader picture of this functional domain.
The present project, funded by the SLE Research Grant – Joint Initiative 2022 scheme, addresses these issues. The key event of the project is a new thematic workshop – EvalMo – Unlocking evaluative morphology: Conceptual and methodological challenges – whose aim is to broaden the scope of the ApproxiMo online experience in four directions:
- empirical breadth: the scope is more ample, including not only approximation but also other functions, whereby under-investigated evaluative functions (as well as under-investigated phenomena and languages) are especially welcome;
- methodological challenges: new methodological techniques, like quantitative, experimental and behavioral methods, might help shedding light on issues (1)-(5) above, which is why contributions that employ these techniques are especially welcome;
- training: a methodological training session for PhD students, focused on data visualization, is organized before the workshop;
- networking: a discussion panel takes place after the workshop, to investigate the interest among the community of launching a collaborative project or research network on evaluative morphology and semantics. All participants to the training session and workshop are invited to participate.