[Lexicog] Diminutive suffixes (pejorative or endearing)

[Fritz Goerling]

Ron,

How about an appendix "Being good (lovable)  is being small"?

That would fit terms of endearment: sweetie, baby, kitty, cutie.

Fritz Goerling



  One of the semantic phenomena that we must grapple with in lexicography is
extended metaphor. If we can define a diminutive suffix as "a small X", then
it would be subject to the extended metaphor "Good is big, bad is small."
>From these metaphors we have such expressions as "small minded" and "big
hearted." It would stand to reason, then, that any diminutive could be
pejorative. A good dictionary should note whenever an idiom or derivative is
based on an extended metaphor. I also recommend that we include an appendix
of metaphors:

  Being bad is being small:
  feel small, little courage, little imagination, small fry, small minded,
smalltime, small wonder, weakling

  Ron Moe
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