[Lingtyp] Query on sentential names/Satznamen

Thu Jun 20 15:45:54 UTC 2019

Dear Iker,

Depending on your definition, the Mandarin example you cited and the
following ones may or may not be within the scope of your study because
they all involve one or more bound morphemes from the perspective of
contemporary Mandarin. Examples like (1) can be readily found in given
names with two characters/syllables.

(1) Human names (the second three are my own acquaintances; dots are added
to indicate syllable boundary; surnames are all capitalized; glosses are
for given names; semicolons in the first pair of brackets are used to
separate the meanings of the characters/syllables)

a.  毛泽东 MÁO Zé.dōng (to bring grace/favor to; east) (also known as Mao
Tse-tung)

b.   江泽民 JIĀNG Zé.mín (to bring grace/favor to; people) (name of a former
Chinese president)
c.   金克木 JĪN Kè.mù (to overcome; wood) (name of a Chinese poet and scholar)
(the first character, if not used as a surname, means ‘gold’; the naming
must have its origin in the traditional Chinese philosophy about the five
elements, in which the gold overcomes the wood)

d.   王震宇WÁNG  Zhèn.yǔ (to shake/vibrate; universe)

e.   栗爱国 LÌ Ài.guó (to love; country)

f. 李治国 LǏ Zhì.guó (to administer/govern; country)

(2) Place names

a.   日照市 Rì.zhào.shì (sun; to shine; city) ‘a city where the sun shines’

b.  驻马店市 Zhù.mǎ.diàn.shì (to stop; horse; store/station; city) (as far as
literal meaning is concerned, this looks like a city named after a place
where horses could stop or stay, presumably a place functioning like a
current train station or airport)

Hope this helps a bit.

Best wishes,

Chao

On Thu, Jun 20, 2019 at 11:31 AM Johanna NICHOLS <johanna at berkeley.edu>
wrote:

> These two works have an original take on these compounds:
>
> Progovac, Ljiljana. 2009. Layering of grammar: Vestiges of protosyntax
> in present-day languages. In Geoffrey Sampson, David Gil, & Peter
> Trudgill, eds., Language Complexity as an Evolving Variable, 203-212.
> Oxford: Oxford University Press.
>
> Progovac, Ljiljana. 2015. Evolutionary Syntax. Oxford: Oxford University
> Press.
>
> Johanna
>
> On Thu, Jun 20, 2019 at 6:18 PM Jan Rijkhoff <linjr at cc.au.dk> wrote:
> >
> > Urban's (2012) thesis "Analyzability and semantic associations in
> referring expressions: a study in comparative lexicology" seems to be a
> relevant study in this context:
> >
> > "This thesis is a sample-based typological study of formal and semantic
> patterns in terms for a selection of referring ("nominal") meanings.
> Languages differ considerably in that in some, unanalyzable, monomorphemic
> terms dominate in the lexicon while in others analyzable items formed by
> language-specific means of word-formation (which one this is is a
> typological variable in itself) abound. The thesis attempts to establish
> the variation and limits in this variable and to explain why languages
> vary. Another major concern are semantic associations found in analyzable
> items as well as in the conflation of several meanings into one lexical
> item, both from an areal as well as a universal point of view."
> >
> > Available at: https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/handle/1887/19940
> >
> > Jan R
> >
> > J. Rijkhoff - Associate Professor, Linguistics
> > School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University
> > Jens Chr. Skous Vej 2, Building 1485-621
> > DK-8000 Aarhus C, DENMARK
> > Phone: (+45) 87162143
> > URL: http://pure.au.dk/portal/en/linjr@cc.au.dk
> >
> > ________________________________________
> > From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> on behalf of
> Volker Gast <volker.gast at uni-jena.de>
> > Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2019 1:56 PM
> > To: lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
> > Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Query on sentential names/Satznamen
> >
> > Exocentric verb-noun compounds of the type pointed out by Johanna are
> > widely used for plants ('heal-all') and animals in European languages,
> > e.g. birds such as 'wag-tail' (cf. Gr. 'seis-o-pyg-is', Lat.
> > 'mota-cilla' < 'mota-cul-a'), 'break-bones' (Lat. 'ossi-frag-a', span.
> > 'quebranta-huesos'). Most of these words in contemporary languages seem
> > to be loan translations from Greek or Latin. When used for humans, such
> > forms mostly carry a negative connotation. The oldest attested example
> > from (Old) English seems to be 'Clawe-cunte' 'scratch-vulva', cf. Dietz
> > (2002: 398/99, cf. below for the reference). Shakespeare is a famous
> > example, as is Störtebeker 'turn-cup', the one who empties the cup in
> > one gulp (cf. [1]). In Middle High German there are names such as
> > 'laer-en-biutel' ('empty-the-bag') and 'füll-en-sac' ('fill-the-bag'),
> > cf. [2]. They are more sentence-like than the other examples insofar as
> > they also contain an article.
> >
> > VN-compounds of the type illustrated above are widespread in Romance
> > languages, e.g. Span. 'lava-trastes' 'dishwasher', lit.' wash-dishes'.
> >
> > I did some research on the origin of these compounds a couple of years
> > ago, and I think they might be related to adjective-noun compounds which
> > were reanalysed as verb-noun compounds, e.g. Gr. 'ortho-krair-os'
> > 'catttle with straight horns', which could be analysed as either
> > 'straight-horn-NOM' or 'straighten-horn-NOM'. In some cases VN-compounds
> > seem to compete with NV-compounds (which were prevalent in Latin, cf.
> > 'agr-i-col-a' 'farmer', lit. 'field-carer', comparable to cf. Engl.
> > 'chimney sweep'). Ancient Greek seems to have had both strategies,
> > sometimes alternatively, e.g. 'anthropo-fag-os' and 'phag-anthrop-os'
> > 'man-eater/man-eating').
> >
> > In 2009 I gave a talk about these compounds, with some examples from
> > European languages, cf. [3] below.
> >
> > And I have a short paper where these compounds are compared between
> > English and German, perhaps less relevant to this discussion, but with
> > some pertinent references, cf. [4].
> >
> > Best,
> > Volker
> >
> > References
> >
> > Dietz, Klaus (2002). “Lexikalischer Transfer und Wortbildung am Beispiel
> > des französischen Lehngutes im Mittelenglischen.” M. Habermann, P.O.
> > Müller and H. Haider Munske, eds. Historische Wortbildung des Deutschen.
> > Tübingen: Niemeyer, 381-405.
> > [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_St%C3%B6rtebeker
> > [2]
> >
> http://woerterbuchnetz.de/DWB/call_wbgui_py_from_form?sigle=DWB&mode=Volltextsuche&hitlist=&patternlist=&lemid=GF11315
> > [3] http://www.personal.uni-jena.de/~mu65qev/hopdf/vn-erfurt.pdf
> > [4]
> >
> https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/zaa.2008.56.issue-3/zaa.2008.56.3.269/zaa.2008.56.3.269.xml
> >
> > Am 20.06.2019 um 14:20 schrieb Johanna NICHOLS:
> > > Verb stem plus noun compounds in western European languages are
> > > sometimes lexicalized as last names, e.g. Trinkwasser, Boileau, and I
> > > believe Drinkwater exists; also Turnbull, Shakespeare.  As names these
> > > are lexicalized compounds, but as I recall it's also been argued that
> > > the first element is an imperative (though it doesn't have imperative
> > > meaning; the compounds are descriptive, not exhortations).
> > >
> > > Johanna
> > >
> > > On Thu, Jun 20, 2019 at 2:25 PM Jan Rijkhoff <linjr at cc.au.dk> wrote:
> > >> Here is another example (text taken from
> https://www.mosquitomagnet.com/articles/no-see-ums-facts)
> > >> "No-See-Ums are tiny, biting insects that can be a plague to many
> communities. Particularly prevalent in coastal areas, No-See-Ums are often
> just as much of a pest as mosquitoes. They can ruin outdoor get-togethers,
> make a round of golf intolerable and devastate your vacation plans."
> > >> etc.
> > >> best, jan r
> > >>
> > >> J. Rijkhoff - Associate Professor, Linguistics
> > >> School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University
> > >> Jens Chr. Skous Vej 2, Building 1485-621
> > >> DK-8000 Aarhus C, DENMARK
> > >> URL: http://pure.au.dk/portal/en/linjr@cc.au.dk
> > >>
> > >> ________________________________________
> > >> From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> on behalf
> of Anstey, Matthew <MAnstey at csu.edu.au>
> > >> Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2019 1:21 PM
> > >> To: lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
> > >> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Query on sentential names/Satznamen
> > >>
> > >> Dear Iker
> > >>
> > >> Not just ending in -el either for Biblical Hebrew, also starting with
> el-:
> > >> Eliab <el-i-ab> [God-1SG-father] ‘God is my father’
> > >> Elizabeth from Elisheva <el-i-sheva> [God-1SG-oath] ‘God is my oath’
> > >> Elijah <el-i-jah> [God-1SG-YHWH] ‘YHWH is my God’
> > >>
> > >> There are also lots of SNs without God in them:
> > >> Abimelech <ab-i-melech> [father-1SG-king] ‘My father is king’ (or it
> might be ‘father of a king’)
> > >> Ahikam <ah-i-kam> [brother-1SG-arise.PST.3MSG] ‘my brother has risen’
> > >>
> > >> There are lots which are SNs but we don’t really know the precise
> meaning of them:
> > >> Zapnath-Paaneah which might mean ‘the man to whom mysteries are
> revealed’ or rather ‘the god speaks and lives’ if Egyptian in origin.
> > >> Maher-shalal-hash-baz which means something like ‘He has hurried to
> the plunder’
> > >>
> > >> You would also want to check out other Semitic languages, as most
> (perhaps all?) have SNs like this. Eg Akkadian: Nabu-kudurri-usur ‘O God
> Nabu, preserve my firstborn son’
> > >>
> > >> Here are some references:
> > >> Leyew, Z. 2003 Amharic personal nomenclature: A grammar and
> sociolinguistic insight. Journal of African Cultural Studies 16(2):181-211
> > >> Rahkonen, P. 2019 Personal names of the Pentateuch in the Northwest
> Semitic Context: A Comparative Study. Scandinavian Journal of the Old
> Testament (SJOT) 33
> > >> Knudsen, EE. 2008 Amorite names and Old Testament onomastics. SJOT 13
> > >>
> > >> And an Omotic language:
> > >> Genre, Y 2010 Cultural contact and change in naming practices among
> the Atari of Southwest Ethiopia. Journal of African Cultural Studies. 22
> 183-194.
> > >>
> > >> Not sure if this interests you, but there is a tonne of research in
> psychology on names and identity. Eg:
> > >> Kim, J. & K. Lee 2011 “What’s your name?”: Names, naming practices
> and contextualised selves of young Korean American children. Journal of
> Research in Childhood Education 25(3), 211-227.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> The Rev’d Assoc Prof Matthew Anstey
> > >> Director of Higher Degree Research, Alphacrucis College
> > >> Research Fellow (Public and Contextual Theology Strategic Research
> Centre), Charles Sturt University
> > >> Visiting Research Fellow (Linguistics), University of Adelaide
> > >> Honorary Research Associate Professor (School of Historical and
> Philosophical Inquiry), University of Queensland
> > >> ________________________________
> > >> From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> on behalf
> of David Gil <gil at shh.mpg.de>
> > >> Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2019 7:51 pm
> > >> To: lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
> > >> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Query on sentential names/Satznamen
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Dear Iker,
> > >>
> > >> Hebrew is a source for numerous examples of this, many of which are
> familiar around the world, though their etymologies may not be. If you can
> think of a name that ends with "-el" or "-iah", chances are it's a SN in
> which the "-el" or "-iah" bit refers to God.  For example
> > >>
> > >> Daniel < dan-i-el [judge.PAST.3SGM-1SG.OBJ-God] 'God judged me'
> > >>
> > >> I suspect that you may wish to broaden the definition of SN to
> include also clause-like cases involving a "zero" copula, such as
> > >>
> > >> Michael < mi-xa-el [who-like-God] 'Who is like God'
> > >>
> > >> Also, since Hebrew has pronominal marking on the verb, you might wish
> also to include forms such as
> > >>
> > >> Isaac < yiṣħak [3SGM.FUT.laugh] 'He will laugh'.
> > >>
> > >> I'll stop here, as I assume that there is a large literature on this
> subject.
> > >>
> > >> (Note: for convenience sake, I've provided the transcriptions and
> glosses as per Modern Hebrew, though since these names are Biblical, they
> should really be represented in Biblical Hebrew.)
> > >>
> > >> Best,
> > >>
> > >> David
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On 20/06/2019 19:52, Iker Salaberri wrote:
> > >> Dear colleagues, dear fellow typologists,
> > >>
> > >> I'm currently looking for cross-linguistic data on a specific kind of
> name: sentential names (SNs), a.k.a. clausal names, phrasal names and (in
> their widespread German use) Satznamen. van Langendonck (2007: 277-278)
> defines SNs as names consisting (minimally) of a verbal stem and a noun
> phrase (NP) or an adverb, where the NP is either the direct object or the
> subject of the verb stem. Here are some examples of SNs I have found so far:
> > >>
> > >> (1) Shona (East Bantu): Chaitamwarihachirambwi 'What God has done
> cannot be rejected', from mwari 'God' and the verb root -it 'to do' (Mapara
> 2013: 103)
> > >>
> > >> (2) Basque (Language isolate): Euridakargaina 'The summit which
> brings rain', from euri 'rain' and the verb root -kar 'to bring' (Salaberri
> 2008: 733)
> > >>
> > >> (3) Warrongo (Pama-Nyungan): Galonggo balban banggarra '(The place
> where) mice rolled blue tongue lizard', from galo 'mouse' and balba 'to
> roll' (Tsunoda 2011: 22)
> > >>
> > >> (4) Northwest Sahaptin (Sahaptian): Xátkapsha 'Leans unexpectedly',
> from tkap 'to lean' and xa- 'unexpectedly' (Hunn 1996: 14)
> > >>
> > >> (5) Mandarin (Sino-Tibetan): Chuán-wén '(The one who) transmits
> culture', from chuán 'to transmit' and wén 'culture' (Wiedenhof 2015: 92)
> (sorry if the tone markers are inaccurate)
> > >>
> > >> (6) Eastern Apurímac Quechua (Quechuan): Waqcha kuyaq '(The one who)
> esteems the poor', from waqcha 'poor' and kuya- 'to esteem' (Fonseca 2012:
> 98)
> > >>
> > >> (7) German (Indo-European): Hassdenpflug 'Hate the plow', from hassen
> 'to hate' and Pflug 'plow/plough' (Heintze 1908: 160)
> > >>
> > >> I'm writing to ask for your help in tracking down more instances of
> this kind of name: I have found so far that SNs are common in (subsaharan)
> Africa, North America and Europe, in decreasing order, and far less common
> in Asia, Oceania and South America. That is why I would be extremely
> grateful for any information on SNs in languages from Asia, Oceania and
> South America. I would be very grateful for any pointers to grammars,
> language descriptions or other mentions of SNs in the literature.
> > >>
> > >> References:
> > >> Fonseca, Gustavo S. 2012. Introducción a un tesoro de nombres
> quechuas en Apurímac. Lima: Terra Nuova.
> > >> Heintze, Albert. 1908. Die deutschen Familiennamen: Geschichtlich,
> geographisch, sprachlich (3rd edition). Halle an der Saale: Verlag der
> Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses.
> > >> Hunn, Eugene. 1996. Columbia Plateau Indian place names: What can
> they teach us? Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 6(1). 3-26.
> > >> Mapara, Jacob. 2013. Shona sentential names: A brief overview.
> Bamenda: Langaa Research & Publishing.
> > >> van Langendonck, Willy. 2007. Theory and typology of proper names.
> Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
> > >> Salaberri, Patxi. 2008. Satznamen direlakoen inguruan: Erlatibozko
> perpausetan jatorri duten toponimoak aztergai [On so-called Satznamen:
> Investigating toponyms which originate in relative clauses]. In Xabier
> Artiagoitia & Joseba A. Lakarra (eds.), Gramatika jaietan: Patxi Goenagaren
> omenez, 725-741. Bilbao/Bilbo: University of the Basque Country.
> > >> Tsunoda, Tasaku. 2011. A grammar of Warrongo. Berlin/Boston: Mouton
> de Gruyter.
> > >> Wiedenhof, Jeroen. 2015. A grammar of Mandarin.
> Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
> > >>
> > >> Best,
> > >>
> > >> Iker Salaberri
> > >> Public University of Navarre
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> _______________________________________________Lingtyp mailing
> listLingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:
> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp<
> http://antispam.csu.edu.au:32224/?dmVyPTEuMDAxJiZiY2I4YjRmNDExNzdmNGUxYT01RDBCNUUxRl83NDgyOV8xNTgyMV8xJiY5ZDQyNWM0ODkwNWFjOGI9MTMzMyYmdXJsPWh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXN0c2VydiUyRWxpbmd1aXN0bGlzdCUyRW9yZyUyRm1haWxtYW4lMkZsaXN0aW5mbyUyRmxpbmd0eXA=
> >
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> -- David GilDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural EvolutionMax Planck
> Institute for the Science of Human HistoryKahlaische Strasse 10, 07745
> Jena, GermanyEmail: gil at shh.mpg.de<mailto:gil at shh.mpg.de>Office Phone
> (Germany): +49-3641686834Mobile Phone (Indonesia): +62-81281162816
> > >> _______________________________________________
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> >
> > --
> > Prof. Volker Gast
> > English and American Studies
> > Ernst-Abbe-PLatz 8
> > D-07743 Jena
> >
> > Fon: ++49 3641 9-44546
> > Fax: ++49 3641 9-44542
> >
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