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Pragmatic Aspects of Derivatives

Functioning in Fiction

Alla Minasyan
Yerevan State Linguistic University

T he question of impact and perception of linguistic signs in the process of com-munication is particularly actual, as the main function of fiction texts is that of
aesthetic impact. The study of the effectiveness of perception of derived words in fiction
depending on the linguistic characteristics of their organization and aim is of particular
interest.

The use of linguistic means, and especially stylistic ones, has complex, polyfunction-
al character and is conditioned by a set of pragmatic intentions. However, one dominat-
ing type of intention can be singled out in each particular case. The type of intention is
regarded as the general organizing principle of the utterance. The choice of linguistic
units (here derivatives) takes place depending on the type of pragmatic intention. Due to
the type of pragmatic intention the forms of its linguistic realization as well as the effec-
tiveness of impact and perception change. 

None of the pragmatic intentions is used in isolation, they are interdependent and
interconditioned. Thus, the pragmatic intention of “attention” is a significant component
of all the others, and the pragmatic intention of creating interest is an integral part of the
pragmatic intention of emotional impact. The pragmatic intention of the representation
of world conceptual picture is the intention of the highest level, it has global character
and comprises all the  other intentions.  Thus, in some way, it coincides with the general
orientation of the fiction text on the aesthetic impact. It is worth mentioning that with the
complication of the type of the pragmatic intention, the process of perception becomes
more complicated, but at the same time the effect of the impact and the intensity of per-
ception become stronger. 

The peculiarities of the structural organization of derived words and the composite
character of their structure provide with ample opportunity for realization of the pragmat-
ic intention of “attention”. To draw attention, quite various transformations can take place
in the structure of derived words, such as, decomposition, rearrangement, fusion, use of
morpheme as an independent word, violation of norms of morphemic compatibility, repe-
tition of morphemes of derived word. Due to these transformations, linguistic units form-
ing derivational stylistic devices (DSD) are out of the traditional ways of usage. 

…and I was glad that he was himself again, or at least the self that I
knew, and with which I felt at home. (Fitzgerald “The Rich Boy”)

The effect of advancement may be achieved due to the repetition of
morphemes (both root and affixal), especially in case of multiple repetition. 

Creator he has created for his creatured ones a creation.
(Joyce “Finnegans Wake”)

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In the illustrated example the following stylistic devices can be singled out: repetition
of root morpheme, derivational variation, and also violation of the inner valency of the
derivative creatured. All these devices draw reader’s attention to the given passage,
arouse interest in him and have a great emotional impact which is achieved by the recur-
rence of repetitions and “enough closeness of the row”, i.e. when the repeated elements
are located close to one another. 

One of the main devices used for the realization of the pragmatic intention of  “atten-
tion” is a nonce-word which is built on the violation of the inner valency of derivatives,
on the deviation from the standard use of linguistic units. Any intentional “violation of
norm” has one or another stylistic effect, which in its turn influences the perception
process.

“Tell me of your experiences in the war. Are you changed like the rest?
You have the same stupid and unaging American face, except I know
you’re not stupid, Dick.” (Fitzgerald “Tender is the Night”)

In the given example the nonce-word unaging attracts the reader’s attention not only
because of the non-standard form, but also because it does not exist in the language sys-
tem. The mechanism of creation of such words is based on violation of the norms of
semantic compatibility of words and derivational compatibility of morphemes. At the
same time, this violation does not lead to the vagueness of meaning, as it is possible here
to reconstruct the derivational process. Unaging American face – “a face, that does not
indicate the age of a person”. 

Reconstruction of the derivational process based on decomposition of words is also
used as a device which intensifies the effect of “advancement”. So, the effectiveness of
perception of this word is conditioned by all means of impact – by violation of lexical
and derivational compatibility, decomposition of the components of derivative, its moti-
vation and stylistic markedness in the utterance. This is a vivid example of differences in
perception of simple and derived words. The meaning of the new derivative, in this case
the nonce-word, is predictable and easy to guess. 

The study of cases of affixal repetition comes to prove that it plays the most impor-
tant role in creating emotional impact on addressee (Glazirina 1987:65-71). The defini-
tion of the structural and semantic parameters of the repetition of derivational mor-
phemes (RDM), the examination of the peculiarities of its functioning in text and the
detection of its role in text forming categories such as informative value and cohesion are
of great interest. 

As an independent stylistic device, RDM differs from other types of morphological
repetition first, by its nature and distribution of linguistic units, second, by semantic and
stylistic peculiarities of its functioning in text. It should be mentioned that with each rep-
etition the quantity of new information lessens, whereas the effect of providing addition-
al aesthetic information of unit – increases.

The analysis of the linguistic material proves that effectiveness of perception is deter-
mined by semantic and structural peculiarities of repetition and first of all by semantics

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of repeated morphemes. Both stylistically marked and neutral affixes are used to create
repetition. Here negative affixes and diminutive suffixes should be singled out. Negative
affixes signalizing the absence of what is designated by root make up neutral words in
the language system (Zimmer 1964). The stylistic dependence of derivatives with nega-
tive affix is determined, first of all, by the semantics of the root and not the affix. But in
the process of functioning such words are liable to semantic and stylistic transforma-
tions, which is conditioned by the stylistic potential of the category of negation and
affixal repetition.

The peculiarity of the affixes under consideration (-less, un-, in-, dis-) is that in spe-
cific conditions – under the influence of the root and the context or in case of repetition
– they can transfer emotional-evaluative meaning, due to the potential evaluative seme
existing in their structure. The specific feature of the functioning of RDM is that in case
of repetition of affixal morpheme, the correlated words of the derivational row undergo
emotional-evaluative transposition characterized by muting of lexical meaning and actu-
alization of stylistic semes. 

But Dick’s necessity of behaving as he did was projection of some sub-
merged reality: he was compelled to walk there, or stand there, his shirt-
sleeve fitting his wrist and his coat sleeve encasing his shirt-sleeve like a
dandy – just as another man once found it necessary to ashes. Dick was
playing some tribute to things unforgotten, unshriven, unexpurgated.

(Fitzgerald, “Tender is the Night”)

Here the multiple repetition of the negative prefix -un provokes the muting of the dif-
ferential semes and advances the potential evaluative seme “unforgotten, nonerasable
from memory”, which expresses the emotional state of the hero. 

One of the relevant criteria of the stylistic significance of RDM is its frequency. The
higher the frequency of affixal repetition, the stronger and the deeper the semantic rela-
tions with text units are, the more evident its role in creating the categories of informa-
tive value and cohesion are. Under these conditions RDM may assist in creating the leit-
motif – the main idea repeated and highlighted for many times, or an artistically expres-
sive detail, reiterated in the text. 

She was laughing hilariously, unashamed, unafraid, unconcerned. No
one coming on the scene would have imagined that she had caused it; she
laughed as after some mild escape of childhood.

(Fitzgerald “Tender is the Night”)

While discussing the pragmatic intention of knowledge framework activation, rele-
vant for perception of text information concept, the words derived from proper names are
of particular interest. As it is known, the use of proper names as common nouns is called
antonomasia. From the point of view of stylistic aspect, these units act as figurative
means of characterization, aimed at expressing emotional, subjective-evaluative attitude

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of the addresser towards the described facts. From the angle of the cognitive processes
the images of poetic onomastics expressed by means of derivatives act as signals which
assist in activation of specific knowledge relevant for communicative aims.

“I think they’re growing like Swedes – Ibsenesque, you know. Very
gradually getting gloomy and melancholy.”

(Fitzgerald “The Ice Palace”)

In the story “The Ice Palace” by S. Fitzgerald the derivative Ibsenesque is used
which is motivated by the proper name Ibsen (Henry) that activates the mechanism of
addressee’s memory, referring his consciousness to a particular author, in case the addressee
has some literary competence and specific knowledge. S. Fitzgerald draws parallels between
Henry Ibsen’s heroes and the heroes of his story, characterizing the “northerners”.
Something “Ibsenesque”, “Scandinavian” can be seen in their image, as they are “very
gradually getting gloomy and melancholy, there can always be found a certain brooding
rigidity in their character. They don’t indulge in the cheering luxury of tears. These peo-
ple are freezing up”. Activating particular structures of knowledge, the given derivative
becomes the bearer of the conceptual information of the given story – its microconcept,
which, together with the system of other concepts, forms the conceptual content of the
whole story.

So, the pragmatic intention of knowledge framework activation (linguistic, encyclo-
pedic and literary) becomes very significant while providing conceptual information of
the text and its perception. Here derivatives are of much importance due to the mecha-
nisms of motivation, analogy and patterning characteristic of them.

The role of derivational means in representation and perception of world picture in
the process of literary communication is of particular interest. In general, the question of
“world picture in its representation by derivational means” was studied by Kubryakova
(1988), Serebrennikov (1988), Arutyunova (1992), Sternin (1984), Teliya (1996),
Arkhipov (2000), Vejbicka (2001), Kolshansky (2005) and others. 

So, we should examine how the world picture may be represented by derivational
means in the process of creation and perception of fiction texts. As it is known, fiction
texts are able to model in the addressee’s consciousness picture of “possible” worlds,
which reflect the inner spiritual life of mankind. 

In literary communication with its subjective, aesthetic-evaluative, emotional-evalu-
ative, social-personal orientations, the objects of spiritual world, and consequently, the
vocabulary denoting it, are of primary importance. As Kubryakova mentions, “derived
words, due to their ability to serve as signs of results of human conceptual activity, occu-
py a visible and important place in the world picture reflected by humans” (Kubryakova
1988:169). Thus, derivatives play a significant role in literary communication, being the
signals of conceptual and aesthetically important information. 

The linguistic analysis of the derivatives used in the story “Ice Palace” has under-
lined the role of derivatives in the process of providing conceptual information of the text
and representation of the world picture. It should be mentioned that, first of all, there is

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a high concentration of derivatives in the text. The author used derivational patterns
mainly within two parts of speech – nouns and adjectives. Nouns are represented by the
following derivational patterns: Adj + -ness � N; Adj + -ery(ry) � N, Adj + -ity � N,
V + -(a)tion � N. The group of adjectives and adverbs is represented by the following
examples: lazy, summery, casually, sleepy, drowsy, sleepily, lazily, frosty, gloomy, icy,
dreary, icy-cold, cheerless, ice-bound, snobbish, horsey, expensive, superior, privileged.
Most of the derived adjectives and adverbs refer to emotive-evaluative vocabulary which
is quite important for representation of the evaluative picture of the world. 

In this story the author used semantic groups of words describing natural phenomena
(flower-filled summery evenings, dreamy skies, lazy days and nights, lazy cotton-fields,
drowsy picturesqueness; frosty station, ice-bound whalers, smokeless, trackless wastes), as
well as the inner  psychological state of a person; the  qualities, feelings and senses charac-
teristic of him (carelessness, generosity, sheer laziness, sleepy old side, lazily, sleepily, lazy
sweetness; gloomy and melancholy, icy terror, dreary loneliness, icy breath, stillness).
From the point of view of the content, the words characterizing people of the  South –
warmth, generosity, drowsiness, idleness, sweetness, and words describing people of the
North – coldness, loneliness, freezing terror, melancholy, sadness and dreariness prevail. 

The study of word-formative relations of derivatives proves that the processes of ana-
logical and correlative word-formation, as well as repetition of root and affixal mor-
phemes are widely used in the text. They should be examined from the point of view of
text perception and interpretation processes. Root repetition forming correlative textual
chains promotes the advancement of the key words of the text which mark the conceptu-
ally significant notions, during the perception of information. In the given story the fol-
lowing correlations are used hot – heat, summer – summery, dream – dreamy,  lazy – lazi-
ness – lazily, idle – idly, sleepy – sleepily, still – stillness, ice – icy – icy-cold, lonely –
alone – loneliness. They emphasize and emotionally intensify the feeling of warmth and
carelessness in the life of the Southerners, and in contrast – intensify the feeling of
freezing terror, loneliness, stillness and hopelessness of the Northerners. 

Thus, our analysis comes to prove that in the process of literary communication the
derivational means can somehow represent the picture of the world. 

References:

1. Aznaurova, E. (1988) Pragmatika khudozhestvennogo slova. Tashkent: Fun.  
2. Arnold, I.V. (1975) Interpretatsiya khudozhestvennogo teksta: Tipy vidvizheniya i

problema expressivnosti. // Expressivnie sredstva angliyskogo yazika. Leningrad:
LGPI.

3. Arnold, I.V. (2002) Stilistika sovremennogo angliyskogo yazika. (Stilistika
dekodirovaniya). M.: Nauka. 

4. Glazirina, S. (1987) Stilisticheskiy priyom povtora na slovoobrazovatel‘nom urovne
v viskazivanii i teksta. // Aspekty semanticheskogo analiza viskazivaniya i teksta.
Tashkent: Fun.  

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5. Khanpira, E. (1972) Okkazional’nost’ i okkazionalizmi. // Stilisticheskie issle-
dovaniya. M.: Nauka.

6. Kubryakova, E. (1988) Rol’ slovoobrzovaniya v formirovanii yazikovoi kartiny mira.
// Rol’ chelovecheskogo faktora v yazike: Yazik i kartina mira. M.: Nauka.

7. Zimmer, E. (1964) Affixal Negation in English and Other Languages: An
Investigation of Restricted Productivity. London: Clowes.

Sources of Data:

1. Fitzgerald, S. (1983) Selected Short Stories. M.: Raduga.
2. Fitzgerald, S. (1979) Tender is the Night. M.: Progress.
3. Joyce, J. (2002) Finneguans Wake. USA: Penguin Books.
4. (1998) The Oxford Dictionary of New Words. New York.

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