LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/LLT Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 104 CATEGORIZATION OF COMPOUND NOUNS IN KURDISH AND ENGLISH Sumaya Khalid Mustafa University of Halabja, Kurdistan Region, Iraq correspondence: sumaya.khalidm@gmail.com DOI: doi.org/10.24071/llt.2020.230108 received 22 February 2020; accepted 26 March 2020 Abstract This paper is concerned with the categorization of compound nouns in Kurdish and English. It compares compound nouns of the two languages according to the prototype theory, applying categorization as a cognitive assumption. The paper attempts to achieve the following goals: first, classifying Kurdish compound nouns using morphological and semantic criteria, listing Kurdish compound nouns according to the prototype theory, showing the structure based on which the relationship between the components of a compound noun is represented, comparing the morphological and semantic relations between the components of compound nouns of Kurdish to those of English. The data of the study on the Kurdish language were collected and analyzed based on the fact that the author is a native speaker of Kurdish. The results show that the morphological structure of compound nouns in Kurdish is more complex than the structure of compound nouns in English though they share some structures. Unlike English, the head in Kurdish compound nouns is not always a noun. The categorization of Kurdish compound nouns is different from English ones; it depends on the nature of the languages and the different perspectives of their users. In both languages, there are compound nouns whose meaning needs encyclopedic knowledge of the speakers to interpret them. This point confirms the assumptions of cognitive linguistics namely simplicity, conventionality, and semanticity. Keywords: compound nouns; categorization; prototype and periphery; endocentric; exocentric Introduction The present study is based on the framework of cognitive linguistics, how humans organize, process and convey information via an instrument which is language. The paper assumes that the use of compound nouns is determined by two factors; one is that every linguistic expression is meaningful and has a specific function in the language. The second is that the use of the expression is the result of how the speaker construes a situation. Accordingly, two expressions having the same content are different in meaning. That is why each one is linguistically expressed differently. The paper applies the theory of categorization on compound nouns in English and Kurdish. Categorization is the mental act of grouping together numerous senses of lexical items into a category. A category is a network of distinct but related senses LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 105 of a given lexical item. One of these senses is a prototype which is the central item and the most salient example. It comes to mind first, whereas the remaining senses are called periphery and are listed according to their conceptual distance from the prototype. A compound noun is a noun formed by combining two words (roots, bases, free morphemes or lexical substructures) i.e. a modifier and ahead. The two words might come with a space, without a space, or with a hyphen. Compound nouns act as a single unit. In most languages, the compound nouns have a head that bears the main semantic meaning of the whole compound noun, and a modifier that either adds or limits the meaning of the head (Lyons, 1968, p. 250). However, the compound nouns have a special meaning of their own which is not equal to and is even to the meaning of its substructures (Tarasova, 2013, p. 2). Some types of compound nouns are much more common than others, prototypically and peripherally. Compounding is a very important way of adding to the word stock of many languages because the combination of the lexical substructures expresses a new idea (Ahmed, 2012, p. 35; Carstairs-McCarthy, 2018, p. 66). A compound noun in English is made up of two bases; both of them are words or free morphemes(Ahmed, 2012, p. 36; Baseer, 1979, p. 62). However, in Kurdish, these independent or free morphemes are linked with or without the help of inter- fixes (Hamad, 2016, p. 356; Shwani, 2011, p. 120). In English and Kurdish, one of the lexical substructures is the Head (H) and the other is the modifier (M). The H may come at the left or the right hand of the structure and the same for the M. M+ H = a Compound Noun. For instance, in Kurdish qeleŗeŞ: ŗeŞ means ‘black’ which determines the color of the head qel: ‘bird’ the compound noun becomes blackbird or crow. Literature Review There are theoretical and empirical research papers made previously about compound nouns in a cognitive semantic approach. However, the focus has been on conceptual blending theory applying conceptual metaphor and metonymy theory (Alexander, 2014; Benczes, 2005; Vorobeva, 2016; Yang & Li, 2018; Zibin & Altakhaineh, 2018). Hamad (2016, pp. 359-360) tried to identify the compound noun-formation patterns of English and Kurdish to show whether the compound nouns in the two languages are similar or differ semantically and syntactically. He listed nineteen syntactic patterns of English compound nouns and twenty-eight patterns of Kurdish ones. In two-third of the Kurdish compound noun patterns, inter-fixes such as e, u, be, t. and ne participate by which the two elements are combined are common, whereas inter-fixes do not take part in any of the English compound noun-formation patterns. At the level of semantics, he states that both languages have the four main types of compound nouns: endocentric, exocentric, appositional and coordinative compound nouns with the prevalence of endocentric compound nouns in the two languages. Based on (Plag, 2018), Hamad classifies compound nouns of English and Kurdish into primary, secondary, and copulative compound nouns. He points out that most English and Kurdish compound nouns belong to the first two types of LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 106 compound nouns while the copulative compound nouns are very uncommon in both languages. In a subsection of his book, Hamawand (2011, p. 203) applies the theory of categorization on English compound nouns in terms of prototype and periphery. The present study applies the same theory through the same method to achieve the following goals: first, classifying Kurdish compound nouns using morphological and semantic criteria, listing Kurdish compound nouns according to the prototype theory following Hamawand (2011, p. 203)’s model, showing the structure based on which the relationship between the components of a compound noun is represented. Then comparing categories of Kurdish compound nouns to English compound nouns to show the areas of similarity and differences between the two languages. Endocentricity vs. Exocentricity Compound nouns can be classified into Endocentric and Exocentric compound nouns according to the determination of meaning i.e. according to the semantic criteria: 1. Endocentric Compound Nouns Endocentric is a term used to classify syntactic constructions using distributional criteria. “It refers to a group of syntactically related words where one of the words is functionally equivalent to the group as a whole i.e. there is a definable ‘centre’ or head inside the group, which has the same distribution as the whole” (Crystal, 2015, p. 16). While (Bauer, 1983, p. 186) sees an endocentric compound as a type of compound nouns in which the compound is a hyponym of the grammatical head such as an armchair is a kind of chair. (Hamawand, 2011, p. 205) uses the term endocentric to point to the case where the meaning of a compound is a specialization of the meaning of its head, i.e. the reference of the compound is the same as the reference of one of its consistent parts. Such a compound consists of head and modifier. Hence, the principles of analyzability and compositionality are appropriate. Analyzability is the case in which the substructure of a compound noun is matched up phonetically and semantically. Compositionality is the case in which the meaning of a complex expression is determined by the meaning of its components. This entails that the meaning of a compound noun is the result of the combination of the meaning of the substances(Hamawand, 2011, p. 204; Lyons, 1968, p. 251). For example, gelaměw means (gela N leaf + měw vine (N) = (vine leaf), (berdenuej berd N stone+ nuej N pray = (a stone which is used to pray on). MasifroŞ masi N (fish) + froŞ N (seller) = fish seller or (fishmonger), other examples are gzhűgya gzh N weed +ű+ gya N weed = weeds, gftűgo: gft verbal root speech+ ű+ go Verbal root speaking = conversation, glko: gl soil + ko N group = tomb. 2. Exocentric Compound Nouns Bauer (1983, p. 187) states that exocentric compound nouns are that type of compound nouns in which the compound is not a hyponym of the grammatical head, LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 107 for instance, redskin is not a type of skin. He thinks that it is a hyponym of a semantic head that is unexpressed in the compound. So, for him, the head of the compound redskin is an unexpressed noun a ‘person’. However, this definition is not quite sufficient because an endocentric compound noun lacks a head, so the meaning of the whole is not semantically equivalent to either of its parts and is not carried by the head, but is external to the compound noun (Yazdani, 2019, p. 3). Exocentricity is represented as the case where the meaning of a compound is not a specification of the meaning of its head, because it lacks a head, or it is not expressed morphologically. One should account for meaning through encyclopedic knowledge. In this type, the meaning of the compound noun does not come from the meaning of any of the parts (Hamawand, 2011, p. 205; Lyons, 1968, p. 250). For example, a compound noun as sergewre (a leader) consists of two independent morphemes ser N (head) and gewre adj (big), but the meaning of sergewre does not come from any of (ser: head) (gewre: big or large), other examples are (bermal: ber front Adv + mal N home) but the whole compound means a carpet used to pray on, (Şapesend: Şa N king + pesend V prefer but the compound noun is a name of a flower) (Mukryani, 1989, p. 464). Compound Nouns in English English compound nouns are made up of two free morphemes or lexical substructures, i.e. a head and a modifier. In English compounds, the head is always a noun but the modifier could be a noun, adjective or verb. English compound nouns are mostly right-headed(Brinton & Brinton, 2010, p. 104; Katamba, 2015, p. 16). Based on the relationship between the two substructures of compound nouns, there are prototypical and peripheral compound nouns as shown in Figure (1): Figure 1. Categorization of Compound Nouns in English 1. Prototypical Compound Nouns in English Prototypically, a compound noun is made up of two nouns a modifier (M) and a head (H) to express the following relations: It is worth mentioning that both prototypical and peripheral relations of English compound nouns are listed briefly, as adapted from (Hamawand, 2011, pp. 204– 206) because the main purpose is to compare Kurdish compound nouns with English ones. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 108 a. M is part of H such as armchair, book chapte b. H is part of M such as teardrop, car wheel c. H is made of M such as sand clock, gold watch d. H is used for M such as swimming pool, toothbrush e. M is used for H such as oil heater, eyeliner f. H holds M such as paperclip, wallpaper g. H is positioned in in M such as kitchen table, post office h. M is positioned in H such as earring, footnote. i. H is the time for M such as mealtime, bedtime j. M is the time for H such as morning walk, evening class k. M is the field of H such as filmmaker, shopkeeper l. H has the feature of M such as winning goal, cheeseburger m. H causes M such as yeast bread, steam iron n. M causes H such as tin-opener, blood pressure o. M is a measure of H such as 1-day trip, two-days conference Despite the compound nouns that could be classified according to the relationship between their components, there are compound nouns which meanings cannot be construed through the meaning of their head or modifier. Such compound nouns are called headless compounds (Hamawand, 2011, p. 207) such as brainstorm and honeymoon. 2. Peripheral English Compound Nouns English Peripheral compound nouns are those compound nouns in which the head is a noun whereas the modifier is either an adjective or a verb. The endocentric peripheral compound nouns express the following relations: a. Head does the action of Modifier. This is when the modifier is a verb, such as washman, washing machine, swimming pool, breakwater and so on. b. Head has the property of the Modifier. This is when the modifier is an adjective, such as greenhouse, full moon, fast food. Examples of exocentric peripheral compound nouns are pickpocket, longhand, green hand, deadline and so on Kurdish Compound Nouns Kurdish compound nouns are made up of two free morphemes with or without inter-fixes (such as e, u, be, tȇ and ne). The two free morphemes build a new noun that has a new independent meaning. One of the two free morphemes is a head (H) or profile determinant which is mostly a noun and marginally it can be a verbal root and the other one is the modifier (M) that belongs to any word class (noun, adjective, verb, adverb or even a verbal root) (Hamad, 2016, p. 360). Based on the cognitive assumption of the prototype theory, Kurdish compound nouns are classified into a prototypical compound noun and peripheral compound noun: LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 109 1. Kurdish Prototypical Compound Nouns Prototypically, a compound noun consists of two independent substructures with or without the help of an inter-fix. The combination could be between two nouns or a noun and an adjective, a verbal root, or adverb. Depending on the nature of the combining substructures, it expresses relationships such as: a. M is sort of H. This relationship is modeled by (N+N) or (N +inter-fix + N) for example, marmasi: is sort of masi N which means eel. Other examples such as (Gelaměw: vine leaf), (kewmar: kew N chuker+ mar N snake= (a sort of fish), (gűlebax: gull N flower +e+ bax N garden= (rose), (gaberd: ga N cow+ berd N stone = rock), (Şatű: Şa N king +tű berry = blackberry) (Kory-Zanyary-Kurd, 2011, p. 16; Mukryani, 1989, p. 464). b. M and H both make a mixture. i.e. the compound is made up of M and H. This relationship is represented by (N+N) such as in mastaw; in this example, mast N and aw N both make a mixture in which mastaw: yogurt mixed in water, (gűlaw: a mixture of gűl N (flower) and aw N water), (Şekraw: Şkre N (suger) + aw N water = cooling drink of fruit juice) (Mukryani, 1989, p. 487,713,791) c. H is positioned in M. This sense of location proceeds when the modifier indicates the habitat in which the head is placed, thus expressing a place -object relationship. The model is (N+ (inter-fix) +N) such as: (qutabxane: school, a place where children go to be educated), (frokexane: froke airplane N+ xane N = house airport), (nexoŞxane: nexoŞ N sick + xane N home= hospital), (mezadxane: action-place), (miwanxane: miwan N hostel) (serűpě: sheep’s totters), (hělkewŗőn: fried eggs), (dexlűdan: dexl N corn+ dan N corn= corn (generic) (Mukryani, 1989, p. 846,880). d. H is part of M. This sense of belongingness arises when the modifier denotes the whole and the head is the part such as boletrě where the relationship is modeled by (N+ (inter- fix)+ N) such as in (gűełegenm: ear of wheat) in this example gűł N is a part of genm N. (kasaser: kase N (container) +e+ ser N (head) = skull) (Kory-Zanyary-Kurd, 2011, p. 16). e. M is part of H. This sense of belongingness arises when the head denotes the whole and the modifier the part such as baxi miwe (fruit garden) where the relationship is modeled by (N+ (inter-fix)+ N) such as in desky derga: desk (handle ) +y + derga N (door) = handle of the door) and tayey seyare: N taye (tire) +y+ seyare N(car) = (car tier). f. H has feature of M. This sense of comparison is realized when the modifier elucidates the shape, size, colour of the head and so on, of the head. This relationship is modeled by (adj. +(inter-fix) + N) (terepiaz: ter adj (wet) is a characteristic of piaz adj (onion) as being ter : wet onion). To provide other examples, one can write reȘmar: reȘ adj. (black) + mar N (snake) = black snake, qelereŞ: qel N (cro) + e+reŞ adj. (black) = blackcrow, sűrečnar: sűr adj (red)+e+ čnar N (pine tree) = red pine tree, and (tazedě: taze adj (new)+ edě N (village) = a new village), (Ghareeb, 2012, p. 58; Mukryani, 1989, pp. 162– 585). g. M is positioned in H. This sense of location occurs when the modifier indicates the object and heads a location in which it is positioned, expressing an object- place relationship. One of the two substructures is an adverb while the head is a noun (adv.+N). Examples are (jěrxan: basement) jer adv (under) is positioned LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 110 under xan N (house), (serban: ser adv on + ban N (roof) = roof, (serzemin: earth), (sergeƚű: name of a place), and (serkarěz: name of a place). h. H covers M. This sense of purpose happens when the modifier signals a cover and the head is an object, thus expressing a cover-object relationship. The relationship is represented with (N+ a verbal root), For instance, serpőŞ: ser N (head) + pőŞ verbal root (to cover)= headcover (Misitry of Education, 2009, p. 12), destkěŞ: dest hand N+ kěŞ V to cover = gloves, serqap: cover), and (mlpěč: ml N (neck) + pěč verbal root (to fasten) = scarf. i. H is used for M. This appears when the modifier names a goal and the head is an instrument to achieve it. Thus, expressing a goal-instrument relationship, where the model is (N+(inter-fix) +N) or (N+ a verbal root). This is clear in this example, gacűt: ga N (cou) +cűt verbal root (plow) =plow-ox; gacűt is that ox which was used in the past to plough. Kewčkiča; kewčk N (spoon) +i+ ča N (tea)= teaspoon, a teaspoon is a spoon used for stirring tea, Other examples čapalěu: ča N (tea) + palěu N (strainer)= tea strainer, (berdenűěj: ber N (rock + e+ nűěj N (prayer)= prayer -fags, and (befrmal: befr N (snow) +mal verbal root (to sweep)= snow-sweeper (Xoshnaw, 2011, p. 28). j. H holds M. This relationship occurs when the head indicates a container and the modifier indicates content. The model is (N +inter-fix +N). For example, in qory ča (tea pot) qori N (pot) is the container for ča N (tea). Other examples include btly ghaz : btl N (tank) +y+ ghaz N (gas) = gas tank, and debey aw : debe N box +y+ aw N (water) = water box. k. There are also kinship compound nouns in which the M is a person who is one step further in the relationship from the H. Its model can be either (N+ a verbal root(za)) or (N+N). For example, braza: bra N (brother) +za= a son or daughter of your sister or brother. Other examples are (brajin: bra N (brother +jin N (wife) = sister-in-law, xalojin: xalo N (uncle) +jin N (wife) = wife of your uncle and amojin wife of your uncle: wife of your uncle, xaloza, amoza, pűrza, all mean cousin. l. Other kinship compound nouns are those that show the relation of being a step relative. The head is a noun referring to one of the family members and the H is the word zir with the sense of being in step relation. Thus, the structure is (adj (Zir) +N). Such as zirbra: zir adj (step) +bra N (brother) = step-brother, zir bauk: zir adj (step)+ bauk N (father)= step-father, zir xűŞk: step-sister, and zir mam: step-uncle (Saeed, 2011, p. 94). m. M is the occupation of H: the structure that is used to form this kind of relationship is (N+ verbal root). For example: masïfrőŞ: masï N (fish) + frőŞ verbal root (seller) = fishmonger, masïgir: masï N (fish) + gir verbal root (to catch)= fisherman, asinger: asin N (iron) +ger verbal root (to make)= blacksmith, sertaŞ: ser N (head) taŞ verbal root (to shave)= head-dresser, (pěłaudrű: pěłau (sho) +drű verbal root (to sew)= shoemaker, and bergdrű: berg N (clothes) +drű (to sew) = tailor n. Another type is known as ‘reduplication’. It is the repetition of natural sounds, gvegiv: continuous rustling, qrčeqirč: crackling, qazűqűłng: crane (bird), and girmegrim: harsh and sonorous and gűƚűmiƚ: flower. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 111 There are prototypical compound nouns in Kurdish whose meanings cannot be construed through the meaning of their head or modifier and one needs to have an encyclopedic knowledge to interpret their meanings i.e. exocentric compound nouns. Such as reŞmall which consists of adjective reŞ (black) and noun mall (home) but the meaning of the compound noun is a tent which is far different from the meaning of the head or the modifier. Other examples are (Şerpenje: Şerpenje: Şer N (lion)+ penje N (finger)= cancer, dastnűěj: das N (hand) + tnűěj N (prayer) =ritual ablution, and (berdeqareman: a stone behind which one of the Kurdish leaders, who was associated by English troops, hide in a battle). 2. Kurdish Peripheral Compound Nouns Peripherally, compound nouns consist of two independent substructures with or without the help of an inter-fix. The combination could be between two nouns or a noun and an adjective, a verbal root, or an adverb or two verbal roots. The compound expresses such relationships as: a. H does the action of M. This relationship is modeled by (N+ verbal root). This sense arises when M is an action and H is a person who does the action. For example, sertaŞ consists of ser N head and taŞ verbal root (to shave) = hair dresser. Other examples are textebes: texte n (wood) + bes verbal root to join) = housebuilder, and goŞtfroŞ : goŞt N (meat) + froŞ berbal root (to sell)= someone who sells meat. b. M is a number of H. A compound noun gives this sense when it is composed of (Number+ N) such as hezarpě: hezar number (thousand) + pě N (foot) = millipede, a small creature with a long cylindrical body consisting of many parts, each part has two pairs of legs), dűpŞk: du (two) + pishk N (part) = scorpion), (sědare: se (three) + dare N (tree) = gallows), (sěpa: three-legged tripod), (sěpere: clover), and (čwarčěue: easel). c. Repeating the same verbal root. Its model is (verbal root+(inter-fix) +verbal root). For example, (hatűčo: hat verbal root (come) +ű+čo verbal root (go) = traffic, the movement of people or goods, cars or trains from one place to another), (gftűgo) gft verbal root speech+ ű+ go verbal root speaking = conversation, (mȘtűmal: message), and (mȘtumř: dispute)(Xoshnaw, 2011, p. 28). d. M shows the plurality of H. Another less common type of compound nouns is a structure which is a combination of two nouns. A noun shows a plurality of another noun with or without the help of an inter-fix. So, the structure is (N+ (inter-fix) +N). Examples are qerizuqől, here qeriz N means debit, qol N means arm, and the two words together mean an amount of debit, geȘtűguzar: geȘt N (trip) + ű+ guzar N (moving) = tourism, (qapűqačax: pots and pans) and (gzhűgya: weeds). e. M is the time for H. The morphological structure is (N+ inter-fix+ adv.) For example, gulebehar: gull N (flower) +e+ behar adv (spring) = buttercup, gulepaïze: gull N (flower) +e+ païze adv (autumn) =an autumn flower, zinnia, gulenisan: gull N (flower) +e+ nisan adv (April) anemone, Şeuleban: something which is on the roof at night), and Şeunuěj: a prayer at night (Kory- Zanyary-Kurd, 2011, p. 16). LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 112 Examples of Kurdish exocentric peripheral compound nouns are demeȘer (name of a flower), demeȘer consists of dem N which means mouth, inter-fix e and Șer N which means lion in Kurdish, but the compound noun that they make is a name of a flower which is far from the meaning of its substructures and the speakers need background and contextual knowledge to interpret the meaning of demeȘer. Other examples are serbaz: ser N (head) + baz (eagl) = soldier (Xoshnaw, 2011, p. 28), and berpris: ber adv (front) + pris N (issue) = responsible or authority. Findings and Discussion As Table 1 shows, the components of compound nouns in English and Kurdish represent some aspects which are prototypical in both languages, such aspects include part-whole relation, purpose, location, and property. However, some relations are prototypical between components of Kurdish compound nouns but not between English ones; such aspects include family relations, making a mixture, feature, occupation, and reduplication. Table 1. Prototypical Relations of Compound Nouns in English & Kurdish Prototypical Relations of English compound nouns Prototypical Relations of Kurdish compound nouns H is part of M M is part of H H is used for M H holds M H is poisoned in M M is poisoned in H H has the feature of M H is the time for M M is the time for H M is the field with which H is concerned H causes M M causes H M is the measure of H H is made of M M is used for H H is part of M M is part of H H is used for M H holds M H is poisoned in M M is poisoned in H H has the feature of M M is sort of H M and H both make a mixture H covers M M is a person who has a relation with H M is the adjective zir and H is a family member M is the occupation of H Reduplication of natural sounds LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 113 The peripheral relations of compound nouns in Kurdish are broader than those in English. They include action, membership, time, and plurality, while English has only action and property, as shown in table 2. Table 2. Peripheral Relations of Compound Nouns in English & Kurdish N. Peripheral Relations of English compound nouns Peripheral Relations of Kurdish compound nouns H does the action of M H has the property of M H does the action of M M is a member of H Repeating the same verbal root M is the time for H M shows the plurality of H The model for prototypical relations of English compound nouns is (N+N), but in Kurdish there are various models such as (N+N), (N+ inter-fix+ N), (adj+ inter- fix+ N), (adv+ N), (N+ verbal root), (verbal root + verbal root) which shows Kurdish has a more complex word-formation structure than English. There are two models for peripheral relations of English compound nouns, namely (V+ noun), and (adj. +N), but in Kurdish there are various models, such as (N+ inter-fix +N), (N+ inter-fix +adv), (number +N), and (verbal root + inter-fix + verbal root). This result too shows that morphological structures for word-formation are more complex and diverse than English. In English compound nouns, the head should always be a noun, while in Kurdish there are compound nouns made of two verbal roots without any noun. This is confirmed by experts and native speakers of the Kurdish language, for example, Zeki Hamawand and Azad Fatah, as well as the examples the researcher got from the references and dictionaries such as Hembane Borine (1989) and Hamad (2016). So, for Kurdish compound nouns, it is their meaning and function i.e. their use, rather than their form (the constituents), that decides it is a compound noun, not a compound verb nor a compound adjective. In both languages, there are compound nouns whose meaning needs encyclopedic knowledge of the speakers to interpret them. This point confirms the assumptions of cognitive linguistics namely simplicity since the compound nouns have both meaning and form, conventionality being accepted by the speech community, and semanticity because the symbols convey meanings. Conclusion This paper has attempted to describe the role of the category theory in the semantic relation of compound nouns; It compares Kurdish compound nouns with English compound nouns to show that the morphological structure of words mirrors LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 23, No. 1, April 2020 114 their semantic structure. A language user depends on his mental ability to group numerous senses of lexical items; this process is called categorization. One of the senses is the prototype. In English compound nouns, the prototype is a combination of two nouns, while in Kurdish compound nouns, the prototype is the combination of two nouns or a noun with an adjective, verb, a verbal root or an adverb with or without the help of an inter-fix. On the other hand, there are peripheral or less common compound nouns in both languages that are linked to the prototype via semantic extensions. The peripheral English compound nouns are combinations of a noun and a verb or a noun and an adjective, while the peripheral Kurdish compound nouns are made up of a noun and another noun or a noun and an adverb or two verbal roots. In brief, one can conclude that the theory of categorization can be applied to Kurdish compound nouns as well as English compound nouns. 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