Compound Formation in Lɛtɛ

Abstract

This paper describes the phenomenon of compounding in Lɛtɛ (Larteh), a Guan language of the Kwa language phylum. Compounding is a word-formation process which involves the combination of at least two potentially free forms belonging to open word classes (Aikhenvald 2007: 24). Compounding in Lεtε is a productive derivational process which leads to the formation of nominal compounds through the juxtaposition of two free morphemes. Three types of nominal compounds are derived: the noun-noun; noun-verb; noun-adjective compounds. Besides these three, compound numerals are also found in Lεtε. Nominal compounds in Lɛtɛ are of the endocentric type with a fixed order: modifier- head. The formation of compounds involves regressive assimilation, vowel elision and changes in the basic tone pattern of stems. Nominal compounds with the exception of noun-verb compounds inflect for number. Syntactically, the nominal compounds behave like prototypical nouns in Lɛtɛ. Like many of the world’s languages, nominal compounds in Lɛtɛ tend to have more specific meanings than any of the words that make up the compound (Payne 1997: 93).