The purpose of this is to discuss the meaning of Korean prefix. Characteristics of the Prefix meaning include the specialization of the meaning of prefixes, the classification of the prefix meaning, the changing principles of categories of prefi...
The purpose of this is to discuss the meaning of Korean prefix. Characteristics of the Prefix meaning include the specialization of the meaning of prefixes, the classification of the prefix meaning, the changing principles of categories of prefixes and their etymologies, antagonistic relationship on the prefix meaning, This enunciated these issues as the followings.
In the second section, this discussed the distinguishing criterions of meaning specialization. The grammaticization of prefixes, in fact, is the process of meaning's specialization. The meaning's specialization is a kind of primary criterion which has broader meaning and includes two classes, the first is on the relationship's degree about prefixes and their etymologies' original meaning, the second is about the ability which can change the bases' categories. Following the standards of meaning specialization, a '229-prefix -list' is identified. The additional criterions of prefixation include modification, non-unitary base and extended meaning. Based on the additional criterions, the degree of the meaning specialization on the prefixes can be measured.
In the third section, this discussed the classification of prefix meaning and the relationship between the form and the meaning. Firstly, this divided the prefix list into seven classes: state, action, space, time, number, relationship, negation and affirmation. Then, the causes of prefixation is discussed. Although in the beginning stage of the prefixation, social, psychological, cultural causes and the influence of borrowed words is significant, but in the development stage, the interaction between the root causes and the causes of the meaning specialization is important, which is called ‘infection’.
The results of the meaning specialization can lead to the multivocal prefixes, homonym prefixes, synonymy prefixes, and the special state. The production of multivocal prefix is the main results of the meaning specialization. The deeper degree of the prefixes' specialization, the relationship between the meaning becomes smaller. If the relationship between the meaning disappear, homonym prefixes come into being. Because of etymologies' original meaning and bases' influence, among the prefixes there are no prefixes that have complete synonymy, there are only prefixes which have similar meaning. Because of the base, generally speaking, synonymy prefixes have the style of complementary distribution. Although the general results of the meaning specialization are synonymy prefixes, several existing principals exist. Firstly, some etymologies with different original meaning change with meaning specialization and can generally changed into the same prefixes. Secondly, though two prefixes, with other meanings are opposite, along with the abstract process the final result is that the two prefixes come into the same meaning. Thirdly, sometimes, two morpheme with similar original meaning can change into two prefixes which has different meaning.
In the forth section, this discussed the category change of etymology. There are principles in the process of etymologies' becoming prefixes.
In the etymologies' syntactic category, the etymologies' turn is 'noun, adjective, verb, dead word, adverb, numeral, quantifier'. In other words, noun, adjective, verb' prefixes appear more frequently. This kind of principles also appear in 'state, space, time, numeral' prefixes, but in action prefixes verb etymologies appear most frequently, noun, verb, adjective etymologies appear most frequently in negative prefix. Adjective and noun etymologies appear most frequently in positive prefixes.
In the etymologies' meaning category, the features of etymologies' meaning appear in the order of [/degree], [/space], [/state], [/thing], [/action], [/dead word], [/time], [/numeral], [/person], [/value assessment], [/color], [/negation] and [/imitation].
In the change of the meaning features, principles and orientation exist. In the prefixes' formative process, prefixes can free them from the real words regarded as etymology, but can't completely free from the features of the semantics category.
Moreover, words that have the features of [/degree], [/thing], [/space] can come into all kinds of prefixes. Words that have features of [/state] can come into all kinds of prefixes except the action prefixes. Words that have the features of [/time], [/person] and [/abstract] can come into 'state, time, relationship, negation and positive' prefixes but can't come into 'action, space, number' prefixes. On the opposition, words that have the features of [/space], [/action], [/numeral] can come into 'time' prefixes. and, words that have the features of [/value assessment] can come into 'state, space, time, relationship, negation and positive' prefixes, words that have the features of [/numeral] only can come into 'time, numeral, relationship' prefixes.
In the fifth section, this discussed antagonistic relationship among the prefix meanings. In general, based on the positiveness and passiveness, (-)series prefixes are more productive than (/)series prefixes. This phenomenon is different from ordinary words and suffixes which have more (/)series. This kind of characteristic of prefixes relates to the meaning's systematic construction. However sometimes (/)series prefixes are productive. This phenomenon come into being particularly when the ordinary words and suffixes are not productive.
Classified by degree, a portion of prefixes belong to (/)series which also belongs to (-)series classified by psychological assessment or perception. Classified by psychological assessment or perception, the (-)series prefixes are productive for the reason that the meaning changes. In the results of the meaning change, the most easily producing style is degradation. Because of the producing of meaning specialization the prefixes have no choice but to be pr
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