Chapter 5. Exploring linguistic competition in English derivatives ending in ‑ ie and ‑ o through a cognitive-onomasiological approach

Abstract

This study investigates the issue of linguistic competition by analysing a dataset comprised of ‑ie/-o doublets, e.g. kiddie/kiddo, weirdie/weirdo. The analysis is based on the key tenets of the onomasiological approach to word-formation (Štekauer 1998) supplemented by the prototypical approach to affix rivalry (Hamawand 2007). The analysis aims to identify the nature of connections between the conceptual, semantic, and onomasiological levels within ‑ie and ‑o paradigms taken separately and whether these connections may play a role on the onomatological level. The analysis of the data allows for identifying four generic onomasiological models (i.e. quality, patient, object, and action), in which the categories of quality and patient convey the highest degree of competitiveness within the evaluative domain of pejoration.