Wörter & Phrasen

A+N-compounds and idiomatic A+N-phrases in Dutch and German (DFG project) -
[2007-2012]

Being closely related languages, German and Dutch widely share the same processes with regard to word formation. Although compounding is, in principle, possible both in Dutch and German, plenty of German compounds correspond to complex phrases in Dutch marked by lexicalisation and idiomatication. Above all, this is the case with A+N-compounds, see Dünndarm – dunne darm 'small intestine', Dunkelkammer – donkere kamer 'darkroom', Festplatte – harde schijf 'hard disk'. Nevertheless, German also has a lot of such idiomatic phrases, see kalter Kaffee, wilde Ehe und rotes Tuch. The project seeks to analyse those A+N-combinations in multiple ways: Is there empirical evidence for a presupposed difference in use concerning compounds and phrases? Which function do A+N-compounds have in contrast to A+N-phrases, within one language as well as cross-linguistically? How can one explain why compounding in Dutch is so much more restricted in comparison to German? Is this an intermediate stage of language change finally leading towards the unproductivity of A+N-compounding in Dutch? Do A+N-phrases prove that there is no rigid limit between syntax and the lexicon? Then, which consequences can be drawn for grammar theory?

Scientific assistants: PD Dr. Barbara Schlücker, Saskia Schuster, M.A.


Project-related events


Project-related publications

  • Schuster, Saskia (2013): Variation und Wandel. Zur Konkurrenz morphologischer und syntaktischer Muster im Deutschen und Niederländischen. Dissertation, Freie Universität Berlin.
  • Schlücker, Barbara (2013): „The semantics of lexical modification. Meaning and meaning relations in German A+N compounds“. In: Pius ten Hacken & Claire Thomas (eds.), The Semantics of Word Formation and Lexicalization. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 121-139.
  • Schlücker, Barbara (2012): Grammatik im Lexikon. Adjektiv-Nomen-Verbindungen im Deutschen und im deutsch-niederländischen Sprachvergleich. Habilitationsschrift, Freie Universität Berlin.
  • Gaeta, Livio & Barbara Schlücker (Hrsg., 2012): Das Deutsche als kompositionsfreudige Sprache. Strukturelle Eigenschaften und systembezogene Aspekte. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter (= Linguistik - Impulse & Tendenzen 46).
  • Gaeta, Livio & Barbara Schlücker (Hrsg., 2012): Das Deutsche als kompositionsfreudige Sprache. Strukturelle Eigenschaften und systembezogene Aspekte. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter (= Linguistik - Impulse & Tendenzen 46).
  • Schlücker, Barbara (2012): "Die deutsche Kompositionsfreudigkeit. Übersicht und Einführung". In: L. Gaeta & B. Schlücker (Hrsg.), Das Deutsche als kompositionsfreudige Sprache. Strukturelle Eigenschaften und systembezogene Aspekte. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter (= Linguistik - Impulse & Tendenzen 46), 1-25.
  • Schlücker, Barbara & Ingo Plag (2011): "Compound or Phrase? Analogy in Naming". Lingua 121, 1539-1551.
  • Hüning, Matthias & Barbara Schlücker (2010): 'Konvergenz und Divergenz in der Wortbildung. Komposition im Niederländischen und im Deutschen.' In: Antje Dammel; Sebastian Kürschner & Damaris Nübling (red.), Kontrastive Germanistische Linguistik. 2 delen. Hildesheim, Zürich, New York: Georg Olms Verlag, 783–825 (= Germanistische Linguistik, 206-209). [PDF-Version]
  • Hüning, Matthias (2010): "Adjective + Noun constructions between syntax and word formation in Dutch and German". In: Sascha Michel & Alexander Onysko (red.), Cognitive approaches to word formation. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 195-215. [PDF-Version]
  • Schuster, Saskia (2010): "Modifikation in der niederländischen Nominalphrase: ein kontrastiver Überblick im Vergleich zum Deutschen." Deutsche Sprache, 2/10, 154-174.
  • Schlücker, Barbara & Matthias Hüning (2009, red.): Words and Phrases – Nominal expressions of naming and description. Sonderband Word Structure 2.2.
  • Schlücker, Barbara & Matthias Hüning (2009): "Compounds and phrases. A functional comparison between German A+N-compounds and corresponding phrases". Italian Journal of Linguistics 21, Sonderband "Compounds between syntax and lexicon".
  • Hüning, Matthias (2004): "Over woorden en woordgroepen. A+N-verbindingen in het Nederlands en in het Duits". In: Kiedron, Stefan & Kowalska-Szubert, Agata (red.), Thesaurus polyglottus et flores quadrilingues. Festschrift für Stanislaw Predota zum 60. Geburtstag. Wroclaw: Oficyna Wydawnicza ATUT - Wroclawskie Wyawnictwo Oswiatowe, 159-171. [PDF-Version]