Title The Adjective Suffix-Y in Present Day English Author(s) Oba, Kiyoshi Citation 金沢大学教養部論集. 人文科学篇 = Studies in Humanities by the College of Liberal arts Kanazawa University, 1: 57-77 Issue Date 1964-02-28 Type Departmental Bulletin Paper Text version publisher URL http://hdl.handle.net/2297/39199 Right *KURAに登録されているコンテンツの著作権は，執筆者，出版社（学協会）などが有します。 *KURAに登録されているコンテンツの利用については，著作権法に規定されている私的使用や引用などの範囲内で行ってください。 *著作権法に規定されている私的使用や引用などの範囲を超える利用を行う場合には，著作権者の許諾を得てください。ただし，著作権者 から著作権等管理事業者（学術著作権協会，日本著作出版権管理システムなど）に権利委託されているコンテンツの利用手続については ，各著作権等管理事業者に確認してください。 http://dspace.lib.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/dspace/ 57 THEADJECTIVESUFFIX-Y IN PRESENTDAYENGLISH KiyoshiOBA 1．INTRODUCTION ItiswellknownthatinpresentdayEnglishtherearesomealive suffixesandotherdeadsuffixes.Andasfortheadjectivesuffixesstill availableforthecoiningofnewcompounds,Kennedypointsoutasfollows inhisCurrentEnglish: 一 一 − AdjectivesuffixesfromAnglo-Saxon: -ed,-ful,-ish,-less,-y AdjectivesuffixesfromFrench,Latin,Greek: -able,-ible,-an,-ian,-ese,-esque. Amongthoseintheabove,Ithinkthemostinterestingis-y,though − ithassomeothercompetentrivalsinformingadjectives,thatis,-ly, -like,etc.Anditiswiththis-ysuffixthatthispaperisconcerned・It − willnotbeseldomthateverybodyhasfeltaparticularinterestinthe functioningofthe-ysuffixintheEnglishlanguage,becauseitseemsto − playapeculiarpartintheinformalspeech.Then,howcanweseewhat iswhatwiththesuffix？Whatshallbeourmaterialswemaymakean approachto？Allthatthepresentwritercandoistopickupalmostall thewordswiththeSLsuffixinthetwokindsofdictionary---thecommonEnglishdictionaryandtheAmericantheSaUrUSofslangbyBerryand VandenBark,inthehopethatthelistofthewordswith-ysuffixcanbe − ascompleteaspossible・Wehavedividedthemintotwogroups:inthe wordlistNo・Iareincludedallthewordswhichcannotbefoundinthe commondictionary,andinthewordlistNo.IIarethosewhicharereceived intheordinaryvocabulary・Thismethodwillbeinaccordancewiththe factthattheEnglishlanguagehasadoublevocabulary.(cf．E.H.Sturtevant:IntroductiontoLinguisticScience) ａｙ︲ 58 KiyoshiOba WordlistNo．I． batty beddy benny bevy biddy biggidy biggie clatty clockie clubby clucky clunky coachy cokie,-y colly-molly ecc1e coochy extry coony ｙ biffy clatchy ｖソ barmy clashy ｅ ballyhooray O ． ● clvvle,-y ｙ bally ● ｖ︾ bacty ● clggle 、ｖご Ｓｎ、Ｋ ary chumpy 伽伽町伽眈伽胸仙岬岬舳 ・１ ０ｄ ０ｄ ０ｄ Ｏｄ ｕ ｄ ｄ０ ｄ０ ｄ０ ｄ０ ｄ０ｄ arfy ｙ arky ・岬皿卿岫蜘︾鋤此・岬珈卿町唖唖卿伽岬蜘卿珊 aggie,-y ０ ＯＯｒｒｒｒｒｒｕｕｕｕｕｕｕｕｕｕｕ 可，可，利，利，司り刺，可，可，司り利，司り利，可，可，可，勺，利，可，︲，可， affy crappy faggotty cricky,-ey fakery ● crlmny f a l l y cruddy fanny b i l l y cuffey feisty binny curbie femmie bigotty bitsy cadey cushy fetchy bitty cabbie,-y cuties ficety bitty-witty cally blackie cavvoy daffy finky blacky charley darby fisty blanky cheapies daunsy flappery blashy chesty debbie flappy blasty chicky dicty flippy blimy chinny diddiey flooey blocky chippie dindy floozy blowzy chirky dissey,-sie,-ey floppie bonnie chronny dishybilly flunkey, -y fingy TheAdjectiveSuffix-yinPresentdayEnglish folksy grundy Javvy ● 59 lindy foney gudgey Jawy lippy fooey guffy Jazzy lizzy,-ie ● ● footy guessy Jess1e l o l l y forgey,-y gussy jiggety looey franky O gyppery freshy frowy fudgy ● glggle looky jittery lucy ● ● ● hanky JIzzle ● harpie Joggy luey lunky ● ● Jowery hickie,-y junlfy ● gaby hinkty gaboney hinky katy gaggery hippies keeley gammy hippy kelly gaz1zzy hissy keptie gazoony hoity-toity kewie gazuny homey kewpie genavy homie kibitzie gifty hubbie,-y kicksy-wicksy gilhooley huffy kissie glumpy humpsy-dumpty knolly goldie hunkie ｅ hey-hey ｙ fuzey 州卿伽．畔・皿．町仙叩柳叩川・睡畑 Jole ｅ︲ｅｙｙ肥ｙｙｙ harpy 、、ｍ、ｍ、ｍ、ｍ、ｍ、、 fuffy goney hunky laggy nassy gooby hushie lampsy-wampsy nertsy,-zy lamby-wamy nlnny gooey ● gooney ibsy-wibsy lammie nitsky grabby icky,iky larry nitty grampy inchy lasty nlxy,-ey grandy indeedy leggery nobby grlpey itty lenty nubby l i f t y nudie limpsy nutsy grousy grouty jakey ● 60 oday KiyoshiOba putchy skeery spuddy skewy squidgy skinchy staky queenle skippy stiffie quickie skwuzzy stinky quinky slappy stoody slidy strippie slimy studie okie-dokie opry quashie ● orty-warty pasy pathy patsy rally pecky rannle slinky stuggy pewy rebelly slithy swanky phewy ricky slobby sweeny phoney,-y rlngy sluggy swicky picky rocksy slumpy swIngy pipwy,-ie roughie smitty swishy pluggy roughy smokey swoshy poddy roxy snazzy pogey,-ie rubery snitzy ● ● ● poopie ruffie snlvvey,-1e tappy poopy runty snooky teddies snooty t e l l y powie pratie sabby snoozy thickie prernle s a l l y snorky thoisty premy scatty snottie thrilly preppy schizy snotty tibby prlmpy schnozzy snouty tinpotty prlssy shally-shilly sobby tittery profy sheetie soddie tittie prossy shinney sody titty prosty shivy sorty toney,-y pruny shickey-ackey soShy topplety spady toppy pudgicky ● slmpy pudgy-wudgy slppy spendy toughie punky sistie spoofy towny purty sIzy sposhy toxy ● ー tally ● TheAdjectiveSuffix-yinPresentdayEnglish WOOZy,−ey wuzzy yappy ＵＫ ｙ Ｃ ａ ｗ veddy ■口■ユ●勺■ユ●■■具●口■具 uppity ｙ ｙｅｙ １ ｑ ｇｙ ｅ １ｑ ｎｎ Ｓ ｗｗｗｗ twitchy ｙ即ｙｙ 水、改叱 １，．、・１、１ Ｗ ｗｗｗ twirly ｅ・にＶ︾ tripy 艸仙町珊町伽仙蚊 ａａａｅｅｅ刊、詞ｎ Ｗ ｗｗｗｗｗｗｗ trachy 61 yawny yesty yieldy ylppy youngie velly WordlistNo.II. acey-ducey beany buddy chirpy aery beefy buffy choosy agey beery bulky choppy alry billowy buncny christmas(s)y algy bloody burly chummy alky blowy bushy chunky almondy boaty busy churchy alrighty bluey butty c1v1es angry bonny any bony apsay booby archy bookie arty booky auntie boozy awry boshy ● ● baddie,-y brawny baldy breezy balmy bricky bampy brolly barkies browny beamy bubby Ｖ︾ brainy Ｍｙ町仙町叩州咽川畑剛珊州川．四 backy ａａ ａａ 勺ｃ 、利ｃ 、可 、ｃ ．、ｃ 。、 、画 、利 御ｎ Ｃ ｃａｃ ｃ ｃ ｃ．ｃ ｃ ｃ、Ｃ bossy clammy classy cloudy clumpy clumsy cocky comfy conky cootie cooty corky corny coxy cozy crabby KiyoshiOba 62 faulty crafty dodgy feathery cranky dolly fiery cranny donkey f i l l y crazy dopey filthy creamy dotty fishy creepy dovey fizzy crlmpy dowdy flankey gabby croppy downy flashy gamey crusty doxy flatty gassy cuddy dozy(dummy) flaxy gausy fleshy gawky flighty giddy flimsy gilly f l i r t y girlie,-y floppy glary flossy glassy flowery gleamy daddy fluffy gloomy dandy fluidy glossy cuffey curdy curliewurly cutie,-ey cuties cutty darky easy flukey,-y gluey davy earthy foamy goody dearie edgy foggy goofy derby eely foxy goosey,-y dewy eerle fretty gosslpy dickey empty freshy grammy d i l l y every f r i l l y granny dingie extry frisky gravy ｙｙｙｙ ＷＭ 蛇 、枕 ａｆ ａｆ ａｆ ａｆ ａ ｆ frothy greasy frosty greedy frowy greeny frowzy grlmy frumpy gritty fuggy groovy dingy dinkey dippy dirty ditty dixie 岸 ｙｙｙｙｙ率 ｙ 血 、 串 帥 璽 ｕｆ ｕｆ ｕｆ ｕｆ ｕｆ ｕ ｆ dizzy 姻珊州町唖叩蜘呵 ｒ ｒｒｕｕｕｕｕ 可ｑ可。詞．可ｑ勺。利ｑ勺．詞。 cracky ｍｙⅣｙ ｙ舵ｙｙ TheAdjectiveSuffix-yinPresentdayEnglish itchy leery leggy guilty lengthy gussy jerky limey gusty jokey lipy gypsy joey limy johnny lofty hairy joky looby hammy jolty loony handy jowly loopy happy juicy loppy hardy jumpy lousy lovey hasty hayseedy kinky lumpy hazy kitty lushy heady knacky lusty healthy knobby hearty knotty heavy ｄｙｎ ｋｙ ｄ ｄ ａ１ ａ１ ａ ｌ h i l l y hoody hooky lardy-dardy hoppy larky horny lassie horsy lathy humpty-dumpty laughy husky lazy huzzie leafy Ｖ・ hefty 囎叩珈珈苅剛山岬岬測町仙町 ａａａａａａｅｅｅｅ、１・１、１ ｍ ｍ、ｍ、ｍ、ｍ、ｍ、ｍ、 lucky ●一口■４ kiddy ｅ haughty leaky ●■■ユ jaunty Ｓ gushy ２ｒ lemong ｙ jady Ｏ gulpy 伽・︾卿山皿叫川測伽川川仙・咋町岬卿皿伽杣測卿山 ● １ｍ Ｏ、 Ｏｍ ＯＯ Ｏｍ Ｏ、 ｕｍ ｕｕ ｕ、 ｙ ｍ１ ｍ・ 、１ ｍ・、 、Ｏ ｍＯ 、Ｏ ｍＯ、 、ｕ ｍｕ 、ｕ ｍｕ、 grumpy 63 namby-pamby nancy nanny nappy natty naughty navvy needy nervy 1cy leathery mlmlny-plmlny netty inky ledgy minny nifty KiyoshiOba plpy no1sy pithy nosy,-ey plx1e,-y、 nutty plaguy racy plashy ralny oary plucky ranty oily plummy ratty oniony pocky ready oofy poddy reddie ooky podgy reedy poky reeky polly rickety poppy righty possy rlmy popsy-wopsy risky porkie,-y ritzy portly rocky posy r i l l i c k y potty rookie preachy roomle,-y pretty rooty prexy ropy prlssy rosy prlvy roughie prosy rowdy pudgicky rummy pudgy rumpy pudsy rusty puffy rutty ● ｌ pulpy salty puny sandy pursy sappy ｙ ｌ ｌ punchy ｙＳｅ ｰ ｙ Ｖ︾ plnny qulnsy ｌ nlppy pussy ｙ的 ｙ館町皿町叩ｙ珊町皿叫叩呵岫 町邸Ｗ町叩川畑ｙＷ町ｙｙｙ肋 州麺如剛唖町吐蝿卿乱吋唖酔酔・唖川和知啄畑畑畑畑舶畑畑畑舵ＭⅢⅢＭ趾加 ＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳＳ plppy 仙町町加吋町Ｗ町卿山伽伽州卿川川町呵町卿伽 ａａ ａｐ ａｐ ａｐ ｅｐ ｅｅ ｅｐ ・ｐ １ｐ ・ｐ ｌ ｐ ｐａ ｐａ ｐａ ｐａ ｐａｐ ｐｅ ｐｅ ｐｅ ｐｅ ｐｅｐ nighty ｙ ｙｈ ａｙ ｅｌ 64 T h e A d j e c t i v e S u f f i x y i n P r e s e n t d a y E n g l i s h 65 shoppy snuffy stingy teeny shortie soapy stocky testy shorty softy stody tetchy showy soggy stony thawy sicky sonnle stormy thirsty silky soppy streaky thready s i l l y sorry strengthy thrifty sIsy soupy stretchy throaty skilly spady stringy thorny skimpy speedy stubby thundery ● skinny splcy stuffy tidy slangy splashy sturnpy tinny slaty splurgy sturdy tipsy sleasy spongy sugary tittie sleeky spooky sulky tittuppy sleepy spooney,-ey sultry toady slimy sporty sunny toddy slippery spotty surgy tolly slippy sprucy swampy toothy sloppy spumy swarthy tootsy-wootsy smarmy spunky swashy topsy-turvy smarty squashy sweaty torchy smelly squeaky sweetie tottery smoky squiffy snlutty squirrely tabby tousy snaky starchy tacky towery snappy starry taffy trashy snatchy steady taky tricksy sneaky stealthy talkie tricky sniffy steamy talky tubby snlppy steppy tasty tufty snoopy sticky tattery tuny snorty steepy tawdry turfy snowy s t i l l y techy touchy ● KiyoshiOba 66 velvetyweedywinywormy viewywettywintrywoundy ● vinywheelywiry ● whiffywl is e y y e a s t y wallywindywishy−washyyellowy wartywhippywittyyenny warywhiteywitty-bittyyoungie washywifeywoody wavywilly-nillywoollyzany waxywilywordyzinky wealthywindyworthyzippy weary Beforewegofurther,letushaveageneralideaofoursubjectmatter. (1)O.JespersensaysinhisMEG(PartVI,13.2): Thisending(-e,-ey,-ie)isofdifferentorigin.Itisused: 1)asasubstantivalsuffixtoformnexus-words, 2)asanadjectivalsuffixtoformadjectivesfromsubstantives, adjectives,andverbs,and 3)asadiminutiveandhypocoristicsuffixaddedtosubstantives,and inellipticalformsofSunstantivesandadjectives. Andasforthe-yinadjectiVes_: 13.3.1.-yinadjscorrespondstoOE-ig.Someoftheoldwordsare 一 nowisolated:dizzy,giddy,empty,merry,pretty,etC.,butothersarestill feltasderivedfromsbs:bloody,crafty,icy2mighty,misty,speedy,etc. InMEandModEinnumerablenewadjshavebeenformedonthesame p a t t e r n : b u s h y , f l o w e r y , n e e d y , d i r t y , d r e a m y & ｴ n o i s y , r a c y , t h r o a t y , e t c . "Newderivativestendinalargemeasuretobecolloquial,undignified,or trivial''(NED). Fromthelargenumberofwordscoinedafterl800,Ishallgiveafew rareronesonly(inchronologicalorderwithfirstdateinNED):gggggX - (1816Nurseryrhyme:goosery,gooseygander),oniony(1838;Sherriff), J a l m o n d y ( 1 8 4 7 ; M a n n i n ) , g l U g X ( 1 8 5 0 ) , l e m o n y ( 1 8 5 9 ; M o r l e y ) , 虫 里 旦 墜 ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■D 一 一 一 一 ■ _ - ‐ ■ (1864),hgiLy(1867),jumpX(1869),painW(1870;Aumonies),jg型璽(1873; ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ 一 ■■■ Maugham),gircussy(1876),些聖聖竺且Z(1882,Williamson),聖里Z(orig. ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ ー f r h e A d j e c t i v e S u f f i x y i n P r e s e n t d a y E n g l i s h 67 KiyoshiOba 68 (3)NEDsays: 1.Thegeneralsenseofthis-ysuffixis$havingthequalitiesof'or @fullof'thatwhichisdenotedbythesb.towhichitisadded,asiEX=(1) ofthenatureof,havingtheappearance,hardness,coldness,slipperiness, tranparency,etc.ofice;(2)fulloforcoveredwithice.InOE・therewas averylargenumberofsuchadjs.,manyofwhichhaveacontinuoushistoryfromtheearliesttimestothepresentday;inthecaseofsome, however,e.g.gLaXEL__iEL_gmXL_wintrXLthereisasignificantgapinthe evidence,whichsuggeStsthattheymayhavedroppedoutofuseandhave beenformedafreshlater.Therearesomenoteworthyinstancesofnew formationsinlateOE.,e.9.4ohtigDOUGHTYreplacingaXUa_a｣"g DUSTY,聖型碆SNOWYreplacing里幽/lic&ToseveralOE.adjs.inユ皇 therewereparallelformationsin-iht,asjSig,_isihticy,gandig,sandillt s a n d y , t h o r n i g , t h o r n i h t a n d 虫 ｴ 里 型 t h o r n y ; t h e d i s a p p e a r a n c e o f t h i s l a t t e r suffixleftfreerscopeofdevelopmentfortheformsin-ig InME.thenumberofthesederivativesdoesnotseemtohavebeenat firstgreatlyincreased;thefollowingfreshcoinagesareexemplifiedfirst fromtextsbeforel300,dready,fiery,frighty,hairJL(cf.OE.h"riht),Egg, 旦 型 X , 坐 里 Z ( b u t c f . O E . u n s i m p i g l , 塑 工 ( c l 2 5 0 = i n g o o d c o n d i t i o n ) ; t h e r e areoccasionalparasyntheticcompounds,assortleuibshort-lived.Theadditionofthesuffixtonon-nativesbs・isatleastasearlyasthel3thcent.， e･g･里ｴ辿旦intheAncrenRiwle.Thefourteenthcent.,esp.thelater half,wasprolificinnewformations;tothisperiodbelongangry,bushy, e a r t h y , f a t t y , f l O W e r y , h e a d y , h e a r t y , _ m i l k y , _ m i r y , m o u l d y , m u c k y 2 n a U g h t y , smoky,sweaty,andmanymore・Thesixteenthcent・wasalsoaprolific p e r i o d ; t o i t b e l o n g , e . g , . g o t t O n y , f r o t h X , _ d i l Z t y , h e a l t h Y , l e a i y ( b u t ｣ Z W isl5thcent.),mialy,saUCy,sUgary,viny,woollX,yeasty.Others,suchas b u l k y , m e a S l y , _ n o i s y ( D r y d e n ) , p e p p e r y , r a c y , s k y e y a r e r e c o r d e d f i r s t f r o m thel7thcent. Laternewderivativestendinalargemeasuretobecolloquial, undignified,ortrivial,asbumpy,dumpy,flighty,hammy,liney,loopy, lumpy,lungy,messy,oniony,treey,verminy,viperyjsomearefromverbs, asdangly.Contextually,theapplicationoftheadj.maybenarrowedin 一 一 ＝ anydirection,aSmoUSX=(1)resemblingamouse,(2)quietasamouse,or (3)infestedwithmice.Asense$addictedto(cf.3),asinbooky,doggy, horsy,isofmoderngrowth. 1850THACKERAYContrib・toPunchWks、1900VI.163Grizzelhad ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ broughtmeanonionyknifetocutthebread.1869Mrs.WHITNEYWe Girlsii,Bedsteadsandwashstandsandbureaus-theverythingsthatmade up-stairsloOksoverybedroomy.1891M.MURIELDOWIEGirlinKarP. Xi・144Fretworkbracketsandcrystaldanglythings. TheAdjectiveSuffix-yinPresentdayEnglish 69 2.Inthl5thcent,ifnotearlier,certainmonosyllabicadjs.wereex- tendedbymeansofthissuffix,app.withthedesignofgivingthemamore adjectivalappearance,e.9.聖里f.聖呈竺l里旦Zf."n._Themajorityof suchwordsaroseinthel6thandl7thcent.;examplesare:bleaky,chilly" COOly,dusky,fainty,haughty,hoary,lanky,palyadj.l, plumpy,SLighty, Slippery,stouty,swarty,thicky,vasty・Inthisapplicationthesuffixhas notinfrequentlycometoexpressmuchthesamenotionasTiSh;thisis particularlysowithcolourepithets,asblacky,yellowy,andesp.whenthese areusedquasi-advb.,asgreeny-blue,bluey-green,redy-broW型． 3．Asearlyasthel3thc.thissuffiXbegantobeusedwithverb-stems toexpressthemeaning:inclinedoraptto'dosomething,or!givingocca- sionto'acertainaction;intheAncrenRiwlealonewehaveSlibbri, sliddri,aluggi,slummi.Chaucerhasユ些旦y=soporific.Inthel6thcent. arosechoky,drowsy,slippy,■S止眺y;laterwefindblowy,clingy,flOaty, quavery,rollicky.Theimmediateetymonofsuchadjs・cannotalwaysbe ascertained. 4.Fromtheearlyyearsofthel9thcent.thesuffixhasbeenusedstill morefreelyinnonce-wordsdesignedtoconnotesuchcharacteristicsofa persOnorthingascallforcondemnation,ridicule,orcontempt;hencesuch adjs.asbeery,catty,churchy,jUmpy,_neWs唾penr,_IliggY,_timy. Withalltheaboveexplanationsbytheauthorities,itseemstherere- mainsnothingtoaddto,butwecanneverignoreafinedifferencebetween endingsandsuffixes.TheendingSimplyshowsthepartplayedbythe individualwordinasentence,whilethesuffixeshavelittletodowith thefunctiontheyhaveinsyntax.Thesuffixeshaveasortofalgebraic valueplussomething・Itistruethatinsomewordslike!heavy,'thesuffix -yhasmeltedsodeepintothebodyofthewordthatitneedssomespe- cializedeyetodepictitsexistence.Andstilltheaffectivepartofthe wordresidesinit,i、e・inamorphologicalelement,thoughitdoesnotin itselfcallforthanyspecialidea・Havingthisfactinview,wewillbegin withthestructuralanalysisofthethewordswiththesuffix.SX. II．STRUCTURALANALYSIS Broadlyspeaking,wecanconcludebygoingthroughthewordlistNo. IandNo・IIthatthecombinationoftherootwordsandthesuffix-ycan beexpressedintheformulaeasfollows: 1)nounorverb-I--y=noun 70 KiyoshiOba 2)nounorverb+-y=adjectiVe 3)adjective+-y=adjective Herewemustnotforgetthatthedecisiveelementofthepartsofspeech isnotthemorphemeofeachword,but.thefunctionitplaysinasentence,soweshouldn'tputtoomuchemphasisonthisdiscrimination・All thatwecansayforcertainisthatthesuffix-ycanbeaddedtotheshort rootword・Speakingfromanotherangle,thelengthywordsorthosewith someprefixhesitatetohavethesuffix−yappendedtothemselves.Truly, aseverybodyknows,therehasbeenintheEnglishlanguageastrongten- dencytowardanalysisundertheinfluenceofFrench・Andinspiteofthat, thesuffix-yisstillclingingtotheoldGermanicsythetictendencyto formacompoundbyparataxix・Perhapsnobodycantellwhichofthetwo willwintheraceintheend,synthesisoranalysis・Butwecansayat leastthismuch:thesuffix-y,onaccountofitsshortness,ispreserving theoldGermanictrendtomakecompoundsnotbytheanalyticmethodbut bythesyntheticone.TheEnglishspeakingpeopleneverfailtomakethe useofthisconvenientsuffix・Therearesomepeoplewhogosofarasto saythattheEnglishlanguagecannotsurvivewithoutsuffixes.(ShortHistoryofEnglishWords:B.Groom)Theconfirmationcanbefoundin SimeonPotter(OurLanguage,p.87)whosays"…thetideofanalytic tendenciesinEnglishisontheturnandthatthelatentsyntheticqualities ofourheterogeneouslanguageareoncemoreassertingthemselves・The rhythmictransitionsfromsynthesistoanalysisandfromanalysistosynthesisarethesystoleandthediastoleofhumanheartinlanguage･･･ OEnglish',asSapiracutelyremarked,@isonlyanalyticintendency・RelativelytoFrench,itisstillfairlysynthetic,atleastincertainrespects.'In theresuscitationofoldaffixesandinthecreationofnewonesEnglishis showingthesesyntheticpowers.” Anotherthingtobenotedisthattherearetwooppositetendenciesin anylanguage,i、e・economyofspeechandexpressiveness.Jespersensays (SelectedWritings,p.391): @Inlinguisticchangesweseetheconstantinterplayoftwoopposite tendencies,oneofanindividual,andtheotherofasocialcharacter,one towardseaseandtheothertowardsdistinctness. TheformeriSthetendencytotakethingseasyandtofollwtheline ー TheAdjectiveSuffix-yinPresentdayEnglish 71 ofleastresistance---tosayitbluntly,anoutcomeofhumanindolenceor laziness・Thedesiretosavetimeandtroubleleadstoslackandslovenly articulation,whichinextremecasesdescendstomeremurmuring,andin anotherfieldtoaslipshodstyle,throwingoutvaguehintsandindefinite suggestions,thusimplyingratherthanexpressing・Theoppositetendency isanefforttobeclearlyandpreciselyunderstood,andtomakeasvivid andconvincinganimpressionontheheareraspossible;eacharticulationis thereforemadeslowlyanddistinctly,andgreatexertionismadetochoose themostlucidandforcibleexpression(<lemotpropre').Inextremecases thismayleadtopompousnessandover-emphasis.， Expressivenessbeingaimed,theconveniencebythesuffix-yisoneof themorphologicalfacilitieswhichnobodycandeny・Thefactisthatmost changesonearthareproducedinattentivelyandthatinspeechweusually donottakesodeliberatelytimetopickandchoosethewordswearegoing toemploy,sothatthislittlebuthandydeviceisexactlyansweringthe purposeatthemoment.Itisjusttheverysubstitutionfortheadjectival phrasesandclauses. Inconnectionwiththis,itmustnotbeoverlookedthat,insteadofa greatmanylearned-sounding,longmouth-fillingepithets,theseshortand plainwordswith-yarecloselyfollowingthelineofmonosyllabismor m o n o s y l l a b i c t e n d e n c y i n E n g l i s h ・ S u p e r f i c i a l l y s p e a k i n g , a f f i x i n g i t s e l f i s asteptopolysyllabism,while,comparedwithlongpolysyllabicwords,the shortwordswith-ymaybesaidtobeworkingtowardsmonosyllabism. ThethirdpointworthmentioningisthatthesuffixgXshowssomelike anddislikeinamalgamationaccordingtothenatureofsound・Tobemore concrete,thewordsbeginningwith/o/and/e/and/i/lettersarecompara- tivelyraretotakethesuffix二XsTociteallofthem,theyare: WordlistNo・I: eccie,extry,ibsy-sibsy,icky,inchy,indeedy,itty,oday,okie-dokie, opry,orty-warty. WordlistNo、I1: easy,edgey,eely,eerie,empty,every,inky,itchy,oary,oily,oniony, oofy,ooky. Itseemsthatthecaseisalittledifferentwiththesoundcombination ofthewholeEnglishvocabulary・Therepetitionofthesevowels,however, canbefoundinpropernamessuchas: Elmie,EIsie,Emmie,Erie,Essie,Etyy,Evy,Ezieetc. 72 KiyoshiOba Veryoftenitisquiteimpossibletoindicateanyreasonwhysuchandsuch acombinationdoesoccurandanotherdoesnot・Thereisnoaccounting forit.Asforthedetailswehavetowaitforanotherresearch. Closelyrelatedwiththis,wecannoticethat,unliketheothersuffixes, the-yisalmostalwaysdoingwithoutprefixesandmostlyitgoeswith monosyllabicorshortwords.Itlikesstandingbyitself・Perhapsthisis duetothefactthatmonosyllabictendencyisaffordingenoughroomfor syntheticwordcreation,thoughwehavesuchanextremeelaborate i n s t a n c e a s i n c o m 弓 p r e h e n 字 s i b i l i t y ， w i t h i t s r o o t h e n a n d e i g h t a f f i x e s − andinfixes. Thefourthstructuralfeatureistheclippingofaword,whichis c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a s w e l l a s p r o p e r t o c o l l o q u i a l i s m . E v i d e n t l y t h e m o r p h o l o g y ofwordscanbediscussedfromthetwostandpoints---lengtheningand shortening.(DictionaryofAmericanSlang,compiledbyH.Wenthworth andS.B.Flexner,IntroductiontotheAppendix.) Andshorteningconsistsof: Frontclipping(=aphesis)…(con)fess Backclipping(=apocope)…memo(random),pub Backformation…toush(fromusher) CombinationofFront&Backclipping…tec(fromdetective) AbbreviationandAcronyms…1．0．U・ Ofalltheabove,bothfrontandbackclippingareparticularlydueto theeconomyofspeech,aslmentionedbefore,whichoriginatesinthe indolenceonthepartofspeakers・Itisnowonderthatweshouldcutoff theunstressedfrontsyllableasin(to-)backy,(a-)mend,and(a-)wayward etc.,regardlesswhethertheclippedpartisaprefixornot.Comparedwith front-clipping,back-clippingshowsapeculiarity,thatis,the-yor-ieis 一 一 employedasasubstitutionfortheclippedelement. Ex・bacty=bacteriologycomfy=comfortable brolly=umbrellaeccie=economics @Assoonasenoughsyllablesaregiventomakethewordintelligible,' peopleseemtofeellazy,producingwhattheycallstumpwords・Perhaps theycannothelp,forconscience'sake,appendingthe/i/soundasacom- pensationfortheirnegligence・Anyhowlthinkwecantracethisusage backtothediminutive-yandfartherbacktothe/i/soundsymbolism, 6 frheAdjectiveSuffix-yinPresentdayEnglish 79 Anotherinterestingquestioniswhetherthereisinspeechanypreferrencetoanyoneofthetwo,or,whichismoreinfluencialinfunction,front clippingorbackclipping・AsfarasourwordlistNo・IandNo・IIshow, wehavethefollowingresult. Theinstancesoffront-clipping:…5 Theinstancesofback-clipping:.･･20 Theproportionbetweenthetwomaybesuggestingsomethingofgeneral trendinusage. III.SEMASIOLOGICALANALYSIS: Generallythechangeinmeaningisoffivekinds: Generalization Specialization Metaphor Degradation Elevation. Whenthechangeinmeaningisdiscussed,itisusuallywiththehistoricalchangeinanyspecificsinglewordthatweareconcerned・Butour pointhereistoexaminethechangeofmeaning,especiallyadegradingone, producedbytheadditionofthesuffiX=X,irrespectiveofetymon.Itis becausetherehaveappearedforthelastfewcenturiesalotofwords whichhavenoascertainedetymologybuthavesomeexpressivepower. Thefirstthingwenoticeinourworti-listsisthatthewordsendingin -yhaveaderogatoryorslightlycontemptuoussense,comparedwiththose - withotheradjectivesuffixes.Itwillbewellunderstoodbythefew examples: manly,orderly,shapely･….．…noisy,nosey,smelly,moody Inshort,thewordswiththe-yaregenerallyrelatedtothedarkside − ofhumanworldratherthanthebrightside・Thisseemstoshowthat humannatureismuchmoreinterestedinthedarkerandthetwisted things・Inotherwordswefeelastrongermentaltention,whenwearenot satisfiedandhappy・Anyhowthereexistsinussomecertainpsychological reasonforthisphenomenon. Andevenwhenthewordsthemselvesareamelioratinginmeaning, sometimestheyseemtocarryatouchofderisivetonewiththem．GGoody' and@booky'(comparedwith$bookish')willbeenoughfortheillustration. 戸 KiyoshiOba 76 thehearers,andnotnecessarilyhavereputableauthoritybehindthem・And stillwehavelittledifficultyinmakingouttheintendedconcept・The commonestofthemare: g a d g e t , d i b b i e , d i d d i e , d i t t y , d o d i d i d d i e , , d o n i c k y , f l i n d i e , h i c k y , j i g g i e , thingsbobby,what-cha-ma-call-'em,etc. Hereagainthe/i/soundisdominantamongthem. IV.CONCLUSION Bywayofconclusionwemayaddsomefewpointsoutstandinginour subjectmatter.AllthroUghthispaperwehavekeptoureyechieflyon thestructuralandsemasiologicalaspectofthesuffix=X. Structurally,weprefershortwordstolongones・Itisclearthatthis suffixispreservingtheoldsynthetictendencyremainingintheEnglish languageandatthesametimesatisfyingthecurrentlinguistictasteof monosyllabism・ReallyandSeeminglythelife-speedisgettinggreaterand greatertoday,andspokenEnglishisgrowingthegrowthofitsownin parallelwithwrittenEnglish.AndthealiveandProlificsuffixes--ly, -y,-ish,-like,-looking(cf・Stylisticstudyonthehyphenatedwordsinthe <AppleTree'byJ・Galsworthy,bythepresentwriter,1950)-alltheseare copingwitheachothertorisetothedignityofthemostfavoredsuffixin theEnglishvocabulary・Fromtheviewpointofutility,themostpromising ofallisthe-y,becauseitisluckyenoughtogoalongthelineofstrong monosyllabictendencyinEnglish,makinganeasierwayforitssurvival. Trulyitisoneofthefeaturesofmodernprosethatboththerhythmof ordinaryspeechandthedevicesbysuffixes,includingtheZXandother formativeones,areworkingwithadegreeofco-operation.Thankstothe shortnessofthiseasyandsimplelinguisticcontrivanceunderconsidera- tion,wecansparealotoftroubletoweighthewordsinexpressingour mindimpromptu・Itisreallyoneofthelinguisticaccessorieswhicheverymanonthestreetshouldanddoeswearallthetime・Webelieveitwould makeforthestandardofliteraryexcellenceofthecommoncolloquial speechofthegreatilliterate. Semasiologically,itisthedifferencebetweendenotation andconnotationthatmatters・Besidesbeingcloselyalliedtosocial changesand s j t u a t i o n s ｝ p e r s o n a l l i k e s a n d d i s l i k e s ’ t h e a f f e c t i v e p a r t o f thewordsin ー
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