The morphological productivity of selected ... - Helda - Helsinki.fi

to form new lexemes, and the profitability of a process shows how many bases the
process can affect (Carstairs-McCarthy 1992: 37). Availability is thus a
qualitative notion, while profitability can be seen as quantitative (Plag 2006: 122).
Profitability is often used as synonym for type frequency, that is, the
number of words that have been produced using a certain word-formation process
(the number of actual words). In this sense, profitability is a rather straightforward
concept, since it is possible to test it empirically (Férnandez-Dominguez 2007:
60). Availability, on the other hand, is a trickier concept. Again, the problem lies
in the synchronic versus diachronic dichotomy. Processes that are being used, i.e.,
available, at present, are rather unproblematic, but problems arise with processes
that have ceased to be used productively. Férnandez-Domínguez suggests that
availability corresponds to the paradigmatic axis of productivity and profitability
to its syntagmatic axis (2007: 63–64). In other words, availability concerns the
selection between competing suffixes, such as the noun-forming suffixes -ance, -
al, or -ion.
2.3.3. Measuring morphological productivity
As was stated above, quantitative approaches to productivity often assume that
there is a way to operationalize the problem and determine the exact degree of
productivity of a particular word-formation process. According to this view, the
productivity values of different processes can also be compared. Productivity as a
quantitative phenomenon is probably mentioned first by Bolinger, who defines it
as “the statistically determinable readiness with which an element enters into new
combinations” (1948: 18). Since then a number of methods to measure
productivity have been proposed. The most important measures will be discussed
next.
Type frequency has been suggested by several authors as a rather
good measure for gauging productivity. Baayen calls this kind of measure realized
productivity (2009: 901–902) or extent of use (1992). Haspelmath uses the term
degree of generalization (2002: 109). The basic assumption with realized
productivity is that a productive morphological category has many members.
Thus, it can be measured simply by counting the number of different types (that
is, different word forms) within a certain morphological category.
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