| My project concerns compound words, like the Dutch boekenkast (bookcase) and slangenbeet (snake bite). Interestingly, the element -e(n) links the heads in these compounds, but shares its fullest form with the Dutch plural affix -en. The presence or absence of this linking element influences the meaning of a compound. For example, many interpret celstructuur to refer to the internal organization of a cell, whereas the interpretation of cellenstructuur is considered as a structure built out of cells. More specifically, I will try to shed light on the relation between word forms of compounds and their meaning (numerosity). For this purpose, I will carry out experiments in several languages related to Dutch. I work together with Esther Hanssen, who will do similar experiments, but then for different dialects of Dutch. What I like about this research, is that it touches upon linguistic relativity (or the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis), which claims that one's language influences one's thought. |
