Evaluative Morphology in Wichi (Mataguayan)

NERCESIAN, VERÓNICA

Handbook of Evaluative Morphology

Edinburgh University Press

Año: 2015; p. 634 - 642

This paper analyses the evaluative constructions in Wichi (Mataguayan). From a cross-linguistic point of view, evaluative morphology can basically express both descriptive (quantitative) and qualitative evaluation. In this language, evaluative constructions perform both functions and use three highly productive suffixes: -fwaj DIMINUTIVE, -les DIMINUTIVE CLASS and -taj AUGMENTATIVE. They apply to nouns, verbs and some adverbs and numerals. Augmentative and diminutive derivation do not change the word class and can even create new words referring to entities that are completely different from those referred to by the base word. The paper describes these occurrences of the evaluative morphology from its meanings and forms.