Chapter: lexicology and its object subject matter of Lexicology

2. Classification of compounds
Compound words are classified into completely motivated, partially motivated and non-motivated compound words. In completely motivated compound words the lexical meaning of compounds is easily deduced from the lexical meanings of the stems. For example, book-case, foot-step, door- handle, bottle- opener. The compound words a flower-bed, walk-up are partially motivated compounds because we can guess their meaning partially. The compounds in which the connection between the meaning and structure and the meanings of components of compounds can not be seen from the meaning of its components are called non-motivated compound words. For example, wall-flower — a woman who remains at wall and is not invited to a dance, night-cap — drink taken before going to bed at night.
Compound words may be classified from the functional point of view or according to their belonging to different parts of speech.
Many of English compounds belong to nouns and adjectives. N — armchair, sitting-room, looking-glass, blackboard, pickpocket (a thief), bench-mark, homework, grammar-school. ADJ — social-economic, hard-working, man-made.
well-behaved, well-read, dry-drink, V-whitewash, housekeep, etc. ADV— indoors, within, outside.
From the point of view how the components are joined together the compound words may be classified into; compounds whose components are joined w ith a linking element, (afro-asion, anglo-saxon, sportsman, speedometer, handicraft, statesman, landsman) arid without a linking element (snowball, rain­ coat, door-handle, reading-room, paint-box, door-step).
Compound words are also classified according to different ways of compounding. In this case we divide them into two groups:
1) compound words proper. Such kind of compounds are formed by joining together stems of words and these compounds have no derivational affix. The components of such compounds are simple stems. for example, door-step, looking-glass, table-cloth, whitewash, bookcase, bookshelf.
2) derivational compounds. These compounds have a derivational affix: long- legged, kind-hearted, schoolboyishness, blue-eyed, absentminded.
There are two types of relationship in linguistic literature: that of coordination and subordination and accordingly compound words may be classified into coordinative and su-bordinative. In coordinative compounds the components are structurally and semantically independent (For example. reduplicative: goody-goody, fifty-fifty).
In subordinative compounds the components are based on the domination of one component over the other.
For example, road-building, baby-sitter, woman-doctor.
Subordinative compounds may be syntactic which depends on syntactic rules. For example, mad-doctor, bluebell, a slow-coach (adj+n) and asyntactic. For example. red-hot, oil-rich, long-legg'ed (adj-adj) there is no syntactic rule and it does not depend on the syntactic rules.
Many compounds are polysemantic. Thus, the verb to -white-wash has the following meanings: 1) make white with whitewash I) to glass or cover up vices, crimes etc.
But their polysemy is not based on the polysemy of their constituents. They develop a polysemy of their own.