Derivational morphology of depictive (onomatopoeic) verbs in Tundra Nenets

The article discusses the derivational morphology of depictive or onomatopoeic verbs in Tundra Nenets. Verbs of depictive semantics correspond to the following definition by V. A. Avrorin: “Figurative words denote concepts that are most closely related to direct visual, auditory, tactile impressions and emotional experiences.  The figurative word is like a snapshot of a real image with its various attributes” [Avrorin 1961: 213]. Compare he meanings of several depictive verbs of the Tundra Nenets language: ‘speak slurring (for example, from under the covers)’, ‘walk quickly in wide open clothes’, ‘stretch out arms palms up’, ‘stand and watch (smb. eating or working) for a long time’, ‘swallow smth. poorly chewed or unpleasant in taste’.

An interesting feature of depictive verbs in Nenets is that this class can be identified not only relying on their semantics (such an approach is difficult to objectify, and it is almost always fraught with “bloating” of this class, since the boundaries of depictive semantics cannot be clearly defined), but primarily based on the derivational suffixes characteristic of these verbs.

The study is based on the lexicographic description of Nenets verbs in the dictionary by Tereshchenko [(comp.) 1965]. The derivational suffixes of depictive verbs in Nenets fall into imperfectivizing and perfectivizing morphemes, the former representing a larger class. Within each of the groups, suffixes can express fairly elaborate aspectual meanings. For example, imperfectivizing suffixes distinguish between stative verbs denoting states and stative verbs denoting properties; there are also several multiplicative suffixes denoting different intensity of action. Some suffixes combine with stems with specific lexical meanings; for example, a dyad of a perfective and an imperfective suffixes attach to verbal stems describing either sounds proper or actions accompanied by a loud sound e.g., ‘drop smth. with a crash’). There is yet another imperfective suffix that can form new verbs by means of “metaphoric comparison”; for example, it can derive verbs meaning ‘slowly sink (about a dying person’s eyelids)’ or ‘barely gasp (for breath)’ from the verb meaning ‘flicker (like stars)’. Perfectivizing suffixes are represented by inchoatives and semelfactives. Most verbal stems with depictive semantics can combine with several suffixes from among those described in this article, which supports the hypothesis of a special subsystem of derivational suffixes characteristic of only depictive verbs.