어휘화와 문법화의 관점에서 본 독일어 복합부치사의 형성

Abstract

This study discusses the formation of complex adpositions and the gradual degree to which an adposition may be considered grammaticalized. Adpositions don’t necessarily belong to the class of grammatical formatives. The difference between grammatical formatives and lexical units is of a gradual nature. Complex adpositions in German can be formed in various ways. They may originate from nouns, verbs, and adverbs. The formation of complex adpositions has often been treated as an instance of grammaticalization. However, this study shows that it is a process of lexicalization. The univerbation of lexical units (e.g. an Hand ‘based on’ ＞ anhand) is a diachronic process of forming a new single word from a fixed expression of two or more words. Naturally, it is not excluded that a complex adposition can ever get grammaticalized to a grammatical adposition. But before that, it has to be lexicalized to a lexical unit. In this sense, for instance, the grammaticalization of the complex adposition an Hand presupposes its lexicalization to the lexical unit anhand.