{"id":4872,"date":"2021-10-20T09:57:06","date_gmt":"2021-10-20T07:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/?p=4872"},"modified":"2025-04-01T12:05:37","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T10:05:37","slug":"derived-words-e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/derived-words-e\/","title":{"rendered":"Derived Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

Argument from DERIVED WORDS<\/span><\/h1>\n

1. A seemingly analytical form<\/span><\/h2>\n

A derived word<\/em><\/strong> is a word formed from a base or a stem (root) word combined with a prefix or a suffix : Work, worker \u2013 <\/strong>(to) do, (to) un<\/strong>do
\nA derivational family<\/em> is made up of all the words that are derived from the same root or base word.<\/p>\n

The argument based on derived words uses this mechanism of morphological derivation. Since the signifier<\/em> of the root word<\/strong> is found in the derived word, one might think that, \u00ab\u00a0obviously\u00a0\u00bb, the meaning<\/em><\/strong> of the root word is also transferred to the derived word, which is not necessarily the case. The global statement is apparently undeniable, because it is true by virtue of its apparently analytical form, \u00ab\u00a0A<\/strong> is A\u00a0\u00bb<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

I am human, nothing human is alien to me.<\/p>\n

The president of a rather powerless conciliation<\/em> commission of<\/em> addressed his colleagues in this commission as commissioners<\/em>; this clever label gives him and his colleagues the authority associated with the word (police) commissioner<\/em> and a certain superiority over the people who appeal to the commission<\/em>.<\/p>\n

A famous speech by General de Gaulle uses such self-justifying statements:<\/p>\n

As for the legislative elections, they will be held within the period established by the Constitution, unless the entire French people is to be gagged, prevented from speaking as they are prevented from living, by the same means that prevent students from studying, teachers from teaching and workers from working. (Charles de Gaulle, speech on May 30, 1968 <\/em>[1]<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

In a well-made world, \u201cstudents study, teachers teach and workers work\u201d if not, the semantic disorder argues the abnormality of beings who don’t act according to the name of the category to which they indisputably belong. See Confucius on the Rectification of names.<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Semantic differences between the root word and the derived word<\/span><\/h2>\n

The morphological similarity may hide deep semantic differences between the root word and the derived word, which meaning may range from the preservation of the root meaning, to the opposition of their connotations or argumentative orientations, to the complete independence of meanings in synchrony.<\/p>\n

Different orientations of derived words<\/span> <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The French present participle adjective ali\u00e9nant<\/em>, \u201calienating\u201d,<\/em> and the past participle adjective ali\u00e9n\u00e9<\/em>, \u201calienated\u201d, are morphologically derived from the verb ali\u00e9ner<\/em>, \u201cto alienate\u201d, but have two different meanings. Ali\u00e9nant <\/em>refers to socio-political<\/em> conditions while ali\u00e9n\u00e9<\/em> refers to serious mental<\/em> conditions.
\nIn the following case, the speaker rejects a social claim by aligning the former with the latter:<\/p>\n

If you find your work alienating<\/em> [Fr. ali\u00e9nant<\/em>], then we will direct you to an asylum<\/em>
\n[Fr. asile d’ali\u00e9n\u00e9s, \u00ab\u00a0<\/em>insane asylum\u00a0\u00bb].<\/span><\/p>\n

Anti-oriented derived words<\/span> <\/strong><\/h3>\n

By means of a kind of antanaclasis see Orientation Reversal, \u00a71<\/a>, the following exchange plays with the opposite argumentative orientations of words belonging to the same lexical family:<\/p>\n

By signing this timely compromise<\/strong><\/em>, the president has made an opportune<\/strong> highly political<\/strong> decision.
\nAgain, the president has compromised<\/strong><\/em> himself with his usual opportunistic<\/strong><\/em>, politicking<\/strong><\/em>!<\/span><\/p>\n

Rebuttal<\/span> <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The argument by derivation is therefore refuted as a \u201cplay on words\u201d, by pointing out the differences in meaning between the root word and the derived word. This rebuttal is in turn,\u00a0 rejected as \u201csemantic nitpicking\u201d, see Expression<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Other designations and related forms<\/span><\/h1>\n

2.1 Aristotle, topos of derivation <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Topos # 2 of Aristotle defines the \u201ctopos of derived words\u201d as follows:<\/p>\n

Another topic is derived from similar inflexions, for, in like manner, the derivative must either be predicable of the subject or not; for instance, that the just is not entirely good, for in that case good would be predicable of anything that happens justly; but to be justly put to death is not desirable. (Rhet.<\/em>, II, 23, 2; Freese, p. 297)<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a dialectical exercise. Problem: \u201cIs the just desirable?<\/em>\u201d that is to say, is the predicate \u00ab\u00a0\u2014 is good, desirable\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> part of the essential definition of the word just<\/em>? The answer is no, because \u201cIf you think that the just<\/em> is desirable, then you think that being justly<\/em> put to death is desirable\u201d, which is rarely the case.<\/p>\n

2.2 Cicero, topos of conjugata<\/em>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Cicero considers the same argumentative device under the label topic of related<\/em> terms (coniugata<\/em>), that is, \u00ab\u00a0arguments based on words of the same family\u00a0\u00bb; that is, terms such as \u201cwise<\/em>, wisely<\/em>, wisdom<\/em>\u201d (Top.<\/em>, III, 12, p. 391):<\/p>\n

If a field is \u201ccommon\u201d (compascuus<\/em>), it is lawful to use it as a common pasture (compascere<\/em>). (Ibid.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Since it is a common field<\/em>, the flock of any member of the community may graze there in common<\/em>. But does this mean that all the flocks of the members of the community can graze there at the same time<\/em> or one after the other<\/em>?<\/p>\n

2.3 Bossuet (1677): etymology, notatio nominis<\/em>, conjugata<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

For Bossuet there are two kinds of topoi exploiting derivations.<\/p>\n

1. The topos \u201cdrawn from etymology, in Latin notatio nominis<\/em><\/strong>, that is from the root from which the words come, like \u2018to be a master, one must master the masters<\/em>\u2019.\u201d (Bossuet 1677, ch. 20; example after Reverso; Fr. \u201cif you are king [roi<\/em>], then reign! [r\u00e9gnez<\/em>]\u201d).<\/p>\n

The example corresponds to Cicero conjugata<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0On the other side, the scheme \u201ctaken from words that have all the same origin,<\/strong> called conjugata<\/em><\/strong>\u201d, giving as an example of this relationship the pair homo<\/em> \/ hominis<\/em>, two inflected forms of the same word. (Id.). Unlike the case of lexical derived words, the meaning of the word does not vary according to its grammatical case.<\/p>\n

The terminology may seem a bit confusing, but the bottom line is clear: whenever two terms are linked by morphology, lexicon or etymology, the conclusions drawn for one of the two can be applied to the other.<\/p>\n

\n

[1]<\/a> Quoted after http:\/\/archives.charles-de-gaulle.org\/pages\/espace-pedagogique\/le-point-sur\/les-textes-a-connaitre\/discours-du-30-mai-1968.php (11-08-2017)
\n[2] To rein<\/em> (Fr. r\u00e9gner<\/em>) Latin, regnum<\/em> \u201croyal authority\u201d, \u201csovereignty\u201d, \u201ckingdom\u201d, is derived from rex, regis<\/em> \u201cking\u201d (Fr. roi<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Argument from DERIVED WORDS 1. A seemingly analytical form A derived word is a word formed from a base or a stem (root) word combined with a prefix or a suffix : Work, worker \u2013 (to) do, (to) undo A derivational family is made up of all the words that are derived from the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-non-classe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4872"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13913,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4872\/revisions\/13913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}