A semantically based model of a generative lexical word-formation rule for russian adjectives

This paper briefly re-examines the major drawbacks of the transformationalist approach to word formation, and analyses those aspects of word formation which are most problematic: semantic-syntactic asymmetry, metaphoric usage, and restricted rule productivity. It concentrates on asymmetrical word derivation as opposed to symmetrical and asemantic derivations. A context-sensitive, generative lexical rule model is presented in one example, which assumes the availability of semantic features and a lexical alpha feature. It is claimed that this model overcomes the shortcomings of both the transformationalist and the lexicalist approaches to word formation, and promises the greatest usefulness in further solutions.