Hinnang Eesti teismeliste sõnamoodustuses
Evaluative morphology in Estonian teen language

Summary/Abstract: This article examines evaluative constructions – that is, morphological means of expressing evaluation – in the word formation of Estonian teenage language. The analysis is based on the framework of evaluative morphology and has been adapted to descriptions of modifying word formation in Estonian. The linguistic material is drawn from an online corpus compiled within the project Teenage Language in Estonia, consisting of written conversations by young people aged 9–18 in digital communication platforms. Estonian teenagers primarily use word formation to express three types of evaluation: increasing intensity (e.g., megatore, vägaväga), decreasing intensity (e.g., mõttekene, kohekohe), and affective attitudes, most notably affection (e.g., kallike, musu). Increasing intensity is predominantly conveyed through intensifying prefixoids (such as mega- and super-) and reduplication, whereas decreasing intensity and affection are mainly expressed through diminutive suffixes. The analysis confirms that Estonian evaluative morphology follows a cross-linguistic pattern: diminutives typically express attenuation and affection, while intensification is realized through prefix-like elements and reduplication. At the same time, the data reveals an important morphological innovation: both reduplication and intensifying prefixoids are undergoing a process of syntactic evolution. This is indicated, in the case of prefixoids, by frequent orthographic separation from the base, and, in the case of reduplication, by a shift from noun modifier to predicate or adverbial position. These forms are thus shifting from bound or semi-bound modifiers toward more autonomous, lexicalized elements – a development that illustrates how evaluative morphology can extend beyond word formation into the domain of syntax.

• Details
• Contents