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From: kriha_p@actrix.gen.nz (Paul J. Kriha)
Subject: Re: Opposite of Diminutive
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Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 16:01:26 GMT
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In article <3jemip$f7r@marble.Britain.EU.net>,
   Paul Sampson <paul.sampson@octacon.co.uk> wrote:
>> Paul Hughett <hughett@eecs.berkeley.edu> writes:
>
>>  ... The antonym of "diminutive"
>> is "augmentative."  Some examples in English: "booklet", "rivulet"
>> are diminutives in English;
>
>Yup. And '-ling' (earthling), '-y' (Johnny), etc.
>
>> "supermarket" and "superman" are augmentatives.
>> For adjectives, consider "substandard," "super-friendly", or
>> "supersonic."
>
>I'm not convinced that these are augment(at)ives. They look like
>compound nouns to me, adjective/noun compounds that is. As such
>they're merely examples of what the ancients called dvandva,
>tatpurusa or something like that - I forget the appropriate term,
>maybe someone can remind me?
>
>I mean the compound 'blackbird' wouldn't be given as an example of
>some hypothetical technical term like 'melanicism' would it? Or
>maybe it would. Good grief, I don't know. I'm only here for the
>fun of it. Now I'm filled with self doubt, see what you've gone
>and done now? ;->
>
>In fact I'm not at all sure that english *has* any augmentatives
>in the same sense as does, say, italian. None spring to mind but
>that may simply be due to my lack of imagination of course.

I used to think that English did not have augmentatives.
The earlier discussant made me believe I was wrong,
but, 24 hours later you put me right again, thank you. :-)

Regarding the grammar meaning of augmentative, my Collins says:
a. denoting an affix that may be added to a word to convey the
meaning 'large' or 'great'; for example the suffix -ote in Spanish,
where 'hombre' means man and 'hombrote' big man.
b. denoting a word formed by the addition of an augmentative affix.
..Compare diminutive....

Why would CED use a Spanish example, if it could use an English one, hm?

I know, CED is not infallible.  Is it wrong?
BTW, I failed to find augmentive.  I miss that, I like short words.

Paul JK




