Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!howland.reston.ans.net!Germany.EU.net!EU.net!sun4nl!mcv
From: mcv@inter.NL.net (Miguel Carrasquer)
Subject: Re: Opposite of Diminutive
Message-ID: <D12BtI.C4p@inter.NL.net>
Organization: NLnet
References: <3ctqg6$q2b@mother.usf.edu> <D0y4I8.1uv@actrix.gen.nz> <3cuoou$qr@news.bu.edu> <3d3pqr$80q@marble.Britain.EU.net>
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 14:48:53 GMT
Lines: 25

In article <3d3pqr$80q@marble.Britain.EU.net>,
Paul Sampson  <paul.sampson@octacon.co.uk> wrote:
>> millert@grad.csee.usf.edu (Timothy Miller) wrote:
>> > Does anyone have an antonym for Diminutive?  For some reason, such a word 
>> > has not been easy for me to find.
>> 
>> How about augmentative?
>> 
>> rm
>> 
>
>Or even augmentive (if you prefer a shorter word). They can be used
>in the opposite way to diminutives, to display a lack of respect,
>fear and loathing, etc. Offhand I can only think of analytic
>examples within english (you great clod, etc) but've heard that
>other languages use synthetic means to achieve the same end.
> 

Spanish has several augment(at)ive suffixes: -ote/-ota, -o'n/-ona...


-- 
Miguel Carrasquer         ____________________  ~~~
Amsterdam                [                  ||]~  
mcv@inter.NL.net         ce .sig n'est pas une .cig 
