OCCASIONAL WORD-FORMATION TYPES OF ABSTRACT NOUNS IN OLD NORSE

Introduction. This article focuses on studying the functioning of the word-formation system and its components in Old Norse, one of the ancient Germanic languages, on studying the derivational potential of the Old Germanic languages for the production of abstract nouns. The purpose of the article is to describe a fragment of the field of the word-formation category, represented by occasional word-formation types of suffixed abstract nouns in Old Norse.Material and methods. The study draws on an analysis of Old Norse nouns with abstract meanings, marked by derivational suffixes -átta-, -andi-, -erni-, -eskja-, -osta-, -gi- and derived from nominal or verbal stems. The language data resulted from continuous sampling from etymological dictionaries of Old Norse. The analysis of the linguistic material involved using the methods of scientific description, generalization, and interpretation of results, the method of analyzing dictionary definitions, and the method of quantitative calculation.Results and discussion. The group of nouns marked by the Old Norse suffixes -átta-, -andi-, -erni-, -eskja-, -osta-, -gi- represents derivational types from the periphery of the derivational field of abstract nouns and refers to the declension types of feminine nouns in -ōn (derivatives with the suffixes -osta-, -átta-, -eskja-), of feminine nouns in -īn (derivatives with the suffixes -andi-, -gi-), of masculine nouns in -an (derivatives with the suffix -andi-), of neuter nouns in -ia (derivatives with the suffix -erni-). The proportion of lexemes with the analyzed suffixes, which are attested in Old Norse alone, is 2.4 % of the total number of abstract nouns corpus. These suffixes were formed on the basis of the Indo-European suffix morphemes, they were phonetically distinguishable in Old Norse and tended to join adjective or verbal stems to form abstract nouns.The limited number of Old Norse derivatives with these suffixes does not allow us to reveal the thematic profile of each suffix, however, the etymological links of the word-forming morphemes allow us to reveal some motivational features that might have contributed to the formation of the derivational types for the production of nouns with these formants.Conclusion. An analysis of the etymological connections of the Old Norse suffixes of abstract derivatives -átta-, -andi-, -erni-, -eskja-, -osta-, -gi- suggests that the word-formation types with them were included in the process of developing the word-formation category of abstract nouns and reflected results of their approbation.

Old Norse, Old Germanic languages, abstract nouns, word-formation, suffix