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-ear

quickinfo

The suffix -earje productively derives verbs from nouns and adjectives. Examples are koade code > koadearje to (en)code, torpedo torpedo > torpedearje to torpedo and parfum perfume > parfumearje to scent. The suffix is mainly used in words that do not belong to the Germanic stock.The suffix has three variants, partly broken, which can be inflected along both classes of Frisian weak verbs. After /l/, /n/ and /r/ we see the linking element -is-, for example in kanaal canal > kanalisearje to canalize. The stress is always on the element -ear, i.e. as in kanalisEARje.

General properties
Nominal base
Adjectival base
Phonological properties

[+]General properties

The suffix -ear derives verbs from non-native nouns and adjectives. There are also formations in which no clear existing base form can be recognized. Examples are avansearje to advance, iggewearje to object and obstreweaje to observe.

The suffix comes in three variants. The form -earje, which is inflected according to the weak verbs of class II (the so-called -je-verbs), has a broken and a non-broken variant. The infinitival forms are pronounced as ( [jɛrjə] and [I.ərjə], respectively. The variant that is inflected along the lines of the weak verbs of class I is not broken. Its infinitival form is -eare ( [I.ərə]. As broken -earje is most distant from Dutch -eren, this form tends to be preferred as the norm.

extra

Obligatoriness with a foreign base

Hoekstra (1998:154) argues that -ear- is obligatory in verbs derived from non-native base forms. It is doubtful whether this is fully correct, however, because we can also find verbs from non-native bases that do not show the suffix. Examples are mail mail > e-maile to e-mail (*e-mailearje), dûs shower > dûse to shower (*dûsearje) and faks fax > fakse to fax (the Frisian verb faksearje to press has a different base). Nevertheless, for most bases originating in Romance languages (French, Latin) the generalization will apply. Note that the suffix -ear can be related etymologically to the French infinitival ending -er.

[+]Nominal base

The suffix -earje derives verbs from nouns that have a non-native base. Examples are given in the table below:

Table 1

Base form	Derivation
publyk public	publisearje to publish
fabryk factory	fabrisearje to manufacture
muzyk music	musisearje to make music
kanaal canal	kanalisearje to canalize
kristal crystal	kristallisearje to crystallize
evangeelje gospel	evangelisearje to evangelize
tiran tyrant	tirannisearje to tyrannize
karakter character	karakterisearje to characterize
adres address	adressearje to address
argyf archive	argivearje to put into the archives
advys advice	advisearje to advise
budzjet budget	budzjettearje to budget
ekskús apology	ekskusearje to excuse

Next to musisearje and fabrisearje one can find the forms muzykje and fabrykje, which have (almost) the same semantics: to make music and to knock together.

Interestingly, there are some cases in which the base is a native form. Examples are grûn ground > grûndearje to lay the foundations of (with -d- inserted) and broek trouser > broekerearje to shit (ironically) (with a linking -er-).

In words like avesearje to make haste, obstrewearje to observe and iggewearje to object, the base form cannot be recognized anymore.

[+]Adjectival base

The suffix -earje derives verbs from non-native adjectives. Examples are given in the table below:

Table 2

Base form	Derivation
aktyf active	akivearje to activate
kursyf italic	kursivearje italicize
blond blond	blondearje to bleach
bankerot bankrupt	bankerottearje to go bankrupt
egaal even	egalisearje to level
steryl sterile	sterilisearje to sterilize
modern modern	modernisearje to modernize

There are some cases in which the base form is a native word, or is no longer felt as foreign. Examples are blyn blind > blyndearje to armour and sober austere > soberearje to live austerely.

[+]Phonological properties

If the base form ends in /-yk/, the final /k/ is replaced by /s/ before -earje: publyk public > publisearje to publish and fabryk factory > fabrisearje to manufacture. Next to the forms publisearje and fabrisearje, one can find the forms publikaasje publication and fabrikaazje manufacture, where the /k/ is retained.

If the base form ends in /l/, /n/ or /r/, it is mostly extended with the linking element -is- before -ear: kanaal canal > kanalisearje to canalize and egaal even > egalisearje to level. In evangeelje gospel > evangelisearje to evangelize, /-je/ is also truncated.

In derivations with -ear, the stress always falls on the suffix, so there is stress-shift. For example ALfabet alphabet > alfabetiSEARje, kompliMINT compliment > kompliminTEARje to compliment and teleFOAN telephone > telefoNEARje to call.

extra

Literature

This topic is primarily based on Hoekstra (1998:154) and Hoekstra (1991). For an overview of native bases, including some idiosyncratic linking elements, see Visser (2000:180-181).

References

Hoekstra, Jarich1991Argewaasje en strideraasjeFriesch Dagblad04-05Taalsnipels 183
Hoekstra, Jarich1998Fryske wurdfoarmingLjouwertFryske Akademy
Hoekstra, Jarich1998Fryske wurdfoarmingLjouwertFryske Akademy
Visser, Willem2000Frjemd wurdt eigener. Oer de âlde Frânske lienwurden yn it FryskIt Beaken62141-218

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About this article

Author(s): Siebren Dyk, Joke Weening

Category: Frisian Morphology

Keywords: suffixverb

Version: 1.0, April 2016

Version history:

version	editor(s)	date	remarks
1.0	Siebren Dyk, Joke Weening	April 2016

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