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    A+N+ich
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    The suffix -ich is productively involved in adjectival synthetic compounds, in the position after an adjective and a noun. An example is langskonkich with long legs. This formation can be subdivided in the adjective lang long, the noun skonk leg and the suffix -ich.

    There are also synthetic compounds with the relatively similar pattern numeral + noun + -ich. The suffix -ich also derives adjectives from simplex nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives; more information can be found in the topic on -ich.

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    [+]General properties

    The pattern A + N + -ich is productive. Some examples are given in the table below:

    Table 1
    adjective noun suffix synthetic compound
    lang long skonk leg -ich langskonkich long-legged
    swart black hûd skin -ich swarthûdich black-skinned
    âld old wiif woman -ich âldwivich like an old lady
    lyts small bern child -ich lytsbernich childish
    read red kleur colour -ich readkleurich red-coloured
    The adjective gelyk same occurs in such formations as lyk-, with truncation of ge-, as in lykfoarmich identical in form and lykweardich of equal value.

    The semantics of the derivations is something like 'having the property of the intersection of the adjective and the noun'. So, langskonkich long-leg-SUFF means 'having long legs'.

    As is the case with the ordinary suffix -ich, we also see a variant -erich in the realm of synthetic compounds. So, next to langskonkich long-legged we find langskonkerich, and alongside fyntriedderich fine-thread-SUFF having a thin thread there is fyntrieddich.

    [+]Phonological properties

    The suffix is cohering; the consonant cluster before the suffix is resyllabified, for instance readkleurich read-coloured receives the syllable structure read-kleu-rich. The stress in these synthetic compounds is always on the noun, hence readKLEUrich. This is in accordance with the property of -ich in ordinary derivations, in which it also attracts stress. However, if the adjective is used attributively, the stress is on the first syllable: in READkleurich jaske a red-coloured jacket, as a result of stress retraction.

    References
      About this article
      Author(s): Siebren Dyk, Joke Weening
      Category: Frisian Morphology
      Keywords: synthetic compoundadjectivalcohering suffix
      Version: 1.0, December 2023
      Version history:
      version editor(s) date remarks
      1.0 Siebren Dyk December 2023
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