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    -aris
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    -aris /a:rɪs/ is an unproductive non-native cohering stress-bearing suffix (stress on the first syllable of the suffix) found in nouns of common gender denoting person's names, based on non-native stems and bound forms, e.g. bibliothecaris librarian (< bibliotheek library) and jubilaris person celebrating their jubilee (cf. jubileum anniversary). Plural forms of -aris formations are in -en (bibliothecarissen librarians); feminine counterparts are usually not morphologically marked, occasionally with the suffix -esse replacing the -is part of the original suffix, e.g. bibliothecaresse female librarian.

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    -aris /a:rɪs/ is an unproductive non-native suffix. It is found in nouns of common gender denoting person's names, based on non-native stems and bound forms. De Haas and Trommelen (1993: 223) give denominal bibliothecaris librarian, testamentaris executorpenitentiaris certain kind of priest and familiaris lay person living in a catholic community, whereas jubilaris person celebrating their jubilee, notaris notary, plagiaris plagiarist, commissaris commisioner, secretaris secretary, functionaris functionary and vicaris vicar are mentioned as based on stems. Several of these words are extremely rare; some, such as testamentaris executor, are mainly used in Belgian Dutch. In the Dutch Spoken Corpus CGN we also found forms like interimaris placeholder and mandataris mandatary that likewise seem to be restricted to the Southern part of the language area, possibly influenced by French.

    extra

    (De Haas and Trommelen 1993: 223) claim that an allomorph-onaris is found in functionaris functionary (cf. functie function), missionaris missionary (cf. missie mission) and other words based on bases ending in unstressed -ie, but an analysis which assumes stem allomorphy (function etc.) seems to be more insightful, given that we can distinguish the same element in other derivations such as functioneren to function and functioneel functional.

    Salaris salary, dromedaris dromedary and inventaris inventory are not formed with the suffix.

    The first syllable of the suffix -aris bears the main stress of the derivation: "archi'varis archivist < ar'chief (note that the main stress of the base is not retained as secondary stress in the derivation); the vowel of the second syllable of the suffix may be reduced to schwa. The suffix is cohering: syllabification does not respect morpheme structure bibliothecaris bibliotheek.aris /bi-bli-jo-te-'ka-ris/ librarian.

    Derivations with -aris have a plural form in -en ("archi'varissen archivists). Feminine counterparts are usually not morphologically marked, occasionally one finds the suffix -esse replacing the -is part of the original suffix, e.g. bibliothecaresse female librarian. Diminutive formation is in -je (archivarisje petty archivist), compounding is quite common (staatssecretaris state.s.secretary secretary of state, notarisklerk notary clerk). -aris derivations will rarely enter into new derivations: perhaps the suffix -schap (staatssecretarisschap state-secretaryship is attested) but often there are lexicalized non-native paradigmatic alternatives in -iaat, such as secretariaat secretariat, secretaryship.

    extra

    The discussion of the formation of female personal nouns in Booij (2002:102) can be read in such a way that it is claimed that all -aris formations have a feminine counterpart in -aresse but that is not correct: *archivaresse and *commissaresse are not acceptable. Secretaresse female secretary, typist has undergone meaning specialisation in such a way that the female counterpart of a secretaris is usually called vrouwelijke secretaris female secretary, whereas male typists can refered to with the female form secretaresse.

    References
    • Booij, Geert2002The morphology of DutchOxfordOxford University Press
    • Haas, Wim de & Trommelen, Mieke1993Morfologisch handboek van het Nederlands. Een overzicht van de woordvormingSDU Uitgeverij
    • Haas, Wim de & Trommelen, Mieke1993Morfologisch handboek van het Nederlands. Een overzicht van de woordvormingSDU Uitgeverij
    About this article
    Author(s): Ton van der Wouden
    Category: Dutch Morphology
    Keywords: nounderivationnon-native
    Version: 1.0, December 2015
    Version history:
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    1.0 Ton van der Wouden December 2015
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