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    -te
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    -te /tə/ is a Germanic, unstressed suffix found in nouns of common gender, usually derived from simplex native adjectives, e.g. grootte size < groot big, large. The general meaning is the property A, but there is a lot of idiosyncracy. The suffix is found in a great number of derivations, but new formations are rare; occasionally the basis is verbal, e.g. schaamte shame < (zich) schamen to shame (oneself).

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    -te /tə/ is a Germanic suffix found in nouns of common gender. Most bases are simplex native adjectives, which are typically monosyllabic (hoogte height < hoog high) or bisyllabic with a schwa in the second syllable (tengerte /'tɛŋərtə/ slenderness < tenger /'tɛŋər/ slender). The base cannot end in a vowel, and if it ends in a consonant cluster, the antepenultimate consonant is always a dental sonorant, e.g. kalmte tranquility < kalm calm(Zwarts 1975), (De Haas and Trommelen 1993: 250). The base meaning is abstract the property of A, but often the semantics of -te formations is idiosyncratic and unpredictable, e.g. groente vegetable(s) < groen green, flauwte fainting < flauw faint, weak.

    extra

    (De Haas and Trommelen 1993: 250) point out that there exist a few -te formations from (formally) complex bases, such as gemeente community < gemeen common, menigte crowd < menig many and goedkoopte cheapness < goedkoop good.buy cheap. They also mention a few deverbal -te derivations: schaamte shame < (zich) schamen to shame (oneself), sterfte mortality < sterven to die, begeerte lust < begeren to desire and beroerte stroke < beroeren to touch. In lengte length < lang long and hitte heat < heet hot we see vowel change. leemtegap, weakness has no synchronic base; historically it derives from lam lame(Van der Sijs 2010). An allomorph -de in liefde /livdə/ love < lief /lif/ nice, sweet(Haeseryn et al. 1997); koude cold < koud cold has a competing -esuffix(Van der Sijs 2010).

    The suffix -te is not productive, but occasionally one meets new coinings ((Baayen 1989: 34-36)); allegedly, gektecrazyness was created in the 1980's by artist Wim T. Schippers; Baayen mentions windstilte wind-stillness calm as a -te formation on a complex basis (windstil calm).

    Formations with -te are of common gender, selecting the definite singular article de. -te derivations with an abstract meaning usually have no plural form, in more concrete uses, plural can be either -en (hoogten heights) or in -s (hoogtes heights); De Haas and Trommelen (1993: 250) think the latter alternative is more frequent; differences in meaning or level of formality may occur.

    Derivations in -te easily enter into compounding: hoogtemeter altimeter, gemeentebelang municipal interest, waterhoogte water height, kustgemeente coastal town. Diminutive formation is in general impossible, either for semantic reasons (diminutives are usually made from count nouns, and many -te nouns have an abstract, non-count meaning), or for phonological ones (there is a general ban on combining the diminutive suffix -etje with nouns derived by means of a suffix ending in schwa (Booij 2002: 92)).

    extra

    Especially in Belgium one finds groentjes a bit of vegetables < groente vegetable(s). The default reading in the Netherlands is greenhorns, to be analyzed as the plural form of the diminutive form of groen green, something green.

    Note that there are other suffixes -te /tə/, e.g. the one found in past tense formation (in complementary distribution with -de /də/), as in werkte worked < werken to work or the righthand part of the circumfixge...te found in collective nouns based on nouns such as gevogelte poultry < vogel bird.

    References
    • Baayen, R. Harald1989A corpus-based approach to morphological productivity: statistical analysis and psycholinguistic interpretationVrije Universiteit AmsterdamThesis
    • 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
    • Haas, Wim de & Trommelen, Mieke1993Morfologisch handboek van het Nederlands. Een overzicht van de woordvormingSDU Uitgeverij
    • Haeseryn, Walter, Romijn, Kirsten, Geerts, Guido, Rooij, Jaap de & Toorn, Maarten C. van den1997Algemene Nederlandse spraakkunstGroningenNijhoff
    • Sijs, Nicoline van der2010Etymologiebank, http://etymologiebank.nl/
    • Sijs, Nicoline van der2010Etymologiebank, http://etymologiebank.nl/
    • Zwarts, Frans1975-aar, -arij, -sel en -teTABU69-23
    About this article
    Author(s): Ton van der Wouden
    Category: Dutch Morphology
    Keywords: derivationsuffixnounnative
    Version: 1.0, December 2015
    Version history:
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    1.0 Ton van der Wouden December 2015
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