• Dutch
  • Frisian
  • Saterfrisian
  • Afrikaans
Show all
-esk
quickinfo

-esk ( /ɛsk/) is a non-native cohering stress-bearing suffix found in adjectives derived from nouns (regentesk) and proper names (rembrandtesk), as well as in a few borrowings such as grotesk grotesque.

readmore

-esk ( /ɛsk/) is a non-native suffix found in adjectives derived from nouns (regentesk) and proper names (rembrandtesk). New forms are rare (Welschen 1970),(Van den Toorn 1978), (Don 2005). It is cohering - syllabification does not respect the morphological boundary - and stress-bearing: rembrandtesk /rɛm.brɑn.'tɛsk/ rembrandtesque (< Rembrandt /'rɛm.brɑnt/ Rembrandt. The general meaning is having or showing the propert of the base(De Haas and Trommelen 1993: 351-2). If the base ends in schwa, it is deleted: Dantesk Dantesque (< Dante, oocasionaly there is deletion of the final vowel, e.g. Pirandellesk (< Pirandello). Although -esk belongs to the non-native suffixes, noun formation by means of non-native -iteit is impossible: only formations with native -heid (e.g. clowneskheid) are acceptable.

extra

A few borrowings such as grotesk grotesque, burlesk burlesque and pittoresk pittoresque have no corresponding base.

References
  • Don, Jan2005'Adjectiva op - esk, of de opkomst en ondergang van een suffixA.D. 2005 Taalkundige artikelen bij het afscheid van Ad Welschen .Universiteit van Amsterdam
  • Haas, Wim de & Trommelen, Mieke1993Morfologisch handboek van het Nederlands. Een overzicht van de woordvormingSDU Uitgeverij
  • Toorn, Maarten C. van den1978Een nieuwe esk-apadeDe Nieuwe Taalgids71609-615
  • Welschen, Ad1970De morfologische valentie van -eskDe Nieuwe taalgids63441-452
printreport errorcite