Derivational Relators in Italian

• DOI: 10.3390/languages7020130
• Publication Date: 2022-05-24T07:16:55Z
• Authors: Ludovico Franco; Paolo Lorusso
• Keywords: adjective; affix; case; derivation; relator; Language and Literature; derivation; P; 06 humanities and the arts; relators, derivation, morphology, syntax; adjective; affix; 0602 languages and literature; relator; case; adjective; relator; case; derivation; affix

The present paper addresses the categorial content of affixes forming a set of denominal adjectives in Italian, arguing that they are substantially the derivational counterpart of oblique case/adpositions. Specifically, we argue that they act as elementary relators, following Manzini and Franco, who characterized oblique cases and prepositions as general relators expressing the relations is-included (⊆)/includes (⊇), or, in other words, their content is what Belvin and den Dikken dubbed “zonal inclusion”.