Linguistic Transparency and Opacity in Compounding

Abstract

The aim of this study is to identify linguistic transparency and opacity in compounds. Linguistic transparency and opacity analyses the degree to which the meaning of a compound word or idiom can be inferred from its parts. Compounding is a word formation process in which a lexical unit is made up of more than one word functioning as one, not only grammatically, but also semantically. Compounds and the meaning inferred by them may be: full, partial or idiomatic. Detailed analysis of the word classifies linguistic transparency or opacity as follows: two transparent constituents, transparent - opaque constituent, opaque-transparent constituent, two opaque constituents. As of the compositionality principle, constituents of compounds will be analysed separately and as a whole. Analysis will be illustrated with abundant examples of compound words collected by the Dictionary of Contemporary Albanian language and Oxford Student’s Dictionary. Translation of several words from English into Albanian and vice versa will be provided so as to pinpoint the matches and mismatches.

DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n3s1p590