The productivity of #Ness and +ity

Abstract

The theme of this paper is associated with word -formation rules that deal with productivity; however, the main discussion will be limited to morphological productivity. If a WFR is productive, then the native speaker can produce and understand new words. The productivity of two nominal suffixes, #ness and +ity, when attached to adjectives ending in Xal, Xar and Xic is the main issue of this research. The question deals with the derivation of nouns from adjectives and how productive these nominal suffixes are; even though there are pragmatic restrictions on word lengths and whether the process in question is actually that of suffixation or prefixation.