Competing schemes in Spanish word formation

Abstract

In lexical morphology, it is very common to find word-formation patterns that rival each other because they belong to the same conceptual field. This trait is more evident in the suffixation, the more productive word-formation process  in  Spanish.  Derivation  provides  a  large  repertoire  of  competing schemes due to the overlap in meaning and function within the system. For instance, competition occurs between forming-verb suffixes -ción and -miento: agrupación and agrupamiento; financiación and financiamiento; aburrición and aburrimiento; detención and detenimiento, etc. Rivalry becomes more complex if we realize that there are other competing suffixes in the system: -dura (torcedura, torcimiento); -aje (almacenamiento, almacenaje). It is com-monly stated that competition is resolved in favour of the more productive pattern. However, as productivity is relative and depends on many factors, the same pattern does not always prevail. This research aims to describe the phenomenon, note the source of some of these rivalries and propose relevant parameters and factors to define and characterize this process. We argue that most of these rivalries depends on structural factors and language use factors that interact in different ways and to various degrees.