Word-formation motivation: a comparison of English compounds and their Slovak equivalents

Abstract This study focuses on word-formation motivation, analysed through the lens of the onomasiological theory of word formation. The approach presented here extends beyond the selection of motivating constituents at the morphematic level, viewing word-formation motivation as a multi-level phenomenon based on creative decisions of a coiner made at the conceptual, onomasiological, and morphematic levels. The theoretical principles are supported by an analysis of the motivation underlying 150 English compounds from the LADEC database and their Slovak equivalents denoting the same objects. The data are analysed in terms of three types of structural relations: onomasiological structure, morphematic structure, and onomasiological type. The study addresses a research question: In which types of motivating structural relations do the languages converge or diverge? The findings reveal a high degree of correspondence in the onomasiological structure and the determining mark, with Onomasiological Type 3 emerging as the most frequent matching type. This points to a shared tendency to omit the Actional constituent (the determined mark) and prioritise economy of expression. Differences appear in the representation of the onomasiological base, largely reflecting structural divergence between English compounds and Slovak derivatives. The analysis highlights the procedural nature of word-formation motivation, with nearly half of the pairs exhibiting a high degree of motivational identity.