Literature and the Arts

What is the difference between productive and nonproductive parts of speech?

Link to this answer

CloseClose

Link to this answer

Share this credible answer with others. Simply paste this code into your blog or Web page:

<a href="http://qanda.encyclopedia.com/question/difference-between-productive-and-nonproductive-parts-speech-135941.html" >What is the difference between productive and nonproductive parts of speech?</a>
E-mail this answer Link to this answer

Some English parts of speech (nouns, verbs, etc.) are productive classes allowing new members; others, with functional rather than lexical meaning (prepositions, articles, conjunctions) are nonproductive, having a limited number of members.

Answer verified with
Get more facts and information about part of speech . Or, view the full encyclopedia entry from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.

Similar questions: What determines whether a part of speech is productive or nonproductive? What makes a part of speech productive or nonproductive? How do productive and nonproductive parts of speech differ? [ Hide these questions ]

Related research questions

Related research articles

See all results at HighBeam

HighBeam gives you access to newspaper, magazine, and trade journal articles plus press releases, facts, information, and biographies from thousands of sources.