Endocentric constructions use a head word to connect other words, while exocentric constructions do not. The main word in a noun phrase gives meaning to the rest of the words. Compound words combine two words to create a third with attributes of both. Collocations imply a third meaning by placing two separate words together. All sentences have a main word, and some phrases have more than one. Exocentric constructions do not have syntactically related words and can be removed without losing meaning.
An endocentric construction is a compound word or phrase in which one of the words connects the other words syntactically. This linking word is called a “head,” and if the head is removed from the sentence, compound, or collocation, then so is the meaning. The rest of the sentence, apart from the head, is optional and can be removed without losing the basic meaning. The opposite of an endocentric construction is an exocentric construction.
The endocentric word of a noun phrase is the most important word contained within the phrase. The main word refers to and gives meaning to the rest of the words that make up the sentence. For example, in “three little pigs”, the word “pigs” is the main word. “Pigs” refers to “little” to make “little pigs” and to “three” to make “three pigs,” but “little” and “three” do not refer directly to each other, since “three little ones” do not Does this make sense . In the sentence “dogs and demons” there are two main words, “dogs” and “demons”.
In compound words, two words come together to create a third word that combines attributes of both. For example, the root word ‘board’ can be combined with ‘black’ and ‘white’ to make ‘blackboard’ and ‘whiteboard’. The key word in the endocentric construction is “table” as the colors simply modify the meaning of the head. Other examples of endocentric constructions in compounds include the “saw” in “hacksaw” and the “brush” in “hairbrush”.
Collocations are pairings of words in which words remain separate and unjoined; however, by placing one next to the other, a third meaning is implied. The keyword of the collocation is the word, if any, that directs the meaning. An example of this is the “house” in “fun house” or “fool house”. Collocations such as “red herring” indicate that “herring” is the main word, but the meaning itself is lost.
In theory, all sentences have a main word whether they are noun sentences or verb sentences. The main word indicates the general meaning of the sentence, and without it, words have no syntactic sense. This is because all the words in the sentence refer directly to the main word. Some phrases, such as coordinate constructions, have more than one keyword.
The difference between endocentric and exocentric constructions is usually also the difference between sentences and clauses. In an exocentric construction, the words are not syntactically related, so the words can be removed and there will still be meaning. Exocentric clauses include “we heard it”.
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