configuratives

Configuratives are a concept in linguistics, particularly in the study of word formation and morphology. They refer to a set of words that share a common semantic or grammatical function and are often derived from a single root or base word. The term "configurative" suggests that these words are formed by configuring or arranging morphemes in a specific way to create new meanings.

Examples of configuratives can be found in various languages. In English, for instance, words related to "act" like "action," "actor," "active," and "react" can be seen as configuratives. They all stem from the same Latin root and retain a core meaning of doing or performing, while their suffixes and prefixes modify the specific nuance. Similarly, words derived from "employ" such as "employment," "employer," "employee," and "unemployment" form another set of configuratives.

The study of configuratives is important for understanding how languages generate new vocabulary and how semantic relationships are maintained within word families. It helps linguists analyze patterns of word derivation and the underlying principles of lexical expansion. By identifying configuratives, researchers can gain insights into the productivity of certain morphemes and the grammatical categories they tend to form. The concept highlights the systematic nature of language and the ways in which meaning can be systematically extended and modified.