Correlative Suffixal Derivatives Designating Persons with Mental Disabilities in the First Lithuanian Psychiatry Textbook

Abstract

The article examines correlative suffixal derivatives that designate persons with mental disabilities, as featured in Įvadas į psichiatriją (Introduction to Psychiatry; 1935), the first Lithuanian psychiatry textbook by Juozas Blažys. The study identifies their international suffixes and discusses both the structure of the base word stems and the derivational characteristics of the derivatives. It has been determined that the most typical stems of the base words of correlative suffixal derivatives are expanded with the addition of suffixes (usually -ija, -izmas), which, however, are not incorporated into the derivatives. When it comes to correlative relations with the base words, suffixal derivatives tend to show diverse patterns, correlating with one or more base words. Moreover, some derivatives pose a challenge in establishing correlative relations, as their base words tend to be vague. Suffixal derivatives that correlate with a single base word typically relate derivationally only to nouns, whereas those correlating with multiple base words may also relate derivationally to adjectives and verbs.