Formation of Feminitives with the Suffix –ού in Modern Greek

Abstract

The article examines the features of formation and functioning of feminitives with the suffix –ού in Modern Greek. Such feminitives are represented by a large number of lexemes denoting females across various categories, including professional terms e.g., λουλουδού < λουλουδάς “flower seller [female]”), andronyms (e.g., Αλεξαντρού < Αλέξανδρος), and others. Unlike the highly productive suffixes –ισσα and –τρια in Modern Greek, the suffix –ού first appeared in Medieval Greek vernacular texts (11th–12th centuries), while –ισσα and –τρια trace back to Ancient Greek. The study aims to investigate the origin of the –ού suffix, analyze shifts in its productivity across historical stages, and explore the morphological and semantic properties of feminitives derived with this suffix. The research material includes lexemes extracted from Greek text corpora, dictionaries, and online sources (forums, social media, news portals). Methods used include continuous sampling, contextual analysis, morphological parsing, and semantic-field analysis. The novelty of the study lies in addressing the underresearched topic of Modern Greek feminitives, particularly within domestic linguistics, where no prior studies on –ού exist. This work forms part of the author’s broader research on feminitive suffixes and their diachronic evolution. The analysis reveals the suffix’s high contemporary productivity, evidenced by its role in forming neologisms like ντελιβερού < ντελιβεράς (“delivery woman”). Notably, modern professional feminitives lack the pejorative connotations observed in earlier historical categories. The findings contribute to the study of Modern Greek feminitive formation, enhancing understanding of suffixal productivity in diachrony. These results hold significance for both domestic and international linguistics, particularly in discussions of gender asymmetry and language change driven by sociocultural factors.