Noun derivation through affixation in the Ulch language (in comparison with Nanai and Orok languages)

The paper discusses the key features of noun derivation in the Ulch language, a topic that has not yet received full coverage in academic research. The study involves describing both derivation patterns and the affixes they employ. The latter occasionally reveal a complex semantic structure that allows them to feature in multiple patterns or cause different types of subtle shifts in the meaning of the core word. In total, over twenty-five patterns are listed and analyzed in the paper. Noun-to-noun and verb-to-noun patterns form the crux of the Ulch nominalization, with a limited number of adjective-to-noun and numeral-to-noun ones discovered as well, which, however, prove to be more semantically rigid and limited in use. In order to put the findings into a wider linguistic context, a comparative analysis is carried out, juxtaposing the Ulch noun derivation system against the Nanai and Orok ones. For each pattern described, the existing analogs from the two other languages are provided, and the differences in the distribution or the semantic transformation mechanisms are analyzed. Overall, the Ulch language appears to be similar to both Nanai and Orok ones when it comes to the range of nominal suffixes due to their deep-reaching historical connection. At the same time, significant divergence is observed in the appliance and mechanics of specific derivational patterns. One of the distinctive features of the Ulch nominalization is the trend towards using suffixes having been applied originally only to the core words belonging to one part of speech with stems from different categories.

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