Double -er suffixation in English: morphological, phonological and sociolinguistic reflections

Abstract

In this article, I examine a relatively little discussed phenomenon which appears to be increasingly prevalent in contemporary English, namely the reduplication of the deverbal -er suffix on phrasal verbs to produce forms such as washer upper, looker outer and asker outer. I look at some of the morphological, diachronic and sociolinguistic questions which arise, before positing the hypothesis that this reduplication is not a purely morphological phenomenon, but in fact owes a great deal to phonological causes, and in particular euphonic considerations.

Keywords

• morphology
• phonology
• euphony
• phrasal verbs
• suffixation
• reduplication