Understanding NN Compounds

In this paper we intend to pursue two basic objectives: i) point out a substantial convergence between classification criteria for compounding that have developed independently from largely complementary perspectives and methodological stances, and ii) assess the important empirical consequences of this convergence and their potential impact on recent linguistic analyses of lexical compounds as either lexical (and specifically morphological) or syntactic phenomena. These two points are brought home by focusing on a particular class of Italian compounds, namely endocentric NN compounds such as ufficio reclami ('complaint office') or pesce palla ('ball fish') that prove to be increasingly productive in contemporary Italian (cf. Dardano 1978, Bisetto 2004).