Derivation and Inflection

DERIVATION

Derivation is the process of formation of a new word from that of some existing words as the base or the root of this newly formed words. The process involved in the formation of the new word is addition of morpheme in the form of an affix (either prefix or suffix or both sometimes).The addition of the word or the affix takes place to the words of one lexical category (part of speech) and changes the words of some distinct and different category. For instance, the suffix ‘ly’, changes or transforms an adjective ‘true’ into an adverb ‘truly’ or ‘able’ as a suffix changes the word ‘presume’ to ‘presumable’; so on and so forth.

            Derivation has some characteristics, discussed under:

Ø Derivation on its occurrence brings about a great change in the meaning compared to the original or the root word.

Ø It often results in the grammatical change or the change of grammatical category of the word.

Ø Derivation is not an obligatory process.

Ø It although results in the idiosyncratic meaning of the transformed word.

Some examples are discussed below:

Ø Kind becomes the root word of Kindness.

Ø Joyful for the word Joy

English Derivative Pattern and their Suffixes:-

Noun to Verb: ‘fy’: glory-glorify

Verb to Noun(agent): ‘er: write- writer

Verb to Noun(abstract): ‘ance’: deliver-deliverance

Noun to Adjective :’al’: creation-creational

Adjective to Noun:- ‘ness’: Slow-Slowness

Verb to Adjective: ‘able’-drink-drinkable

Adjective to Verb: ‘ise’: Modern-modernise

Adjective to Adjective:- ‘ish’- black-blackish

Adjective to Adverb:- ‘ly’- person-personally

            However derivation is not necessary to undertake a change of form but rather the same word can be used for two purposes viz. Telephone as noun and to Telephone where it’s used as a verb. Also derivation resulting in a noun may be called Nominalization, involving the use an affix (Happy-happiness, employ-employee)

INFLECTION

Inflection in general refers to the nuance or the variety of same word. It is the grammatical variant of the same word which results in the change of  the form of a word purposed to express a grammatical function or attribute such as tense, person, gender, case etc by means of adding one or two affixes; or the modification of the same word to express different grammatical categories viz. gender, tense etc. In English inflection is indicated in nouns (girl, girls, girls‘), third person singular present tense ( i, you, we, they buy; he buys), past tense (we walked, we walk), aspect ( i have called, I am calling) and degree:-comparatives (big, bigger, biggest). Also some inflection, changes occur as in, sing, sang, sung or goose, geese. Unlike derivation inflection doesn’t change the lexical or grammatical category of the word. In terms of their position, they occur outside the derivational affixes and affect the information such as number, gender or aspect. Inflective words are highly productive in nature as they result in the formation or generation of the words of the same type and further lead to the creation of the forms that are fully grounded and able to be integrated into discourse.

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Theory of Impersonality

Theory of impersonality refers to the concept of impersonal relationship between a man as a poet and as a general man. According to the renderer of this concept T.S.Eliot, a poet should have two distinct personalities and he as a poet should uphold no any relation with that of his personal self while composing his poetry. That is to say the poet entirely disregards the autobiographical nature of the poetry as was prevalent in the romantic age. Eliot says that while composing poetry a poet shouldn’t have a personal self or being which is backed up by several personal experiences or backgrounds and whilst composing poetry he shouldn’t be even slightly influenced by any of his personal, historical experiences that may lay even a minimal impact over his poetic composition. The personal experiences are not to be associated with the theme of the poetic composition but rather to be kept identical and separate from it. As of this reason he even regards two constituents of composing the poetry; the personal elements, i.e. the feelings and emotions of the poet and the other one being ‘the impersonal element’ which is the ‘tradition’ or the accumulated knowledge, information and wisdom acquired from the past by the poet. These two elements fuse together to form a new thing, which is called poem.

            The emotions and feelings however uphold an inferior or lower place to thought and feelings and according to Eliot poetry instead of being an expression of emotions is rather an escape from the personal emotions. The primary reason being, if the emotion that the poet uses, which is moreover his personal emotion, to write his poetry and if he’s intermingling them with his poetry then he is making his work rather more personal than general. Moreover the personal experiences that he has are resultants of some emotions that he had previously experienced as a distinct man than a poet; these emotions are since his own and so are his words that he uses in expressing those emotions of his. These words however since considers his personal emotions may or may not concern the readers.

A poetic composition by a poet, in general, is done for the masses or the readers to read for masses to read for and not for his own personal sake to attain an emotional balance by giving words to his contained unexpressed emotions. His emotions are, on the other hand, not necessary to be the same as that of the readers and thus the poet stands a very low chance of sympathy or empathy through it, which according to Eliot is highly likely and thus becomes the basis of his rejection of same personality or being working as a poet and himself instead of keeping both the personalities estranged as far as practicable. Also, the composition based on own personal feelings mightn’t yield enough readers to the poetry thus consequently harming and hampering the person’s status as a poet. Thus Eliot propounded this theory to distinguish both the personalities to make poems more artistic than emotional works.   

Ganesh's Life at Fuente Grove

GANESH’S LIFE AT FUENTE GROVE

Ganesh Ramsumair’s life at Fuente Grove starts with the house received by him from his father-in-law Ramlogan in dowry. He has high expectations from the house along with the entire place and it would bring him great things ahead. So does happens with Ganesh that despite of a bad start at the place it was only through this place that Ganesh gains the entire name and fame and yields not only for himself but the entire place, a remarkable reform and positive changes in the following ways.

          Ganesh’s life at Fuente Grove gets a bad and unexpected start. The house he receives in dowry is much smaller than his expectation along with the poor road and water conditions to go on with in that place. Beharry is his only friend there from whom Ganesh takes the books for reading. In order to make income Ganesh tries the same thing of being masseur but presence of many masseurs and his way of treating patients gradually makes him deprived of the patients. Later Ganesh begins more and more reading by ordering free books and purchasing from Beharry. He plans for writing books but couldn’t do it. Nothing seems to be going correct for him but Leela’s leaving him and Beharry’s persuasion makes him write a book named ‘A Hundred Question and Answers on the Hindu Religion’ by Ganesh Ramsumair, B.A. Things at first seem to be going good for him but lack of sale of his books leaves him in despair once again.

          Owing to his current failure Ganesh is advised to be a pundit and is gives respective books by The Great Belcher belonging previously to his uncle. Gradually Ganesh shifts back to his masseur work and begin gaining enormous popularity not just because of curing a boy but also charging no fixed sum. Things grow better when he takes up Ramlogan’s earning opportunity by coaxingly buying his taxis, charging too much money from Fuente Grove’s Ganesh’s customers thus making more profit; also his ‘Question and Answers’ become successful. Owing to his fames both Beharry and even entire Fuente Grove’s condition is improved.

          Another changing course at Fuente Grove takes when a jealous man Narayan’s articles criticising and competing Ganesh starts coming up. Initially Ganesh ignores them but on being pursued by Beharry and The Great Belcher he decides taking up action against him thus in turn opening his way towards politics. He publishes his own newspaper somewhat against Narayan and even opens his own Hindu League against Narayan’s Hindu Association and by proposing his aim of uniting all Hindus along with his reputation as masseur earns him many favours. He gradually forces down Narayan to back off. At last at Fuente Grove Ganesh fights the cleanest election. Thus he leaves his career as a masseur. He wins the election with clear majority. After the election Ganesh becomes Member of Legislative Council and decides leaving Fuente Grove to Port of Spain, giving great and remarkable developments to entire Fuente Grove.

THAT LONG SILENCE AS A FEMININE TEXT

That long silence by Shashi Deshpande is undoubtedly a remarkable example of a feminist novel. Through the novel not just the pauper condition of novel’s female character but rather the true facet most of the Hindu women’s life has been highlighted. It can primarily be noticed by the fact of novelist’s choosing to write as Jaya, not just to evoke a feeling of sympathy and empathy but also to clearly present the hardships that a woman faces.  Many more instances make an integral part of the novel to present the feminist aspect of the novel to regard this as a feminist novel and Jaya’s character too plays a vital role in serving this purpose.

        As the title “That Long Silence” itself suggests, Jaya as a traditional woman has been presented as the embodiment of tolerance and gusty sufferer. She is presented as a woman who always keeps on complying with all the traditional norms and regulations she’s bound to follow and moreover keeps on looking after her family. But despite all these facts, she’s expected more and more without anyone to ponder of what she wishes for. She is torn between the likings and disliking and love and hate where she is least entitled to pursue any free action and rather has to remain submissive to her husband who rather uses her as someone or something of his own benefit. Despite all her efforts she is complained by her husband Mohan who in his fear and disgust of being suspended and facing social humiliation for his fraud respectively of being a changed woman; thus showing the feminist hardships. While at the same time Jaya still remains a love impoverish receiving no love from him; which further displays Jaya’s affinity to a deprived.

        Novelist, as a psychological solution to these feminist hardships shows Jaya’s change of character to an egotistic person who in response to all sufferings chooses to become a novelist, while still being love deprived throughout. The elements of pester, humiliation and disgust takes her past the traditional boundaries. This aspect of Jaya’s character presents her modern feminine awakening. She writes under the pseudonym of Suhasini and is further reproached by her husband for the same. Another aspect of Jaya’s feminine character is shown through her stinted and un-intact psyche after transforming into and egotist. Despite being a strong woman she couldn’t cope up with the change and is in the state of remorse; a time when she’s a weak modern woman, weaker than the traditional woman of the Hindu society. Also her refusal of Kamat’s love and retaining her name as Suhasini (given by Mohan) shows another strong aspect of her feminine character where despite all her emptiness and hollowness she remains loyal and honest to her husband and relation.

        Henceforth it can fairly be concluded through the minute and facet full representation of a woman’s condition not just in particular but in general makes the novel a remarkable example of a feminist novel.