Agent noun explained

In linguistics, an agent noun (in Latin, Latin: nomen agentis) is a word that is derived from another word denoting an action, and that identifies an entity that does that action.^[1] For example, driver is an agent noun formed from the verb drive.^[2]

Usually, derived in the above definition has the strict sense attached to it in morphology, that is the derivation takes as an input a lexeme (an abstract unit of morphological analysis) and produces a new lexeme. However, the classification of morphemes into derivational morphemes (see word formation) and inflectional ones is not generally a straightforward theoretical question, and different authors can make different decisions as to the general theoretical principles of the classification as well as to the actual classification of morphemes presented in a grammar of some language (for example, of the agent noun-forming morpheme).

Words related to agent noun

Polish: bieg-ać 'to run'

Polish: bieg-acz 'runner'
Polish: -rz	Polish: pis-ać 'to write'	Polish: pis-arz 'writer'
Polish: -c	†Polish: kraw-ać 'to cut'	Polish: kraw-iec 'tailor'
Polish: -ca	Polish: daw-ać 'to give'	Polish: daw-ca 'giver'
Polish: -k	Polish: pis-ać 'to write'	Polish: pis-ak 'marker' (pen)
	Polish: skak-ać 'to jump'	Polish: skocz-ek 'jumper'
	Polish: chodz-ić 'to walk'	Polish: chodz-ik 'walker' (walking aid)
Polish: -ciel	Polish: nos-ić 'to carry'	Polish: nos-i-ciel 'carrier'
Polish: -nik	Polish: pracow-ać 'to work'	Polish: pracow-nik 'worker'
	Polish: rob-ić 'to do' 'to work' Polish: rob-ot-a 'work'	Polish: rob-ot-nik 'worker'
	Polish: praw-ić 'to orate' 'to moralize' Polish: praw-o 'law' Polish: praw-y 'right' 'righteous'	Polish: praw-nik 'lawyer'
Polish: -y	Polish: las 'forest' Polish: leś-nik 'forester'	Polish: leś-nicz-y 'forester'

An agentive suffix or agentive prefix is commonly used to form an agent noun from a verb. Examples:

• English: -er, -or, -ian, -ist
• Basque: Basque: -le (Basque: ikasle 'student' from Basque: ikasi 'learn')
• Chinese: Chinese: t=⋯者|p=-zhě|labels=no|out=t
• Dutch: Dutch; Flemish: -er, Dutch; Flemish: -ende, Dutch; Flemish: -or, Dutch; Flemish: -iet, Dutch; Flemish: -ant, Dutch; Flemish: -aar
• Finnish: Finnish: -ja/Finnish: -jä (Finnish: puhua 'speak', Finnish: puhuja 'speaker'; Finnish: lyödä 'hit', Finnish: lyöjä 'hitter'); Finnish: -uri (borrowed from '-or'/'er', probably via German)
• French: French: -(t)eur (m.); French: -(t)eure,^[3] French: -(t)euse, French: -trice, French: -iste (f.)
• Georgian: Georgian: მე- ... -Georgian: ე, as in Georgian: მებაღე (Georgian: mebaghe 'gardener') from Georgian: ბაღი (Georgian: baghi 'garden'); otherwise the nominalization of the present participle (formed with many possible circumfixes) may occur.^[4]
• German: German: -er, German: -ler, German: -ner, German: -or, German: -ör, German: -ist, German: -it, German: -ite, German: -ant, German: -ent (may be compounded with the feminine ending German: -in)
• Greek: Greek, Modern (1453-);: -ήρ, Greek, Modern (1453-);: -τήρ
• Hungarian: no specific agentive suffix, the nominalization of present participle (suffix: Hungarian: -ó/-ő, according to vowel harmony) is used instead; examples: Hungarian: dolgozó ('worker'), Hungarian: szerelő ('repairman'), Hungarian: vezető ('leader', 'driver', 'electrical conductor')
• Irish: -óir (broad), -eoir (slender), -aí (broad), -í (slender)
• Khasi: prefix Khasi: nong- or Khasi: myn-, for example Khasi: shad 'to dance', Khasi: nongshad 'dancer'; Khasi: tuh 'to steal', Khasi: myntuh 'thief'
• Latin: Latin: -tor (m.) / Latin: -trix (f.) / Latin: -trum (n.) / Latin: -torius, Latin: -a, Latin: -um (adj.) as in Latin: arator / Latin: aratrix / Latin: aratrum / Latin: aratorius; Latin: -sor (m.) / Latin: -strix (f.) / Latin: -strum (n.) / Latin: -sorius, Latin: -a, Latin: -um (adj.) as in Latin: assessor / Latin: assestrix / Latin: *assestrum / Latin: assessorius; see also: Latin: -ens
• Maori: Maori: kai-
• Persian: Persian: {{Script|fa-Arab|ـنده (Persian: -ande): from present roots; as in Persian: {{Script|fa-Arab|گوینده (Persian: gūyande; 'speaker') from Persian: {{Script|fa-Arab|گفتن، گوی- (Persian: goftan, gūy-; to speak) / Persian: {{Script|fa-Arab|ـار (Persian: -ār) : from past roots; as in Persian: {{Script|fa-Arab|خواستار (Persian: x^wāstār; 'wanter') from Persian: {{Script|fa-Arab|خواستن، خواه- (Persian: x^wāstan, x^wāh-; 'to want'). / Persian: {{Script|fa-Arab|ـگر (Persian: -gar): from nouns; as in Persian: {{Script|fa-Arab|کارگر (Persian: kārgar; 'worker') from Persian: {{Script|fa-Arab|کار (Persian: kār; 'work').^[5]
• Polish: see table
• Quechua: Quechua: -q (Quechua: pukllay 'to play', Quechua: pukllaq 'player')
• Russian: Russian: -чик or Russian: -ник (m.) / Russian: -чица or Russian: -ница (f.) as in Russian: ученик 'student'; Russian: -тель (m.) / Russian: -тельница (f.) as in Russian: учитель 'teacher'^[6]
• Spanish: Spanish; Castilian: -dor(a),,,
• Turkish: Turkish: -ci (Turkish: çiçekçi 'florist' from Turkish: çiçek 'flower')
• Welsh: Welsh: -wr (m.), Welsh: -ores (f.)

See also

• Agent (grammar)
• Nominalization

Further reading

• Polish: Maria Wojtyła-Świerzowska|italic=no, Polish: Prasłowiańskie nomen agentis|italic=yes ("Protoslavic Nomen Agentis"), Wrocław, 1975

Notes and References

1. Web site: agent noun. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. December 11, 2014.
2. Book: Metonymy and metaphor in grammar. 25. 101. Klaus-Uwe. Panther. Linda L.. Thornburg. Antonio. Barcelona. John Benjamins Publishing Company. 2009. 978-90-272-2379-1.
3. News: Martine . Delvaux . Benoit . Melançon . Pour ou contre le mot « autrice » ? . For or against the word "author"? . Radio-Canada . French . Québec . 2019-08-21. 2024-03-20 . See also .
4. Book: Aronson, Howard I. . Georgian: A Reading Grammar. Corrected edition. Columbus, Ohio . Slavica Publishers . 1990 . 119–120.
5. Web site: "Agent noun-اسم فاعل" in Dehkhoda Dictionary. Parsi Wiki.
6. Web site: Suffixes of Russian Nouns - Examples and Translation of Russian Suffixes . masterrussian.com . 2017-02-15 .