In this chapter I begin to develop the descriptive system that I believe to be necessary for a discussion of the semantics of lexeme-forming word formation, that is, derivation, compounding, and conversion. As I argued in the Introduction, such a system must have a number of characteristics: it must allow us to treat lexical semantic properties (as opposed to properties of phrases, propositions, or discourses); it must be decompositional, and its atoms (or primitives) must be of the right “grain size” to allow fruitful discussion of the semantics of word formation; finally, it must be broadly cross-categorial, allowing equally for the description of the lexical semantics at least of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. I begin with a discussion of the skeleton, as that is the part of the semantic representation that is formal, and will figure most prominently in the discussion of the semantics of derivation. As the discussion progresses, I will touch on the nature of the semantic body as well, and on its role in the ultimate determination of lexical meaning.

I start in section 1.1 with a problem which I think sets the agenda for anyone attempting to talk about the semantics of derivation. This problem – the meaning of the affixes -er and -ee in English – gives immediate insight into the issue of “grain size” of the primitives or atoms of meaning on which such a system might be based.