Co-Source Structures of the Suffix –tum in German

When examining derivational suffixation in German, it becomes apparent that a highly regular pattern exists, so much so that we have a strong argument for grammaticalization of the suffixizing forms. Due to the gestalt, holistic relationship between the host element and the developing suffix, it is argued that the host part plays an integral role in the grammaticalization of German -tum (cognate with English -dom, as in kingdom). This role is so salient that we can term the semantically heavy part of the construction to which -tum fuses a co-source structure. Old High German and Middle High German forms for Reichtum 'wealth' and Magettum 'virginity' are investigated from a large corpus of various texts.