On the Derivation of Hebrew Forms with the +ut Suffix

The productive class of Hebrew nouns with the +ut suffix is described and analyzed, with particular attention to the nature of the derivation process involved. The assumption prevalent in the literature, that +ut derivation is a linear process, unrelated to any particular discontiuous pattern (miškal), is shown to be inaccurate. Some realizations are indeed linearly derived; others could be interpreted as either linear or discontinuous; but it can also be demonstrated that a third group of sub-patterns with +ut is best described as discontinuous, following given miškalim. The main argument for that third cluster of patterns being non-concatenative is that had they been linear, unmotivated and/or ad hoc processes would have been required in order to generate them from related base stems. Just like +an formation, then, +ut formation illustrates how the two Hebrew word-formation strategies, the uniquely-Semitic discontinuous formation and the more universal linear device, have always coexisted alongside each other, and continue to operate productively side-by-side in modern Hebrew today.