Norwegian compounds: the category of non-heads

In this paper, the inner structure of compounds is discussed, based on an investigation of lefthand elements of compounds in Norwegian. In Dutch and Swedish, left-hand elements of compounds have been analysed as category-less roots without any word-class features (i.e. noun, verb, adjective). I investigate whether this analysis can be extended to Norwegian compounds. A careful examination of left-hand-elements and their interaction with linking elements in Norwegian reveals that at least some categorization is necessary. In Norwegian, non-heads cannot be bare roots. The paper thus contributes to our understanding of the buildings-blocks of compounds in different languages.