1.1.1.1.2. Exocentric compounds
The meaning of exocentric compounds is not transparent, as seen in the following example:
man^tall
‘elder brother’
(adapted from Kubus 2008: 80)
man^tall does not literally mean ‘a tall man’ but ‘elder brother’. Some other examples are:
big_steering_wheel^bus
‘big rig’
neck^long
‘giraffe’
head^strong
‘stubborn’
In these examples, the meaning, again, is not literal. A big rig is not a type of bus, a giraffe is not a kind of neck, and a pickle is not a type of jar.
As for head order, generally TİD exocentric compounds are headless (e.g. book^article ‘law’). One-headed exocentric compounds are usually head-initial (e.g. neck^long ‘giraffe’).