The word 'talkative' is a relatively late formation in English, appearing in the late 15th century. It is built upon the native Germanic verb 'talk', which itself evolved from Middle English and is related to the noun 'tale', meaning a story or account. This root is combined with the productive adjectival suffix '-ative', borrowed from Latin via French, which conveys the sense of "inclined to" or "given to". Thus, the literal construction "given to talking" perfectly captures the modern meaning of being fond of or prone to conversation, showcasing a blend of Germanic lexical material and a Latinate grammatical pattern.

Structure: talk (to speak) + ative (adjective suffix) - talk: From Middle English talken, of Germanic origin, related to tale. The core morpheme functions as the verbal root meaning "to speak". - ative: A suffix of Latin origin (-ativus), via Old French -atif, used to form adjectives meaning "tending to" or "characterized by".