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4. Word formation

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30 views15 pages

4. Word formation

Uploaded by

Anna Himer
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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WORD

F O R M AT I O N
PROCESSES
1. Coinage/Neologism

The process of inventing


entirely new words
Usually, words are coined to
express new ideas, processes or
to refer to products
Examples: nylon, nerd, Kleenex

Eponyms: they are new words


based on names of people or
places
2. Borrowing

• It is a process through which new


words are formed by adopting words
from other languages together with
the idea or concept they stand for
• The most common reason for
borrowing words is to fill lexical or
semantical gaps in the language (the
language doesn't have words to
express certain things)
• Examples: homicide (Latin), ranch
(Spanish), semester (German),
A unique form of borrowing =
Calque or loan translation

It is a direct translation of the


word into the borrowing language
Skyscraper (English)
Gratte ciel (Italian)
Wolkenkratzer (German)
3. Compounding

It means joining
Examples:
two separate
postcard, post
words (free
office, girlfriend,
morphemes) to
bookcase,
produce a single
heartbroken
word
It is a process whereby new words
are formed by shortening other
words
Types:
1. Back clipping keeps the first
part: advertisement – ad,
gymnasium – gym, laboratory –
4. Clipping lab
2. Fore clipping keeps the final
part: parachute – chute,
alligator – gator
3. Middle clipping keeps the
middle of the word: influenza –
flu, refrigerator – fridge
4. Complex clipping appears in
compound words: optical art –
op art, linoleum cut - linocut
Clipped forms usually show a
certain tone of informality – this
sometimes appears in their spelling
too: showbusiness – showbiz

Clipping Sometimes spelling is adapted to


suit the pronounciation of the
original word: Michael – Mike,
bicycle – bike
Hypocorism is a special case of
clipping, where the word is reduced
to a single syllable and then a –y or
–ie is added to the end of it:
television – telly, breakfast - brekkie
• It is a process by which a new word
is formed by removing an affix
• It results in change in the part of
speech of the word in most of the
5. cases
Backformation • Examples: editor – edit, enthusiasm
– enthuse, swindler – swindle,
fundraising – fundraise
• Sometimes it is mistaken for
clipping, but in case of
clipping random phonological
material is removed, and the
process does not change the part
od speech of the word and the
meaning remains the same too
6. Blending

In case of blending, a new word is


formed by combining parts of two
already existing words, usually the
beginning of one and the end of
another
Examples:
Britain + exit = Brexit,
Channel + Tunnel = Chunnel,
breakfast + lunch = brunch
Subtypes of blending
1. New blends with overlapping: the final part of the first word overlaps the initial part of
the second word
Examples: alcohol + holiday = alcoholiday, slang + language = slanguage
2. New blends with clipping:
a) By using the first bit of the first word and the last bit of the last word: cheating +
texting = chexting
b) The whole first word is combined with the last part of the second word: food +
alcoholic = foodoholic
c) Part of the first word and the whole second word is kept: Europe + Asia = Eurasia
d) The first parts are used in case of both words: pocket + monster = pokémon
e) Sounds are blended mostly by preserving the order of them: lithe + slimy = slithy
f) The last parts of the two words are combined: ipod + broadcasting = podcasting
3. Blends with clipping and overlapping: motor + hotel = motel
7. Acronymy
It is a process whereby a new word is formed from the initial letters
of the constituent words of a phrase or a sentence
Examples:
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation – NATO
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ

Abbreviations: they are similar to acronyms but the individual


letters are pronounced:
Unidentified flying object – UFO
British Broadcasting Corporation – BBC
Do it yourself - DIY
8. Conversion or zero
derivation

It is a change of syntactic
category of a word without
adding affixes
Examples:
Water (noun) - to water (verb)
Access (noun) - to access (verb)
Not so typical processes
1. Reduplication: words are formed through the repetition of
sounds
Examples:
Blah blah
Easy-peasy
Super-duper
2. Infixing: when an affix is inserted into the existing word:
Fantastic + damn = fandamntastic
Multiple processes
In some cases multiple processes are used to create a
new word

Examples:
Deli: first borrowed from German (delicatessen) and then
clipped
Spring-clean is backformed from (spring-cleaning) and it is
also a compound
Exercise
a. We will carpet this room.
b. This device will self-destruct in 30 seconds.
c. Could you give me a quick recap on what’s been decided.
d. A day return to London, please.
e. Colouring your hair was a no-no at that time.
f. Jane decided to spring-clean her apartment.
g. What are the core rules of netiquette?
h. The tax court concluded that the sale was not a bona fide transaction.
i. Business confidence is on the up.
j. My old man said follow the van, and don’t dilly-dally on the way.
k. This year the show will be simulcast live to 50 different countries.
l. Did you get my memo about the meeting?
m. Millions of people suffer from AIDS.
n. Do you have a xerox machine?

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