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Word formation
The document outlines various word formation processes in English, including clipping, blending, derivation, acronyms, reduplication, compounding, loaning, and affixation. Each process is defined with examples, illustrating how words can be shortened, merged, derived, or adapted from other languages to create new terms. Overall, it serves as a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms that contribute to the evolution and richness of the English language.
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Word formation
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- 5. www.themegallery.com Clipping is atype of abbreviation of a word in which one part is 'clipped' off the rest, and the remaining word now means essentially the same thing as what the whole word means or meant. For example, the word rifle is a fairly modern clipping of an earlier compound rifle gun, meaning a gun with a rifled barrel.
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- 7. Back Clipping /Apocopation Examples: Max – maximum Bra – brassiere Bros – brothers Typo – typo graphical error Carbs - Carbohydrates www.themegallery.com
- 8. Fore Clipping /Aphaeresis / Apheresis Examples: Varsity – university Pike – turnpike Chute – parachute Burger – hamburger Gator – alligator www.themegallery.com
- 9. Middle Clipping /Syncope Examples: Flu – Influenza Jam/jammies – pajamas Tec – detective www.themegallery.com
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- 11. Blending is oneof the most beloved of word formation processes in English. It is especially creative in that speakers take two words and merge them based not on morpheme structure but on sound structure. The resulting words are called blends. www.themegallery.com
- 12. Examples: Prosumer = produce+ consumer Gasohol = gasoline + alcohol Modem = modulator + demodulator Cooperators = cooperative + investors Brunch = breakfast + lunch www.themegallery.com
- 13. Examples: Bleep = blankout+ beep Swipe = wipe + weep Swaddle = wade + toddle Blurt = blow + spurt www.themegallery.com
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- 15. Deriviation is thecreation of words by modification of a root without the addition of other roots. Often the effect is a change in part of speech. www.themegallery.com
- 16. adjective-to-noun: -ness (slow→ slowness) adjective-to-verb: -ise (modern → modernise) in British English or -ize (archaic → archaicize) in American English and Oxford spelling adjective-to-adjective: -ish (red → reddish) adjective-to-adverb: -ly (personal → personally) noun-to-adjective: -al (recreation → recreational) noun-to-verb: -fy (glory → glorify) verb-to-adjective: -able (drink → drinkable) verb-to-noun (abstract): -ance (deliver → deliverance) verb-to-noun (agent): -er (write → writer) www.themegallery.com
- 17. Examples: Braille – LouiseBraille (french teacher) Boycott – Charles C. Boycott (Irish land agent) Ammonia – Ammon (Egypt god) Ampere – Andre Marie Amper (physicist) Arachnid – Arachne (the girl in greek mythology who was turned into a spider www.themegallery.com
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- 19. Acronyms are formedby taking the initial letters of a phrase and making a word out of it. The classical acronym is also pronounced as a word. Scuba was formed from self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. www.themegallery.com
- 20. Examples: a.k.a = AlsoKnown As NB = nota bene Cc = Caron Copy a.m. = ante meridiem p.m. = post meridiem ps = postscripts www.themegallery.com
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- 22. Process of formingnew words either by doubling an entire word (total reduplication) or part of a word (partial reduplication) www.themegallery.com
- 23. Examples: Eency – weency Incy– wincy Wee – wee Walkie – talkie Mumbo – jumbo Itsy – bitsy Bye – bye www.themegallery.com
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- 25. Compounding or compositionis the process of word formation that creates compound lexemes (the other word- formation process being derivation). That is, in familiar terms, compounding occurs when two or more words are joined together to make them one word. The meaning of the compound may be very different from the meanings of its components in isolation. www.themegallery.com
- 26. Examples: (non –hyphenated) Curriculum vitae Marriage certificate Editorial staff Memorandum circular Notary club Lieutenant colonel www.themegallery.com
- 27. Examples: (hyphenated) Editor –in – chief Officer – in – charge Bio – data Attorney – in – law Mother – in – law www.themegallery.com
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- 29. Loanwords are wordsadopted by the speakers of one language from a different language (the source language). A loanword can also be called a borrowing. The abstract noun borrowing refers to the process of speakers adopting words from a source language into their native language. "Loan" and "borrowing" are of course metaphors, because there is no literal lending process. There is no transfer from one language to another, and no "returning" words to the source language. The words simply come to be used by a speech community that speaks a different language from the one these words originated in. www.themegallery.com
- 30. Examples: Thee – you Whither– where Yore – years ago Canst – can Cometh – come www.themegallery.com
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- 32. An affix isa morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word. Affixes may be derivational, like English -ness and pre-, or inflectional, like English plural -s and past tense -ed. They are bound morphemes by definition; prefixes and suffixes may be separable affixes. Affixation is, thus, the linguistic process speakers use to form different words by adding morphemes (affixes) at the beginning (prefixation), the middle (infixation) or the end (suffixation) of words www.themegallery.com