Proceses of word formation

Proceses of word formation

a.   Compounding

compounds or compound words.

In Linguistics, compounds can be either native or borrowed.

Native English roots are typically free morphemes, so that means native compounds are made out of independent words that can occur by themselves.

 Examples: 

mailman (composed of free root mail and free root man)

mail carrier

dog house

fireplace

fireplug (a regional word for 'fire hydrant')

fire hydrant

dry run

cupcake

cup holder

email

Note that compounds are written in various ways in English: with a space between the elements; with a hyphen between the elements; or simply with the two roots run together with no separation. The way the word is written does not affect its status as a compound. Over time, the convention for writing compounds can change, usually in the direction from separate words (e.g. email used to be written with a hyphen. In the 19th century, today and tomorrow were sometimes still written to-day and to-morrow. The to originally was the preposition to with an older meaning 'at [a particular period of time]'. Clock work changed to clock-work and finally to one word with no break (clockwork). If you read older literature you might see some compound words that are now written as one word appearing with unfamiliar spaces or hyphens between the components.

 

b.   Derivation

Derivation is the creation of words by modification of a root without the addition of other roots. Often the effect is a change in part of speech.

 

c.   Invention

A popular idea of a word's origin that is not in accordance with its real origin. Many folk etymologies are cases of reanalysis in which the word is not only reanalysis but it changes under the influence of the new understanding of its morphemes. The result is that speakers think it has a different origin than it does.

 

d.  Echoism

Echoism isthe formation of words whose sound suggest their meaning, like hiss and peewee.

 

E.     Clipping

Cliping means cutting off the beginning or the end of a word, or both, leaving a part to stand for the whole.

-          Backclipping is the loss of one or more syllables  at the end of a word.

Ex: flex > flexible                             

      Intro > introduction

-          Foreclipping refers to the omission of one or more syllables at the beginning of a word.

Ex: phone > telephone

      Burger > hamburger

-          Middle clipping retains the middle part of a word, getting rid of the beginning and ending parts.

Ex: flu > influenza

      Fridge > refrigerator

-          Complex clipping is the shortening of a compound word by preserving and combining its initial parts (or first syllabes)

Ex: forex (foreign exchange)

      Stcom (situation comedy)

e.    Acronymy

Acronymy is a word formed from the initial letters of a name.

Examples:  NATO from ( North Atlantic Treaty Organization )

             RADAR from ( Radio Detection And Ranging )

f.    Blending

 

Blending is the word formation process in which parts of two or more words combine to create a new word whose meaning is often a combination of the original words.

For example :

·         Advertisement + entertainment = advertainment

·         Breakfast + lunch = brunch

·         Motor + hotel = motel

·         Smoke + fog = smog

·         Telephone + marathon = telethon

g.    Back information

            Back-formation is the word formation process in which an actual or sup- posed derivational affix detaches from the base form of a word to create a new word, or delete from an affixes.

For example :

·         Babysitter – babysit

·         Sassy – sass

·         Television – televise

·         Beggar – beg

·         Cadger - cadge

h.    Folk etymology

 A popular idea of a word's origin that is not in accordance with its real origin.

Many folk etymologies are cases of reanalysis in which the word is not only reanalysis but it changes under the influence of the new understanding of its morphemes. The result is that speakers think it has a different origin than it does.  

i.  Reduplication 

Reduplication is the process of forming a new word by doubling a morepheme, usually with a change of vowel or initial consonant as in pooh, tiptop, and hanky-panky