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English Word Formation

English Word Formation. Deny A. Kwary http://www.kwary.net Airlanga University. Types of Word Formation. Compounding Prefixation Suffixation Conversion Clipping Blends Backformation Acronyms Onomatopoeia Eponyms Toponyms. 1. Compounding.

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English Word Formation

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  1. English Word Formation Deny A. Kwary http://www.kwary.net Airlanga University

  2. Types of Word Formation • Compounding • Prefixation • Suffixation • Conversion • Clipping • Blends • Backformation • Acronyms • Onomatopoeia • Eponyms • Toponyms

  3. 1. Compounding • Definition: Two or more words joined together to form a new word. • Examples: • Home + work  homework • Pick + pocket  pickpocket • The meaning of a compound is not always the sum of the meanings of its parts. • Types of compounds: • Compound nouns • Compound verbs • Compound adjectives

  4. Compound Nouns • Boyfriend, hatchback • Cut-throat, breakfast • Sunshine, birth control • Software, fast food • In-crowd, overkill • Drop-out, put-on • Noun + Noun • Verb + Noun • Noun + Verb • Adjective + Noun • Particle + Noun • Verb + Particle

  5. Compound Verbs • Carbon-copy, sky-dive • Fine-tune • Overbook • Bad-mouth • Noun + Verb • Adjective + Verb • Particle + Verb • Adjective + Noun

  6. Compound Adjectives • Capital-intensive • Deaf-mute • Coffee-table • Roll-neck • White-collar • Before-tax • Go-go • Noun + Adjective • Adjective + Adjective • Noun + Noun • Verb + Noun • Adjective + Noun • Particle + Noun • Verb-verb

  7. 2. Prefixation • Class-changing prefixes: • a-  asleep  V to Adj • be-  bewitch  N to V • en-  enslave  N to V • Class-maintaining prefixes: • in-  indefinite  Adj to Adj • fore-  foreman  N to N • Etc.

  8. 3. Suffixation • Suffixes forming Nouns • N from N: -dom  kingdom • N from V: -ee  employee • N from Adj: -ce  dependence • Suffixes forming Verbs • V from N: -ify  beautify • V from Adj: -en  shorten • Suffixes forming adjectives • Adj from N: -al  educational • Adj from V: -able  understandable • Adj from Adj: -ish  greenish • Suffixes forming Adverbs: -ly, -ward, and –wise.

  9. 4. Conversion • Definition: Assigning an already existing word to a new syntactic category. • Types of Conversion • Verb to Noun: to hit  a hit • Adj to N: a final game  a final • N to V: a sign  to sign • Adj to V: an empty box  to empty

  10. 5. Clipping • Definition: Shortening a polysyllabic word by deleting one or more syllables • Examples: • Gasoline  Gas • Hamburger  Burger • delicatessen  • microphone  deli mike

  11. 6. Blends • Definition: Similar to compounds, but parts of the words are deleted. • Examples: • Motor + hotel  Motel • Breakfast + lunch  Brunch • Wireless + Fidelity  • Sheep + goat  Wi-fi Shoat

  12. 7. Back-formations • Definition: Creative reduction due to incorrect morphological analysis. • Examples: • editor (1649)  edit (1791) • television (1907)  televise (1927) • Paramedical (1921)  paramedic (1967)

  13. 8. Acronyms • Definition: Words derived from the initial letters of several words and use them as a new word • Examples: • Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Treats  SWOT • Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus  SCUBA

  14. 9. Onomatopoeia • Definition: Words created to sound like the thing that they name.

  15. 10. Eponyms • Definition: a person after whom a discovery, invention, place, etc., is named. • Examples: • Celcius (Anders Celcius) • Cook Islands (James Cook)

  16. 11. Toponyms • Definition: a place name, especially one derived from a topographical feature. • Examples: • Montana (‘mountains’ in Spanish) • Mississippi (‘big river’ in Chippewa)

  17. That's all... See you next week. Deny A. Kwary http://www.kwary.net Airlanga University

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