Word formation
processes: Ways of creating
new words in English
1-Coinage: a brand name becomes the name for the
item or process
associated with the brand name. The word ceases
to be capitalized and acts as a normal verb/noun (i.e. takes inflections such as plural or past tense). The companies using
the names usually have copyrighted
them and object to their
use in public documents, so they
should be avoided in formal writing (or a lawsuit could
follow!) Examples: xerox, kleenex, band-aid, kitty
litter,aspirin,nylon,zipper,teflon.
2- Borrowing: a word is taken
from another language. It may
be adapted to the borrowing language's
phonological system to varying degrees.
Examples: skunk, tomato (from indigenous
languages of the Americas), sushi, taboo, wok (from
Pacific Rim languages), chic, shmuck, macho, spaghetti, dirndl, psychology, telephone, physician, education (from European languages),
hummus, chutzpah, cipher, artichoke (from Semitic languages),
yam, tote, banana (from African languages),alcohol(Arabic),boss(Dutch),croissant((French),lilac(Persian),piano(Italian),pretzel(German),robot(Czech),tycoon(Japanese),yogurt(Turkish),zebra(Bantu)
3-Compounding:
joining two or more words
into one new word. Examples:
skateboard, whitewash, cat lover, self-help, red-hot,
bookcase,fingerprint,sunburn,wallpaper,doorknob,textbook,wastebasket,waterbed.
4- Blending: Parts (which
are not morphemes!) of two already-existing
words are put together to form a new word. Examples:
motel (motor hotel) brunch (breakfast
& lunch), smog (smoke & fog), telethon (television & marathon), modem (modulator &
demodulator), Spanglish (Spanish & &English),gasohol(gasoline&alcohol),bit(binary&digit),telecast(television&broadcast),Chunnel(Channel&tunnel) infotainment(information&entertainment)simulcast(simultaneous&broadcast)telex(teleprinter&exchange)
5-Clipping: shortening of a polysyllabic word. Examples: bro (< brother), pro (< professional), prof (< professor),
math (< mathematics), veg (< 'vegetate', as in veg out in front
of the TV), sub (<
substitute or submarine)fax(facsmile)gas(gasoline)ad(advertisement)bra(brassiere)cab(cabriolet)condo(condominium)fan((fanatic)flu,perm,phone,plane,pram,pub,sitcom(situation
comedy),chem,exam,gym,lab,math,phys-ed,poly-sci,prof,typo.
6. Backformation: A suffix identifiable from other words is cut off of a base
which has previously not been a word; that
base then is used as a root, and becomes a word
through widespread use. Examples: pronunciate (< pronunciation
< pronounce), resurrect
(< resurrection), enthuse
(< enthusiasm), self-destruct (< self-destruction < destroy), burgle (< burglar), attrit (< attrition), burger (< hamburger). This differs from clipping
in that, in clipping, some phonological part of the word
which is not interpretable
as an affix or word is cut off
(e.g. the '-essor' of 'professor' is not a suffix or word; nor
is the '-ther' of 'brother'. In backformation,
the bit chopped off is a recognizable affix or word
('ham ' in 'hamburger'), '-ion' in 'self-destruction'. Backformation is the result of a false but plausible morphological analysis of the word; clipping is a strictly phonological process that is used to make
the word shorter. Clipping is based on syllable structure, not morphological analysis. It is impossible for you to recognize
backformed words or come up
with examples from your own
knowledge of English, unless you already
know the history of the word. Most people
do not know the history of the words they know;
this is normal.
televise(from television)donate(donation)opt(option)emote(emotion)enthuse(enthusiasm)liaise(liaison)babysit(babysitter)editor (edit)sculptor (sculpt)burglars.peddlers,swindlers(burgle,peddle,swindle)------first alonger word
is reduced to a single syllable then –y or-ie
is added to the end.it is known
as hypocorisms.movie(moving pictures)telly(television)Aussie(Australian)barbie(barbecue)bookie(bookmaker)brekky(breakfast)hankie(handkerchief)
7. Conversion or functional
shift: Adding no affixes; simply using a word of one category as a word of another category. Examples: Noun-verb: comb,
sand, knife, butter, referee, proposition,paper,bottle,vacation,can,verbs becoming nouns:guess,must,spy,to print
out(a printout),to take over(a
takeover) verbs become adjective:see through,stand
up.adjectives becomes verbs:to
dirty,to empty,to total,
or the noun
acrazy and a nasty.compound nouns:the ball park carpool,mastermind,microwave,quarterback.
8. Acronym formation: forming words from
the initials of a group of words that designate one concept. Usually,
but not always, capitalized.
An acronym is pronounced as
a word if the consonants and vowels line
up in such a way as to make
this possible, otherwise it is pronounced as a string of letter names. Examples: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration),
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization), AIDS (Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome), scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus), radar (radio detecting and ranging),
NFL (National Football League), AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations)CD(compact
disk)VCR(vidoe cassette recorder)laser,zip,snafu,MADD,WAR.ATM.PIN.