Word Formation

In linguistics, word formation is the creation of a new word. Word formation is sometimes contrasted with semantic change,which is a changein a single words meaning.

Types of Word Formation

1. Compounding
2. Conversion
3. Clipping
4. Blends
5. Backformation
6. Acronyms
7. Onomatopoeia
8. Eponyms

1.       Compounding

Definition: Two or more words joined together to form a new word.

Examples:

a.       Home + work à homework

b.      Pick + pocket à pickpocket

Note: The meaning of a compound is not always the sum of the meanings of its parts.

Ø  Coconut oil         à oil made from coconuts.

Ø  Olive oil                à oil made from olives.

Ø  Baby oil                àoil for babies

Ø  cathouse             à a house where men visit prostitutesa

2. Conversion

l  Definition: Assigning an already existing word to a new syntactic category.

l  Examples:

butter (N) à to butter the bread

 permit (V) à an entry permit

  empty (A) à to empty the litter-bin

   3.Clipping

Definition: Shortening a polysyllabic word by deleting one or more syllables

Examples:

a.       Facsimile à fax

b.      Hamburger à burger

4.       Blends

·         Definition: Similar to compounds, but parts of the words are deleted.

·         Examples:

a.       Motor + hotel à Motel

b.      Breakfast + lunch à Brunch

c.       Wireless + Fidelity à Wi-Fi

Case Study: Blends or Compunds

l  ‘Wild-haired revolutionaries like Che Guevara have been replaced by clean-cut metrosexual icons like soccer star David Beckham and musician Ricky Martin.’ (cbsnews.com, 25th November 2003).

l  ‘No botox for the Retrosexual. No $1,000 haircuts. The retrosexual man eats red meat heartily and at times kills it himself.’ (The Washington Dispatch, 2nd May 2004).

l  Another recent coinage borne out of the current preoccupation with male stereotyping is the noun and adjective technosexual. (Macmillan Online, January 2005).

     5.  Back-formations

l  Definition: Creative reduction due to incorrect morphological analysis.

l  Examples:

l  editor (1649)

    à edit (1791)

l  television (1907)

   à televise (1927)

6.    Acronyms

l  Definition: Words derived from the initials of several words

l  Examples:

l  severe acute respiratory syndrome

à SARS

l  Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

à SCUBA

Other examples of Acronyms:

a)      Radar : Radio detecting and ranging

b)      FYI : For Your Information

c)       TGIF: Thanks God It’s Friday

d)      a.k.a: also known as

e)      Html: Hypertext mark-up language

f)       www: World wide web

g)      SWOTL: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

7. Onomatopoeia

Definition: Words created to sound like the thing that they name.

example : English ( Meow ) ,Japanese (Nya), Tagalog (Niyaw), Indonesia (Meong)

8.  Eponyms

Definition: Words derived from proper names or things.

Examples:

a.       Kodak

b.      Sandwich

c.       Celcius