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Word Formation

Word Formation
How are new words created?
A very common and productive
process:
derivation
happy + ness happiness
print + able printable
em + balm embalm
etc.
What other processes are there?
Compounding
The creation of a new word out of several existing ones,
e.g. bathroom, armchair, university degree
What are the properties of compounds?
Compounds consist of
a head (the right element, carrying the principal meaning)
and a modifier (the left element)
They are
endocentric (syntactic and semantic head)
exocentric (syntactic but not semantic head)
copulative (no head-modifier relationship, both parts are
equal)
verbal (modifier is object of corresponding verb)
Compounds are recursive: bath towel room sale rack

Blends
are created by blending two existing words to
form a new one
Typically, you take the beginning of one word
and the end of another
e.g. smoke + fog smog
rockumentary
edutainment
celesbian
guesstimate
etc.
Clippings
are created by shortening an exisiting word
usually the first or stressed syllables are
taken
e.g. laboratory lab
mike
fax
mod con
sci-fi
etc.
Acronyms
are created by using the initial letters of a
longer name or term which consists of several
words
the new form is pronounced as a word (not
just letters, then its a simple abbreviation)
e.g. radio detection and ranging radar
NATO
NAFTA
FYROM
WYSIWYG
etc.
Morphological Reanalysis
often a case of folk etymology
occurs when a complex word is reanalyzed
morphologically, and the components are used as
morphemes themselves
e.g. hamburger: hamburg + er ham + burger
burger = patty eaten in a bun
the new morpheme burger is now used to create
new words,
e.g. cheeseburger, tofuburger, chickenburger
A Critical Case
How about new words in thon and rama or holic?
There are many neologisms, especially in the world of
advertizing or in journalism, ending in thon and rama
or holic.
Are they blends, are they a case of reanalysis, or have
these endings become suffixes in English?
Watch out for some examples:
-rama
Anything that offers a (metaphorical)
panorama, i.e. a wide range, of some thing or activity
Images removed for filesize reasons
-holic
HORSEAHOLIC.COM is dedicated to the promotion of Canada's
national horse the "Cheval Canadien".
Craft-a-holic
Knitting, Rubber Stamping, Scrapbooking, Book Binding, Soap
Making, and on and on and on . . .
The Salt-O-Holic Message Board
Becoming a Font-a-holic... and Loving It
Any addiction to a hobby or favorite thing makes you an X-a-
holic
Borrowing
new words are not created from native stock
but borrowed from other languages
so-called loanwords
e.g. anorak, parka, igloo (from Inuit),
wurst, stein, ersatz (from German),
aficionado, burrito, cockroach (from Spanish),
khaki, bungalow, juggernaut (from Indian), etc.
Back Formation
A complex word exists first, the non-
affixed form is derived later, e.g.
to baby-sit from baby-sitter
to edit from editor
to laze from lazy
to enthuse from enthusiasm

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