(Chapter 2)

WORD FORMATION

-ABQ
The study of the origin and history
of a word
The word came from Greek words
etymon meaning “original
meaning” and logos meaning
“study.”
Examples
o Entomology (from the Greek word
“entomon” meaning insects and
“logos” meaning study.
o Biology
o Zoology
Examples
o Entomology (from the Greek word
“entomon” meaning insects and
“logos” meaning study.
o Biology
o Zoology
The invention of totally new terms

Eponym
neologism
The taking over of words from other
languages
Examples:
tycoon (Japanese) zebra (Bantu)
yogurt (Turkish)
lilac (Persian)
piano (Italian)
pretzel (German)
sofa (Arabic)
tattoo (Tahitian)
Joining of two separate words to
produce a single form
Examples:
bookcase good-looking
doorknob low-paid
fingerprint full-time
sunburn
textbook
wallpaper
wastebasket
The combination of two separate
forms to produce a single new term
Examples:
o gasohol (used like gasoline, but is
made from alcohol)
o smog (smoke and fog)
o brunch (breakfast and lunch)
o Singlish (Singapore English)
This occurs when a word of more
than one syllable (facsimile) is
reduced to a shorter form (fax),
usually beginning in casual speech.
Examples:
o Phone (telephone)
o ad (advertisement)
o bra (brassiere)
o cab (cabriolet)
o flu (influenza)
When a word of one type is reduced
to form a word of another type
(part of speech)
Examples:
o televise (verb) from the noun television
o emote (v) from emotion (n)
o babysit (v) from babysitter (n)
o work (v) /worker (n)
o edit (v)/ editor (n)
A change in the function of a word,
as for example when a noun comes
to be used as a verb (without any
reduction)
Examples:
o bottle (bottle the jam)
o Butter (bottle the chicken)
o chair (You will chair the meeting)
o total (total the score)
Are new words formed from the
initial letters of a set of other words
Examples:
o CD (Compact Disk)
o VCR (Video Cassette Recorder)
o laser (light amplification by stimulated
emission of radiation)
o radio (radio detecting and ranging)
o scuba (self-contained underwater
breathing apparatus)
The most common word- formation
process to be found in the
production of new English words
Examples:
o mislead
o foolishness
o disrespectful
o Hallebloodylujah
o boondock
o telecast
o condo
o sculpt
o brew
o CHED
o waterbed
o thermometer
o selfie
MORPHOLOGY

-ABQ
The study of word forms
Examples:
o Swahili in East Africa
nitakupenda
o English translation
I will love you

ni ta ku penda
I will love you
Morpheme is the smallest unit of
meaning or grammatical function
added to another word element to form
another meaning

Examples:
o talks, talked, talker, talking
o opens, opened (s and ed)
o tourists (ist and s)
TYPES OF MORPHEMES:
a) free
o open, tour, talk, and, the
b) bound
o re-
o ist
os
o ed
od
o ness
o less
o un
o il
EXAMPLES:
undressed
un dress ed
(prefix) (stem) (suffix)
(bound) (free) (bound)

carelessness
care less ness
(stem) (suffix) (suffix)
(free) (bound) (bound)
TYPES OF FREE MORPHEMES:
a) lexical morphemes
(noun, adj., verb)
o girl, man, house, sad, tiger,
long, yellow, bag,
b) functional morphemes
(conj., prep, art, pro)
o the, and, but, because, on
although, it, them, near,
above
TYPE OF BOUND MORPHEMES:
a) derivational morphemes
(when it changes the part of speech)
o ness, less, ish, ful, mis, ex,
c0, un, im

b) inflectional morphemes
(It does not change in the part of
speech, only in the form of the form)
o ‘s, s, ing, d, ed, er, est, en
 lexical (child, teach)
free
functional (and, the)
Morphemes
derivational (re, ish)
bound
inflectional(ed, ‘s)
TRY THIS!
The child’s wildness shocked the teachers
The child ’s wild
(free) (free) (bound) (free)
(functional) (lexical) (inflectional) (lexical)

ness shock ed
(bound) (free) (bound)
(derivational) (lexical) (inflectional)
the teach er s
(free) (free) (bound) (bound)
(functional) (lexical) (derivational) (inflectional)
1) The boys’ bags covered the
pencils.
2) Susanne boils eggs.
3) Honesty seems hard to find
these days.
The boys’ bags covered the pencils.

Susanne boils eggs.

Honesty seems hard to find these days.