Các phương thức tạo từ tiếng Anh

1. Phương thức phụ tố

Affixation: the formation of new words with the help of affixes.
As affixes consist of prefixes and suffixes, affixation is further divided into
prefixation and suffixation.
Prefixation is the formation of words by means of prefixes. This process mainly
modifies the lexical meaning of the root, and rarely forms new parts of speech:
happy (adj) – unhappy (adj)
do (v) – redo (v)
Suffixation is the formation of words by means of suffixes. The process changes
the meaning of the root, both lexically and grammatically.
Suffixation transfers words to different parts of speech:
beautiful (adj) à beautifully (adv)
modern (adj) à modernize (v)
2. Phương thức ghép
Compounding/word composition
Compounding (word-composition) is the building of a new word by joining two or
more words. As a result, a compound word is a word consisting of at least two
stems (roots) which occur in the language as free forms.
e.g. classroom, time-table, bedroom, schoolgirl, passer-by, aircraft-carrier, kind-
hearted, handwash, sunbeam etc.
-The components of a compound may be either simple or derived words or even
other compound words.
A compound word may differ from a free word group phonologically, structurally,
semantically or graphically.
a. Phonological criterion:
-There is a marked tendency in English to give compounds a heavy stress on the
first element (determinant)
‘blackboard # ‘black ’board ‘blackbird # ‘black ‘bird
‘bluebottle # ‘blue ‘bottle ‘dancing girl # ‘dancing ‘girl
b. Inseparability criteria (criterion of structural integrity)
Compounds are indivisible. Between the elements of a compound word it is
impossible to insert any other words.
Raincoat, notice-board, identity-card, text-book, tallboy
c. Semantic criterion:
A compound word only expresses a single idea despite the fact that it consist of
two or more words.
dirty work (dishonourable proceedings) (vs clean work, dry work: phrase)
blackmarket, redtape, greenhouse, bluebottle, lip-service, chatterbox, blackboard.
d. Graphic criterion (spelling criterion)
A compound is often spelt with a hyphen or with no separation at all: headmaster,
loudspeaker or head-master, loud-speaker, night-club
3. Phương thức viết tắt
Shortening
Shortening is a productive way of building words in English, especially in
colloquial speech and advertisement.
e.g. ad (advertisement), TV, I.O.U.
Shortening includes abbreviation and blending.
Abbreviation includes acronyms and clipping
Acronyms are words built from the initials of several words.
the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
 The UN (United Nations)
The UNO (United Nations Organization)
Clipping is further classified into Initial, Final, Initio-final, Medial, Elliptico-
conversional clipping
+ Initial clipping: the first part of the word is clipped.
Phone (telephone), cute (acute), fend (defend)
+ Final clipping: the last part of a word is clipped
doc (doctor), prof (professor), uni (university).
+ Initio-final clipping: both the first and the last parts are clipped:
frig/fridge (refrigerator), flu (influenza), tec (detective)
+ Medial clipping: the medial part is clipped.
maths (mathematics), specs (spectacles)
+ Elliptico-conversional: (phrasal clipping): a combination of ellipsis, conversion
and clipping:
e.g. open on (open fire on), finals (final examinations), prelims (preliminary
examinations)
Blending is one special type of shortening where parts of words merge into one
new word.
Breathalyzer (breath + analyzer)
Broasted (broiled + roasted)
Transistor (transistor +receiver)
Ecotecture (ecological architecture)
4. Phương thức chuyển loại
Conversion (functional change/zero derivation)
Conversion is the formation of a new word in a different part of speech without
adding any element.
e.g. chair (n)  to chair
finger (n)  to finger
milk (n)  to milk
water (n)  to water
Partial conversion: the building of some nouns from verbs:
Have a look / talk / smoke / dance / wash / a chat / a swim
Give a ring / kick / blow
Give a jerk / a jump / a start
Take a ride / a walk / the lead
Make a move / a dive
Substantivation: the formation of nouns from adjectives or the transition into
nouns:
private (adj)  a private
captive (adj)  a captive
conservative a conservative
criminal a criminal
female a female
+ partial substantivation:
the old, the young, the dead, the dying, the living, the unemployed, the wounded,
the lower-paid.
5. Phương thức tượng thanh
Sound imitation
Sound imitation is the way of forming words by imitating sounds produced by
actions, things etc.
-Words showing animals: crow, cuckoo, humming bird, cricket.
-Words showing sounds made by animals: howl, quack, croak, mew, moo.
Words showing movement of water: flush, splash, babble.
-Words showing actions made by man: giggle, chatter, grumble, murmur,
6. Phép ngược
Back derivation (back formation)
Definition: Back derivation is the building of new words by subtracting a real or
supposed affix from existing words.
to beg from beggar
to burgle from burglar
to cobble from cobbler
to baby-sit from baby-sitter
to force-land from forced-landing
7. Phép chuyển âm và trọng âm
Sound and stress interchange
Sound interchange: New words are built by changing the root vowel or consonant
of the old words.
Eg.food (n)  feed (v) (root vowel)
speak (v)  speech (n) (root consonant)
life (n)  live (v) (both)
Stress interchange: The new word is built by changing the place of the stress on the
old one, eg.
‘export (n)  to ex’port (v)
‘conduct (n)  to con’duct (v)
‘contrast (n)  to con’trast
‘convict (n)  to con’vict
‘digest (n)  to di’gest
‘essay (n)  to a’ssay
8. Các từ dựa trên ẩn dụ và hoán dụ
Word from names (metaphor and metonymy based words)

Jumbo: a huge elephant brought to the US

jumbo jet plane, jumbo cassette-recorder
Names of authors: Have you read Shakespeares?