Introduction to Linguistics

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CHAPTER 5
Word formation

Instructor: Lam Hoang Phuc

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5.1. The study of words

 Etymology: the study of the origin and history of a word.

 There are many different ways in which new words can
enter the language  word formation processes.
 We should view the constant evolution of new words and
new uses of old words as a sign of vitality and creativeness
in the way a language is used rather than barbaric misuses
of the language.
5.2. Word formation processes

 Coinage
 The process of inventing totally new terms.
 Common sources of coinage include invented trade names
for commercial products (e.g. aspirin, nylon, teflon),
misspellings (e.g. Google from googol), new products,
concepts, or activities (e.g. ebay).
 Eponyms: new words that are based on the name of a
person or place.
E.g. sandwich came from the 18th century Earl of Sandwich.
5.2. Word formation processes

 Borrowing
 The process of taking words from other languages.
E.g. croissant from French, piano from Italian.
 In some cases, the borrowed words may be used with
quite different meanings.
E.g. the phrase im Partnerlook in German is used to describe
two people who are together and wearing similar clothing.
 Loan-translation/calque: the process of directly translating
the elements of a word into the borrowing language.
E.g. French word gratte-ciel (literally “scrape-sky”) is a calque
for skyscraper.
5.2. Word formation processes

 Compounding
 The process of joining two separate words to produce a
single form.
E.g. bookcase, textbook.
 Compounds can also be created from adjectives (e.g. good-
looking, low-paid) and from the combination of adjectives
and nouns (e.g. full-time).
5.2. Word formation processes

 Blending
 The process of taking only the beginning of a word and
joining it to the end of another word.
E.g. smog from smoke and fog, motel from motor and hotel.
 In some cases, we combine the beginnings of both words.
E.g. telex from teleprinter and exchange.
5.2. Word formation processes

 Clipping
 The process of reducing a word of more than one syllable
to a shorter form (usually the beginning).
E.g. gas from gasoline, ad from advertisement.
 Clipping can also be applied to given names.
E.g. Sam from Samuel, Ron from Ronald.
 Hypocorisms: the process of reducing a longer word to a
single syllable, then adding -y or -ie to the end.
E.g. movie from moving picture, Aussie from Australian.
5.2. Word formation processes

 Backformation
 The process of reducing a word of one type (usually a
noun) to form a word of another type (usually a verb).
 E.g. televise from television, donate from donation.
5.2. Word formation processes

 Conversion
 The process of changing the function of a word (e.g. a
noun comes to be used as a verb) without any reduction.
E.g. some nouns like bottle, butter, chair and vacation have
come to be used as verbs.
 Some words can shift substantially in meaning when they
change category through conversion.
E.g. while doctor (n) is neutral, to doctor (v) has a negative
sense.
5.2. Word formation processes

 Acronymy
 The process of forming new words from the initial letters of
a set of other words. The products of the process are call
acronyms.
E.g. NATO from North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
 Many acronyms have become everyday terms.
E.g. laser from light amplification by stimulated emission of
radiation.
5.2. Word formation processes

 Derivation
 The process of producing new words through adding small
bits of language which are call affixes to a word.
 Types of affixes:
o Prefixes: added to the beginning of a word.
o Suffixes: added to the end of a word.
o Infixes: added inside a word; not common in English.
5.2. Word formation processes

 Multiple processes
 A new word may be created through the operation of more
than one word formation process.
E.g. deli seems to have been created from borrowing the
word delicatessen from German and then clipped.
REFERENCES

Yule, G. (2010). The study of language (4th ed.).

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.