7.2 How language changes

Derivation

process by which new words are formed as they are changed from existing words and as they are borrowed and adapted from other languages

Coinage

creation of new words - Google. Often nouns but they can be changed into verbs - to google.

Eponym

Form of coinage where the new word takes the name of the inventor or discoverer - sandwich, Alzheimer's, Fahrenheit

Prefix

a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to make a new word

Suffix

a group of letters added at the end of the word to make a new word

root/stem

part of the word which cannot be changed and which can be added to for a change in meaning

conversion

creating a new word, or a new word class, from an existing one, or from a different word class - the noun 'green' in golf being derived from the adjective 'green'; clean as an adjective vs. 'clean' as a verb

Telescoping

the contraction of a phrase, word or part of a word, on the analogy of a telescope being closed - biodegradable for biologically degradable

Acronym

A word formed from the first letter of each word in a series - UN, USA, scuba, radar (form of telescoping)

Compounding

forming a word from two or more units that are themselves words - blackboard from black and board, flowerpot, toothbrush, English-language learners (form of telescoping)

Blending

forming a new word by joining the beginning of one word to the end of another- smog (smoke/fog), galumph (gallop/triumph), motel (motor/hotel), Spanglish (Spanish/English) (form of telescoping)

Clipping

shortening words, as in "math" for "mathematics" and "doc" for "doctors"; informal (form of telescoping)

Coalescence

the phonological process whereby two sounds merge into one - assume pronounced 'ashume'; /wh/ pronounced as /w/ - whine pronounced wine.

Backformation

formation of a simpler word from an existing one that appears to be derived from it - enthuse from enthusiasm; n. babysitter can become v. babysit. (form of clipping)

Reduplication

sounds are repeated with identical or only very slight change; characteristic of infant speech (animal sounds 'moo' or 'quack' as well as duplicate sounds 'chick-flick', ping-pong')

Borrowing (loanwords)

the introduction of specific words, constructions, or morphological elements from one language to another (table into English from Old French, or weekend into French from English)

neuter

in language terms, neither male nor female

inflection

any form or change of form which distinguishes grammatical forms of the same lexical unit (plural 'books' is distinguished from singular 'book' by the inflection '-s'

archaism

in English language, words which are no longer in everyday use or have lost a particular meaning in current usage

etymology

the study of the historical relation between a word and the earlier form or forms from which it has developed

Amelioration

when a word takes on a more positive connotation over time - nice which originally meant foolish or absurd.

Pejoration

when a word takes on a more negative connotation over time - silly originally meant blessed, blessed, it was thought, was to be innocent, and not have sufficient brains to work things out

Broadening

when the meaning of a word becomes broader or more inclusive than its earlier meaning - the earlier form of dog originally only referred to a specific breed.

Narrowing

when the meaning of a word becomes narrower and more exclusive than its earlier meaning - the earlier form of meat originally referred to all food, but now usually refers only to food in the form of animal flesh.

Prescriptivism (prescriptivist view)

the view that language should have a strict set of rules that must be obeyed in speech and writing

Descriptivism (descriptivist view)

the view that no use of language is incorrect, and that variation should be acknowledged and recorded rather than corrected