Word Formation: Detailed Study Notes

WORD FORMATION HENA031

Clipping

  • Definition: Clipping refers to the formation of a new word form that maintains the same meaning as the original lexical term. It involves removing a part of the word, resulting in a monosyllabic or disyllabic form.
  • Examples:
    • hype (for hypochondriac)
    • rep (for reputation)
    • ult (for ultimate)
    • penult (for penultimate)
    • incog (for incognito)
    • hyper (for hypercritic)
    • extra (for extraordinary)
    • mob (for mobile crowd)

Fore-clipping

  • Definition: Fore-clipping is a specific type of clipping where the front part of the word is removed.
  • Examples:
    • Plane → Aeroplane
    • Bus → Omnibus
    • Van → Caravan
    • Brolly → Umbrella

Back-clipping

  • Definition: Back-clipping is another technique of clipping where the ending part of the word is removed.
  • Examples:
    • Ammo → Ammunition
    • Stereo → Stereophonic
    • Amp → Ampere
    • Navy → Navigator
    • Info → Information
    • Lab → Laboratory
    • Rep → Representative
    • Bike → Bicycle
    • Homo → Homosexual

Clipping in Colloquial Speech

  • In casual spoken language, clipped forms often end with an [i] sound and are frequently spelled with suffixes such as (-ie or –y).
  • Examples:
    • Gerry (for Gerald)
    • Monty (for Montgomery)
    • Lizzie (for Elizabeth)
    • Aussie (for Australian)
    • Loony (for Lunatic)
    • Telly (for Television)
    • Poly (for Polytechnic)

Acronymy

  • Definition: Acronymy involves creating a new term by shortening the full name of an organization, company, or scientific concept to its initial letters. The resulting acronym can be pronounced as a word.
  • Examples:
    • SALT → Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
    • HALO → High Altitude Large Optics
    • NASA → National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    • RAM → Random Access Memory

Abbreviations

  • Definition: Abbreviations are formed from the initial letters of words, but unlike acronyms, they do not form permissible syllables and are pronounced letter by letter.
  • Examples:
    • EC → European Community
    • UN → United Nations
    • IBM → International Business Machines
    • TLC → Tender Loving Care
    • LA → Los Angeles

Back-formation

  • Definition: Back-formation occurs when affixes are removed from a base word, resulting in a new word.
  • Examples:
    • Peddle → Peddler
    • Juggle → Juggler
    • Typewrite → Typewriter
    • Edit → Editor
    • Televise → Television
    • Stage-manage → Stage-manager
    • Word-process → Word-processor

Blending

  • Definition: Blending is a process of forming hybrid words by joining parts of two distinct lexemes. It is similar to compounding but utilizes chunks rather than whole words.
  • Examples:
    • Smog → Smoke + Fog
    • Franglais → Francais + Anglais
    • Brunch → Breakfast + Lunch
    • Heliport → Helicopter + Airport
    • Privateer → Private + Volunteer
    • Quasar → Quasi + Stellar
    • Stagflation → Stagnation + Inflation

Reduplication

  • Definition: Reduplication is a linguistic process in which part of a word is repeated, often as part of an affix, using phonological material borrowed from the base.
  • Examples:
    • Zigzag
    • Dilly-dally
    • Sing-song
    • Tittle-tattle
    • Tick-tock
    • Wishy-washy

Borrowing

  • Definition: Borrowing refers to the process of incorporating lexicon from one language into another. English, in particular, has extensively borrowed from various languages.
  • Types of Borrowing:
    • Direct Borrowing: A word adopted directly from another language without alteration.
    • Example: "Omelet" from French
    • Indirect Borrowing: A more complex process where a word is borrowed through intermediary languages.
    • Example: Kahveh (Turkish) → kahwa (Arabic) → koffie (Dutch) → coffee (English)