Lexicology Lesson 4 Notes

LEXICOLOGY LESSON 4 NOTES

Plan

  • Theory → New Words: Understanding the foundational concepts of lexicology, focusing on new word formation.
  • Revision:
  • Term Salad: A review exercise to categorize and understand terms.
  • Blitz Quiz: A quick assessment to consolidate knowledge gained.
  • Morphological Analysis: Analyzing word structure and formation processes.

NEW WORDS

  • Nonce-: A term referring to a word or expression formed for a specific occasion or purpose, often not likely to be used again.
  • Neologisms: Newly coined words or expressions that may be in the process of entering common usage.

MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

  • Definition: Describes the structure of a word and defines the various types and subtypes of word formation.
  • Components of Word Structure:
  • Root / Stem: The main part of a word that provides its fundamental meaning.
  • Affixes: Elements added to a root or stem to modify its meaning:
    • Prefixes: Affixes that precede a root (e.g., "un-" in "unhappy").
    • Suffixes: Affixes that follow a root (e.g., "-ness" in "happiness").
  • Ending: The final part of a word, which can include inflectional morphemes.

Structure of a Word

  • Major Types of Word Formation:

  • Derivation: Creating a new word by adding prefixes or suffixes (e.g., "happy" → "unhappy").

  • Composition: Combining two or more roots to form a new word (e.g., "toothbrush").

  • Contraction: Shortening a word or combining words (e.g., "can't" from "cannot").

  • Conversion: Changing the grammatical category of a word without altering its form (e.g., "to run" (verb) and "a run" (noun)).

  • Minor Types of Word Formation:

  • Onomatopoeia: Words that phonetically mimic or resemble the sound they describe (e.g., "buzz").

  • Reduplication: Repeating a word or part of it to create a new meaning (e.g., "choo-choo").

  • Reversion: Changing back to an earlier form or meaning (e.g., "nightmare").

  • Blending: Merging parts of two words to create a new term (e.g., "smog" from "smoke" and "fog").

Examples of Morphological Analysis

  1. Reelections: Demonstrates the use of the prefix "re-" to indicate again.
  2. Bread-and-butter: An example of a compound word.
  3. Basements: Shows pluralization as a morphological change.
  4. Hokey-pokey: An example of reduplication in word formation.
  5. Scuba: An acronym that has become a recognized word in its own right.

References

  • Blokh, M.Ya. (2000). A Course in Theoretical English Grammar. Third Edition. Moscow: Vyshaya Shkola.
  • Yule, G. (2010). The Study of Language. NY: Cambridge University Press.
  • Carstairs-McCarthy, A. (2002). An Introduction to English Morphology: Words and their Structure. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.