The common of word-formation methods are: affixation, compounding, blending, clipping, backformation, conversion, coinage, acronyms and borrowing.
Explain COINAGE as a method of word-formation.
Coinage is the invention of totally new words. Strictly speaking it refers to a word which has been invented and did not previously exist in any language. immoment (by Shakespeare), and robotics (by Isaac Asimov), are examples. Coinage also refers to the making of words from specific reference to a more general one: e.g. aspirin, nylon, zipper, kleenex, xerox, jeep, and kodak.
Explain BORROWING as a method of word-formation
When words from another language enter a language, it is known as borrowing. English has taken many words other languages. Some examples are: leak, yacht (Dutch); barbecue, cockroach (Spanish); piano, concerto (Italian), cash, rice, teak (Malayalam), and admiral, adobe, alcohol, average, caliber, chemistry, cotton, elixir, lute, magazine, monsoon, nadir, ream, sash, satin, sofa, tariff, zero (Arabic).
Explain COMPOUNDING as a method of word-formation
Compounding is making a new word by stringing together existing words: e.g., earthquake (earth + quake). Some other examples are homework, girlfriend, mailman (noun + noun); sleepwalk, break-dance (verb + verb); icy-cold, red-hot (adjective + adjective); breastfeed, spoon-feed (noun + verb); spoilsport, killjoy, breakfast, cutthroat, dreadnought, know-nothing (Noun + verb); headstrong (noun + adjective); overtake, outdo (preposition + verb).
While some compounds some others retain the meaning of their parts, (e.g. doghouse) some others have new meanings (e.g. white-collar).
Explain BLENDING as a method of word-formation.
Blending is the process of fusing words together. In the process, both words lose parts. Some examples are:
smog (smoke + fog),Explain CLIPPING as a method of word-formation.
motel (motor + hotel),
brunch (breakfast + lunch).
motorcade (motor + cavalcade),
transistor (transfer + resistor),
electrocution, (electricity + execution)
travelogue (travel + monologue).
bash, (bang + smash),
brunch (breakfast + lunch.),
chortle, (chuckle + snort),
chunnel, (channel + tunnel),
dumbfound, (dumb + confound),
edutainment, (education + entertainment),
electrocution, (electricity + execution),
emoticon, (emotion + icon),
guesstimate, (guess + estimate),
infomercial, (information + commercial),
motel, (motor + hotel),
motorcade, (motor + cavalcade),
simulcast, (simultaneous broadcast),
splatter, (probably splash + spatter),
squiggle, (squirm + wiggle),
stagflation, (stagnation + inflation),
televangelist, (television + evangelist),
transistor, (transfer + resistor),
travelogue, (travel monologue),
twiddle, (twist + fiddle).
Clipping is the shortening of a word: e.g: gym (gymnasium), fax (facsimile), lab (laboratory). Thre are different types of clipping: front-clipping, middle-clipping, end-clipping, ends-clipping and complex clipping.
Front-clipping:
phone (telephone)
varsity (university)
chute (parachute)
bus (omnibus)
fax (facsimile)
plane (airplane);
End-clipping:
ad (advertisement)Middle-clipping:
cable (cablegram)
exam (examination)
gas (gasoline)
memo (memorandum)
gym ( gymnasium)
pub (public house)
fan (fanatic);
maths (mathematics)
specs (spectacles)
pants (pantaloons)
Ends-clipping:
flu (influenza)
fridge (refrigerator);
Complex clipping:
cablegram (cable telegram)
op art (optical art)
showbiz (show business)
sci-fi (science fiction)
sitcom (situation comedy)
Explain BACKFORMATION as a method of word-formation.
Backformation is the process of making a new word by removing a real (e.g., vacuum clean from vacuum cleaner,), or imagined affix (pea from pease) from a word. Some other examples for backformation are:
acculturate (acculturation)
air-condition (air conditioning)
automate (automation)
babysit (babysitter)
brainwash (brainwashing)
bulldoze (bulldozer)
custom-make (custom-made)
destruct (destruction)
diagnose (diagnosis)
diplomat (diplomatic)
donate (donation)
edit (editor)
emote (emotion)
greed (greedy [the noun was originally greediness])
handwrite (handwriting)
houseclean (housecleaning)
housekeep (housekeeper)
jell (jelly)
kempt (unkempt)
kidnap (kidnapper)
legislate (legislator)
liaise (liaison)
manipulate (manipulation)
opine (opinion)
preempt (preemption)
proofread (proof-reader)
self-destruct (self-destruction)
sightsee (sightseeing)
surreal (surrealism)
televise (television)
typewrite (typewriter)
Some back-formed words like burger (from Hamburger) are used as compound: beefburger, cheeseburger etc.
Explain HYPOCORISM as a method of word formation.
Hypocorism is using a noun differently as endearment term. It is a kind of backformation in which a final –y or –ie is added to a back-clipped word:
Aussie (Australian)
telly (television)
sweetie (sweet heart)
movie ('moving picture')
hanky (handkerchief)
granny (grandmother)
Explain INITIALISM and ACRONYM as methods of word-formation
Initialism is abbreviations formed from initials e.g. BBC, UNHCR. Acronym refers both initialisms which can be pronounced as words: e.g. Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), Ram (random access memory), and also to words such as radar (radio distancing and ranging), laser (light amplification by simulated emission of radiation), jeep (GP from General Purpose Vehicle) etc., which are more complex abbreviations.
