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Wordformation NRD
Wordformation NRD
Wordformation NRD
ENGLISH
WORD FORMATION
Word formation denotes the processes of creation new vocabulary units by existing elements
of language according to certain rules and patterns. There are numerous word formation processes
in English by which the root or base may be modified. One word derived from the base may
become the base for the formation of another word and thus by reapplication we can form words
of considerable complexity. The different types of word formation processes are briefly discussed
below:-
Compounding
Compounding or composition is the process of joining two or more words into an integrated
single word with a new meaning. Compound words are written either as a single word (sand+
paper = sandpaper, meaning “a type of paper with a rough surface, used for cleaning or
smoothing.”); as hyphenated words (well-known, age-old); or as two words (living room, easy
— sunshine, babysit; N + Adj – bottle-green, waterproof; Adj + Adj —deaf-mute, bitter- sweet.
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Blending or Portmanteau:
In this process two parts of two different words are blended to form a new word. The first part
of the first word and the last part of the second word are blended to form a new word. For
Example:
Clipping
Clipping is the word formation process in which a word is reduced or shortened without changing
the meaning of the word. Clippings are also known as “shortenings.” Clipping mainly consists of
a. Back clipping
Back clipping or apocopation is the most common type. The beginning part of the word is kept
and the rest is removed. For example: math (mathematics), ad (advertisement), doc (doctor),
exam (examination).
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b. Fore- clipping
In fore-clipping or aphaeresis, the final part of the word is retained and the beginning part is
c. Middle clipping
In middle clipping or syncope, the middle of the original word is retained and the initial and
last parts are removed. For example: flu (influenza), tec (detective).
d. Complex clipping
Complex clipping consists in the shortening in a compound word. One part of the original
compound most often remains intact. For example: op art (optical art), org-man (organization
man)
Derivation
In linguistics, derivation is the process of forming new words by means of affixation (prefix
and suffix). Example: happi-ness and un-happy from happy, or determination from determine.
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Prefix: It is an act of adding an affix before the root word. For example:
Suffix: It is an act of adding an affix after the root. For example: care-less –careless (care---
root word)
Back-formation:
A new word is formed backwards from an existing word by removing the ending which
though looking likes an inflection or suffix is really an integral part of the word. For example:
Donate—from donation
Transmit—from transmission
Edit—from editor
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Acronyms
It is the process whereby a new word is formed from the initial letters of the constituent words
Borrowing
In word formation process, borrowing is just taking a word from one language directly into
another language. The borrowed words are also called loan words. For example, the following
pizza – Italian
murder – French
algebra – Arabic
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Boss – Dutch
haiku – Japanese
Coinage
Coinage is the invention of totally new words. The typical process of coinage usually involves
the extension of a product name from a specific reference to a more general one. Forexample:
Kleenex, Xerox, and Kodak. These started as names of specific products, but now they are used
Onomatopoeia:
Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions
For example:
Eponym:
The process of formation words based on a name of a person, thing or a place whether real or
fictional after which an invention, place, era or other item is named. For example:
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