Introduction

• It refers to the ways in which new words are formed using different word
formation processes like, Compounding, Clipping, Derivations, Prefix, Suffix,
Creative respelling, Abbreviation etc…

• Word formation can be defined as the formation of words in a language by using

different word formation processes.

• The process through which new words are produced either by modification of
existing words or by complete innovation, which in turn become a part of the
language.

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 1. COMPOUNDING
• Two or more words combine into a single new word.

• It may be written as one word or as two different words joined with a hyphen.

• It may belong to same parts of speech or to different parts of speech.

• Ex:- footpath…foot & path (Two Nouns)

• Ex:- blackbird…black (Adjective) & bird…(Noun)

• SHARE THE PAGE NO. 3 to 5 from book-notes (share pdf in Google classroom and
discuss in the lecture.)
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 2. Clipping
• A word is reduced or shortened without changing its meaning.
• Also known as “truncation” or “shortening”.
• Ex:- Exam:- Examination Sitcom:- Situational Comedy
Flu:- Influenza

FOUR types
 Final Clipping or Apocope
 Initial Clipping or Apheresis
 Medial Clipping or Synocope
 Complex Clipping
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 1. Final Clipping or Apocope

• The beginning of any word continues to be the same but the remaining or final
part of the word is being removed.
• Ex:- Ad:- Advertisement Lab:- Laboratory
Gym:- Gymnasium

2. Initial Clipping or Apheresis

• The beginning of any word is being removed but the final part of the word
continues to be the same.
• Ex:- Alligator:- gator Phone:- Telephone
Net:- Internet 4
 3. Medial Clipping or Synocope
• The middle part of the word is being removed and the first and final part of
the word is being joined together to create a new word.
• Ex:- Maths:- Mathematics Ma’am:- Madam
Specs:- Spectacles

4. Complex Clipping
• New words are formed by reducing middle part of compound words.
• As the border between Complex clipping and blending is not clear, sometimes it
seems difficult to differentiate between the two.
• Ex:- Org man:- Organization Man Sci fi:- Scientific Fiction

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 3. Blending
• It is a process in which parts of two or more words combine together to create
a new word, whose meaning is often a combination of the original words.
• Ex:- Biographical + Picture:- Biopic Breakfast + Lunch:- Brunch
Web + Seminar:- Webinar Smoke + Fog:- Smog

4. Derivation
• It is a process in which new words are formed by the addition of affix before
or after the existing word.
• Ex:- Kindness is derived from Kind. Joyful…Joy
Amazement…Amaze National…Nation

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 5. Creative Respelling
• Sometimes words are formed by simply changing the spelling of a word that
the speaker wants to relate to the new word.

• Name of product often involve creative respelling.

• Ex:- Coolgate TO Colgate

Nokla TO Nokia
Adidos TO Adidas

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 6. Coining
• It is a process in which a new word is created either deliberately or
accidently without using the other formation process.

• Ex:- Google:- Replaced word ‘Search’

Xerox:- Widely used for ‘Photocopy’
Electronic Stair Case used for ‘Escalator’

• NOTICE THAT many coinages start out as brand names for everyday items
such as,
 Kleenex for a ‘Facial tissue’
 Colgate for ‘tooth paste’ etc…
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 7. Borrowing
• It is a process in which a word from one language is borrowed directly or
with some change into another language.

• The borrowed words are also known as loan words.

• English language is full of borrowed words.

• Ex:- Arabic:- Algebra, Sofa Hebrew:- Satan, Rabbi

Hindi:- Yoga, Shampoo, Jungle German:- Biology, Ozone
Japanese:- Tsunami, Karate Sanskrit:- Karma, Swastika
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 8. Prefix
• Some words are formed with the help of prefix.
• A Prefix is a syllable placed at the beginning of a word to qualify its meaning,
and to form a new word.
• Prefix helps us to create the negative, opposite word or to express relations of
time, place or manner.
• SHARE THE PAGE NO. 9 to 11 from book-notes (share pdf in Google
classroom and discuss in the lecture.)

9. Suffix
• A Suffix is a syllable placed at the end of a word to qualify its meaning, and
form a new word.
• SHARE THE PAGE NO. 12 & 13 from book-notes (share pdf in Google
classroom and discuss in the lecture.)
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 10. Synonyms
• Synonyms are words of the same grammatical class that have a similar
meaning.
• Certain words may convey the same general notion.
• Ex:- Slay, Kill, Murder, Execute, though they are used in different sense and in
different contexts, they may be treated as synonyms.
• SHARE THE PAGE NO. 13 to 18 from book-notes (share pdf in Google
classroom and discuss in the lecture.)

11. Antonyms
• Antonyms are the words of same grammatical class that have opposite
meanings.
• SHARE THE PAGE NO. 18 to 21 from book-notes (share pdf in Google
classroom and discuss in the lecture.)
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 12. Standard Abbreviation
• Abbreviation is a process of word formation in which we abbreviate names or
phrases by referring to them with their initials.
• Ex:- approx.:- ?
est.:- ?
dept.:- ?
temp.:- ?
vs.:- ?
B.E.:- ?
Ph.D.:- ?
M.D.:- ?
CEO:- ?
• Search more (Homework to students)
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