Basics of Word Formation
What is word formation?
The process of creating new words in a language
What is a prefix?
An affix added to the beginning of a word
What is compounding?
Combining two or more words to form a new word
What is clipping?
Removing part of a word to make it shorter
What is conversion?
Changing word class without changing form
Why do people create new words?
Because people create new ideas and need words to express them
What is a suffix?
An affix added to the end of a word
Give an example of a compound word.
Example: water bottle / backpack / greenhorn
Does the meaning change in clipping?
No, the meaning stays the same
What is reduplication?
Repeating a word or its part (e.g. tick-tock)
What is the main problem that word formation solves?
Not every idea has a word
Give one example of a word with a prefix.
Example: premature / antenatal / inconceivable
What is free compounding?
Words are written separately with a space
Give an example of clipping.
Example: fridge / TV / mic
What is an acronym?
A word formed from initial letters (e.g. WHO)
What are two sources of new words?
From existing words and from non-existent (new) words
Name two functions of affixes.
Change meaning; show tense/number/person; change word class
What is the difference between block and hyphenated compounding?
Block = written together; Hyphenated = connected with hyphens
What is back formation?
Removing letters from the end to form a new word
What is blending? Give an example.
Combining parts of words (e.g. brunch)
Why is language more preferred than gestures for expressing ideas?
Because language is the main and most effective tool for communication
How does affixation change the word class? Give an example.
It can change a word into another part of speech (e.g. serve → servant)
What is an exocentric compound? Give an example.
A compound where meaning is not predictable (e.g. call girl)
How does back formation often change a word?
It often changes the word class (e.g. noun → verb)
What is coinage? Name one example.
Creating completely new words (e.g. Google, Samsung)