Morphology and Syntax

Morphology and Syntax Morphology 4 Trương Văn Ánh Trường Đại học Sài Gòn 2 Chapter 4 Processes of word formation 1 Compounding Compounding is the joining of two or more words into a single word Compou[.]

Morphology 4

Trương Văn Ánh

Trường Đại học Sài Gòn

Chapter 4

Processes of word formation

1 Compounding

Compounding is the joining of two or more words into a single word Compounds may be written as one word (without a hyphen or a space), as a hyphenated word (with a hyphen),

or as two words (with a space)

Ex: sunflower, school-girl, high school, skateboard, whitewash, cat lover, self-help, red-hot, etc

2 Derivation, conversion or functional shif

Derivation is the forming of new words by combining derivational affixes or bound bases with existing words

Ex: teacher, re-ask, abuser, refusal, untie,

inspection, pre-cook, etc

Zero derivation: (also called conversion or

functional shift): Adding no affixes; simply using a word of one category as a word of another category Examples: Noun-verb: comb, sand, knife, butter, referee, proposition

Stress shift: no affix is added to the base, but the

stress is shifted from one syllable to the other With the stress shift comes a change in category

Noun Verb Noun Adjective

cómbine combíne cóncrete concréte

ímplant implánt ábstract abstráct

réwrite rewríte

tránsport transpórt

Prógress progréss

Affixation: adding a derivational affix to a word

Ex: abuser, refusal, untie, inspection, pre-cook

feet (foot), geese (goose) [inflection]

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3 Clipping or contraction

Clipping is the forming of new words by cutting off

the beginning or the end of a word, or both, leaving

a part to stand for the whole (3 ways)

Ex: laboratory  lab dormitory  dorm

brother  bro professional  pro

Caravan  van parachute  chute

Influenza  flu

4 Acronymy or abbreviation

Acronymy is the forming of new words from the initials or beginning segments of a succession of words.

Ex: MP: military police/member of parliament

TOEFL: Test of English as a foreign language

radar: radio detecting and ranging

NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Scuba: self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

ASEAN: Association of South East Asian Nations

5 Blending or mixture

Blending is the forming of new words by joining the first part of one word with the last part of another word

breakfast + lunch  brunch

smoke + fog  smog

motor + hotel  motel

television + marathon  telethon

modulator + demodulator  modem

Spanish + English  Spanglish

6 Back-formation or reversion

Back formation is the forming of new words

from the one that looks like its derivative

Ex: beggar  to beg

editor  to edit

resurrection  to resurrect

enthusiasm  to enthuse

burglar  to burgle

hamburger  burger

untie  tie

pre-cook  cook

7 Adoption of brand names as common words

(coinage/invention/neologism): a proper name

becomes the name for the item or process associated with the name The word ceases to be capitalized and acts as a normal verb/noun (i.e takes inflections such as plural or past tense) The companies using the names usually have copyrighted them and object to their use in public documents, so they should be avoided in formal writing (or a lawsuit could follow!) Examples: xerox, kleenex, cola, 7 up

8 Onomatopoeia or sound imitation or

reduplication/echo: words are invented which (to native speakers at least) sound like the sound they name or the entity which produces the sound

Ex: hiss, sizzle, cuckoo, cock-a-doodle-doo, buzz, beep, ding-dong

9 Borrowing: a word is taken from another

language It may be adapted to the borrowing language's phonological system to varying degrees

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Ex: tomato (from indigenous languages of the Americas), sushi, taboo (from Pacific Rim languages), macho, spaghetti, psychology, telephone, physician, education (from European languages), yam, banana (from African languages), ao dai (Vietnamese)

10 Antonomasia or words from names: The

formation of a common word from the name of

a person or place

Ex: sandwich, champagne

11 Isolation on word formation: a new word is

obtained by isolating the plural form which is

then with its own particular meaning

Ex: colours (flags), glasses (spectacles)

Conclusion: English speakers coin new words every day We can find them in newspapers, magazines or daily speech, but to use them, we should be more careful because not all these are accepted in standard English

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Good luck!