English Word Formation
Deny A. Kwary http://www.kwary.net Airlanga University
Types of Word Formation
Compounding
Prefixation
Suffixation
Conversion
Clipping
Blends
Backformation
Acronyms
Onomatopoeia
Eponyms
Toponyms
1. Compounding
Definition: Two or more words joined together to form a new word.
Examples:
Home + work  homework
Pick + pocket  pickpocket
The meaning of a compound is not always the sum of the meanings of its parts.
Types of compounds:
Compound nouns
Compound verbs
Compound adjectives
Compound Nouns
Boyfriend, hatchback
Cut-throat, breakfast
Sunshine, birth control
Software, fast food
In-crowd, overkill
Drop-out, put-on
Noun + Noun
Verb + Noun
Noun + Verb
Adjective + Noun
Particle + Noun
Verb + Particle
Compound Verbs
Carbon-copy, sky-dive
Fine-tune
Overbook
Bad-mouth
Noun + Verb
Adjective + Verb
Particle + Verb
Adjective + Noun
Compound Adjectives
Capital-intensive
Deaf-mute
Coffee-table
Roll-neck
White-collar
Before-tax
Go-go
Noun + Adjective
Adjective + Adjective
Noun + Noun
Verb + Noun
Adjective + Noun
Particle + Noun
Verb-verb
2. Prefixation
Class-changing prefixes:
a-  asleep  V to Adj
be-  bewitch  N to V
en-  enslave  N to V
Class-maintaining prefixes:
in-  indefinite  Adj to Adj
fore-  foreman  N to N
Etc.
3. Suffixation
Suffixes forming Nouns
N from N: -dom  kingdom
N from V: -ee  employee
N from Adj: -ce  dependence
Suffixes forming Verbs
V from N: -ify  beautify
V from Adj: -en  shorten
Suffixes forming adjectives
Adj from N: -al  educational
Adj from V: -able  understandable
Adj from Adj: -ish  greenish
Suffixes forming Adverbs: -ly, -ward, and –wise.
4. Conversion
Definition: Assigning an already existing word to a new syntactic category.
Types of Conversion
Verb to Noun: to hit  a hit
Adj to N: a final game  a final
N to V: a sign  to sign
Adj to V: an empty box  to empty
5. Clipping
Definition: Shortening a polysyllabic word by deleting one or more syllables
Examples:
Gasoline  Gas
Hamburger  Burger
delicatessen 
microphone 
deli
mike
6. Blends
Definition: Similar to compounds, but parts of the words are deleted.
Examples:
Motor + hotel  Motel
Breakfast + lunch  Brunch
Wireless + Fidelity 
Sheep + goat 
Wi-fi
Shoat
7. Back-formations
Definition: Creative reduction due to incorrect morphological analysis.
Examples:
editor (1649)
 edit (1791)
television (1907)
 televise (1927)
Paramedical (1921)
 paramedic (1967)
8. Acronyms
Definition: Words derived from the initial letters of several words and use them as a new word
Examples:
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Treats
 SWOT
Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
 SCUBA
9. Onomatopoeia
Definition: Words created to sound like the thing that they name.
10. Eponyms
Definition: a person after whom a discovery, invention, place, etc., is named.
Examples:
Celcius (Anders Celcius)
Cook Islands (James Cook)
11. Toponyms
Definition: a place name, especially one derived from a topographical feature.
Examples:
Montana (‘mountains’ in Spanish)
Mississippi (‘big river’ in Chippewa)
Identify the type of word formation:
1. information, commercials  Informercials
2. Babysitter  babysit
3. Demi + god  Demigod
4. Do + able  doable
5. A catalogue  to catalogue
6. Drama + comedy  dramedy
7. Game + pad  gamepad
8. Greek + god  Greek god
= Blend
= Back-formation
= Prefixation
= Suffixation
= Conversion
= Blend
= Compound
= Compound
That`s all...
See you next week.
Deny A. Kwary http://www.kwary.net Airlanga University