COMPOUNDING Compounding is the process of joining two roots together to make up a completely new words. Compounds can be classified into a number of different types according to how they are made up. Two nouns, e.g. textbook, airline, houseboat, boyfriend, birdcage. An adjective and a noun, e.g. blackboard, easychair. Two adjectives, e.g. deaf-mute, second-born. A verb and a noun, e.g. pickpocket, lickspittle. Two verbs, e.g. look-hide. Subject + verb, eg. Bee-sting, headache, rainfall, heartbeat, earthquake, nightfall. Verb + subject, e.g. playboy, flashlight, crybaby, hangman. Verb (ing) + noun, e.g. washing machine, waiting room.

COMPOUNDING (Cont…..) 9. Object + verb, e.g. birth-control, book review, haircut, handshake. 10. Object + verb (ing), e.g. letter writing, housekeeping, sightseeing. 11. Verb + object, e.g. callgirl, treadmill. Compounds can also be classified into three different types according to semantic criteria. Endocentric compounds: is one which denotes a sub-class of the items denoted by one of its elements. In endocentric compound there is head and modifier. Example: sea-bird. Exocentric compounds: The constituent parts of the compound do not represent a sub-class of either of the constituent parts. Example: egg-head, pigtail.

COMPOUNDING (Cont…..) Copulative compounds: is one in which the meaning of the whole compound represents the sum of the meaning of the constituent parts. Example: father- mother → parents brother- sister → siblings man- woman → people leg –arm → limbs husband- wife → couple

COMPOUNDING (Cont…..) Compounding lies on the boundary between word level and phrase level. Compounds can be distinguished from phrasal units in the following ways: Semantic unpredictability If the meaning of a sequence of units is not directly predictable from the meanings of its constituent part, we are likely dealing with the compounds. On the other hand, if the meaning is directly predictable, it is dealing with phrase. 2. Interruptibility Compounds can not be interrupted by other constituents, but phrase can be. Phonological unity - greenhouse, green house , - hotdog, hot dog - Whitehouse, white house , - blackbird, black bird