Words and Word-Formation Processes

Etymology: It is the study of the origin and history of a word. When we look closely at the etymologies of words, we soon discover that there are many different ways in which new words can enter the language. In this chapter, we will explore some of the basic processes by which new words are created.

1. Coinage: One of the least common processes of word formation in English is coinage. It is simply defined as the invention of totally new terms. The most typical examples are invented trade names for commercial products. Older examples are aspirin, nylon, vaseline. More recent examples are kleenex, teflon, and xerox. The most salient contemporary example of coinage is the word google which is the name of a company (Google), and has later widely used with the meaning of “to use the internet to find information.”

2. Borrowing: It is one of the most common sources of new words in English. It is the taking over of words from other languages. English has adopted many loan-words from other languages such as alcohol (Arabic), boss (Dutch), piano (Italian), croissant (French), and yogurt ( Turkish).

3. Compounding: It is the joining of two separate words to produce a single form. It is a very common and productive source of new terms not only in English but also in other languages. Famous examples are bookcase, fingerprint, sunburn, wallpaper, textbook, wastebasket, waterbed, and doorknob.

4. Blending: Blending is typically made by taking only the beginning of one word and joining it to the end of another word. The word smog is blended from smoke and fog, brunch (breakfast / lunch), motel (motor / hotel), telecast (television / broadcast), infotainment (information/ entertainment).

5. Clipping: It is the reduction of a word of more than one syllable into a shorter form, often in casual speech. The term gasoline is reduced to gas. Common examples are ad (advertisement), fan (fanatic), sitcom (situation comedy), fax (facsimile). In educational fields, there are many reduced words like math, chem, exam, gym, prof, and lab.

6. Backformation: It is a very specialized type of reduction. It typically happens when a word of one type (usually a noun) is reduced to form another word of a different type (usually a verb). For example the noun television is reduced to form the verb televise. Other instances are donate (from ‘donation’), emote (from ‘emotion’), babysit (from ‘babysitter’). Another particular type of backformation happens when a word of a longer syllable is reduced to a single syllable, then –y or – ie is added to the end, such as movie (moving picture), telly (television), and barbie (barbecue).

7. Conversion: It is a change in the function of a word, as for example when a noun comes to be used as a verb (without any reduction). This process is also called “category change” and “functional shift.” A number of nouns such as paper, butter, vacation, party, via the process of conversion, come to be used as verbs, as in the following sentences: He’s papering the bedroom walls; Have you buttered the toast?; They’re vacationing in France; and Laura parties every Saturday night.

8. Acronyms: Acronyms are new words formed from the initial letters of a set of other words. Acronyms are pronounced as single words, and they are written in capital letters such as CD (compact disk), VCR (video cassette recorder), ATM (automatic teller machine), AIDS, NATO, NASA, UNESCO. Other acronyms are not written in capital letters like radar, laser, and scuba.