aula 4 word formation
TRANSCRIPT
How are English words formed?
• Derived words• Lexical gaps• Compounds: also how to
differentiate compounds from noun phrases
• Acronyms• Abbreviations/Truncation/Clipping• Eponyms• Blends
Different types of words from different formations.
= new words with new meanings formed from
root + derivational morphemee.g. ir+regular = irregulardis+ like = dislikeun+ do = undore + present = represent
Derived words
Lexical Gaps
• Well-formed but nonexisting word
• Reason : a permissible sequence has no meaning attached to it <like “blick” or “slarm” or “krobe”>
• Possible comniations of morpheme never come into use (Ex. “disobvious” ,“linguisticism”)
• Word like *bnick is not a lexical gap in English because English does not allow the sequence of ‘bn’
Compounds
• Word + word = compound word (meaning may or may not change)
• When the two words are in the same grammatical category, compound will be in this category.
• Ex. Home (n.) + Work(n.) = homework (noun)
• white (adj.) + house (n.) = Whitehouse (noun)
• Compounds can be more than two words:
• Two-word compounds are the most common in English.
• Three – word compounds: three-time loser
• Four– word compounds: four-dimensional space-time
Meaning of compounds• Same meaning as the parts : a
boathouse = (a house for boats)
• New meaning but relate to the meaning of the individual parts :
• a blackboard (can be in other colors, not just black)
• a Redcoat (slang for British soldier during American Revolutionary War)
For example
black bird
(turdus merula)
blackbird
For example
hot dog hotdog
For example
red wood
(Giant Sequoia)
redwood
Acronyms
• Acronyms are words derived from the initials of several words
• NASA <National Aeronautics and Space Agency>
• UNESCO <United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization>
Abbreviations
• Abbreviations of longer words or phrases can become lexicalized
• Fax <facsimile>• Telly (The British word for ‘television’)
• Eponyms are words formed from proper names.
• Example: • alexandrine (verses) Alexander the Great (356-323BC),
king of Macedonia• Alzheimer's Disease Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915), German
neuropathologist and psychiatrist• platonicPlato (c.427-347BC), Greek philosopher
Eponyms
Blends• Similar to compounds but parts of the words
that are combined are deleted.• Example: smog <from ‘smok + fog’>, motel
<from ‘motor + hotel’>• spoon+ fork→ spork
• Cybernetic + organism cyborg