WORDS AND WORD FORMATION PROCESSES

What are the different methods of word-formation?

The common of word-formation methods are: affixation, compounding, blending, clipping, backformation,
conversion, coinage, acronyms and borrowing.

Explain COINAGE as a method of word-formation.

Coinage is the invention of totally new words. Strictly speaking it refers to a word which has been invented
and did not previously exist in any language. immoment (by Shakespeare), and robotics (by Isaac Asimov),
are examples. Coinage also refers to the making of words from specific reference to a more general one:
e.g. aspirin, nylon, zipper, kleenex, xerox, jeep,and kodak.

Explain BORROWING as a method of word-formation

When words from another language enter a language, it is known as borrowing. English has taken many
words other languages. Some examples are: leak, yacht (Dutch); barbecue, cockroach (Spanish); piano,
concerto (Italian), cash, rice, teak (Malayalam), and admiral, adobe, alcohol, average, caliber, chemistry,
cotton, elixir, lute, magazine, monsoon, nadir, ream, sash, satin, sofa, tariff, zero (Arabic).

Explain COMPOUNDING as a method of word-formation

Compounding is making a new word by stringing together existing words: e.g., earthquake (earth + quake).
Some other examples are homework, girlfriend, mailman (noun + noun); sleepwalk, break-dance (verb +
verb); icy-cold, red-hot(adjective + adjective); breastfeed, spoon-feed (noun + verb); spoilsport, killjoy,
breakfast, cutthroat, dreadnought, know-nothing (Noun + verb); headstrong (noun + adjective); overtake,
outdo (preposition + verb).
While some compounds some others retain the meaning of their parts, (e.g. doghouse) some others have new
meanings (e.g. white-collar).

Explain BLENDING as a method of word-formation.

BLENDING is the process of fusing words together. In the process, both words lose parts. Some examples
are:
smog (smoke + fog),
motel (motor + hotel),
brunch (breakfast + lunch).
motorcade (motor + cavalcade),
transistor (transfer + resistor),
electrocution, (electricity + execution)
travelogue (travel + monologue).
bash, (bang + smash),
brunch (breakfast + lunch.),
chortle, (chuckle + snort),
chunnel, (channel + tunnel),
dumbfound, (dumb + confound),
edutainment, (education + entertainment),
electrocution, (electricity + execution),
emoticon, (emotion + icon),
guesstimate, (guess + estimate),
infomercial, (information + commercial),
motel, (motor + hotel),
motorcade, (motor + cavalcade),
simulcast, (simultaneous broadcast),
splatter, (probably splash + spatter),
squiggle, (squirm + wiggle),
stagflation, (stagnation + inflation),
televangelist, (television + evangelist),
transistor, (transfer + resistor),
 travelogue, (travel monologue),
twiddle, (twist + fiddle).
Explain CLIPPING as a method of word-formation.
Clipping is the shortening of a word: e.g: gym (gymnasium), fax (facsimile), lab (laboratory). Thre are
different types of clipping: front-clipping, middle-clipping, end-clipping, ends-clipping and complex
clipping.
Front-clipping:
phone (telephone)
varsity (university)
chute (parachute)
bus (omnibus)
fax (facsimile)
plane (airplane);

End-clipping:
ad (advertisement)
cable (cablegram)
exam (examination)
gas (gasoline)
memo (memorandum)
gym ( gymnasium)
pub (public house)
fan (fanatic);
Middle-clipping:
maths (mathematics)
specs (spectacles)
pants (pantaloons)
Ends-clipping:
flu (influenza)
fridge (refrigerator);
Complex clipping:
cablegram (cable telegram)
op art (optical art)
showbiz (show business)
sci-fi (science fiction)
sitcom (situation comedy)
Explain BACKFORMATION as a method of word-formation.
Backformation is the process of making a new word by removing a real (e.g., vacuum clean from vacuum
cleaner,), or imagined affix (pea from pease) from a word. Some other examples for backformation are:
acculturate (acculturation)
air-condition (air conditioning)
automate (automation)
babysit (babysitter)
brainwash (brainwashing)
bulldoze (bulldozer)
custom-make (custom-made)
destruct (destruction)
diagnose (diagnosis)
diplomat (diplomatic)
donate (donation)
edit (editor)
emote (emotion)
greed (greedy [the noun was originally greediness])
handwrite (handwriting)
houseclean (housecleaning)
housekeep (housekeeper)
jell (jelly)
kempt (unkempt)
kidnap (kidnapper)
legislate (legislator)
liaise (liaison)
manipulate (manipulation)
opine (opinion)
preempt (preemption)
proofread (proof-reader)
self-destruct (self-destruction)
sightsee (sightseeing)
surreal (surrealism)
televise (television)
typewrite (typewriter)
Some back-formed words like burger (from Hamburger) are used as compound: beefburger, cheeseburger
etc.

Explain HYPOCORISM as a method of word formation.

Hypocorism is using a noun differently as endearment term. It is a kind of backformation in which a final –y
or –ie is added to a back-clipped word:
Aussie (Australian)
telly (television)
sweetie (sweet heart)
movie ('moving picture')
hanky (handkerchief)
granny (grandmother)

Explain INITIALISM and ACRONYM as methods of word-formation

Initialism is abbreviations formed from initials e.g. BBC, UNHCR. Acronym refers both initialisms which
can be pronounced as words: e.g. Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Aids (acquired immune
deficiency syndrome), Ram (random access memory), and also to words such as radar (radio distancing and
ranging), laser (light amplification by simulated emission of radiation), jeep (GP from General Purpose
Vehicle) etc., which are more complex abbreviations.