1. Definition of the word-formation
2. Affixation
3. Conversion
4. Composition
5. Shortening (clipping, abbreviation, blending)
1. Word-formation is the system of derivative (производные слова) types of words and the process of creating new words from the material available in the language after certain structural and semantic formulas and patterns.
2. Affixation is the productive process of forming a new word by adding a derivational affix to the root stem of a word.
Affixation results in the formation of a derived or compound word depending on the character of a stem (основа) (object-objection)
Affixes can be added to the following types of stems:
1. Root stems (unkind, hopeful)
2. Derived stems (childishly) – потому что корень + суффикс + аффикс ly
3. compound stem (nightmarish) – состоит из 2-х корней + аффикс
4. compound-derived (absentmindedness)
5. Abbreviated stem (hubby=husband – муженёк)
6. Phrase stems (out-of-towner – житель пригорода)
Alongside affixes proper linguists distinguish semi-affixes. Such affixes of the English vocabulary occurring as independent words (man, berry, like, proof, land) have been very frequently used as second elements of words.
3. Conversion – is a productive way of coining a new word by changing the paradigm and distribution of the original word without transforming its morphemic shape.
Conversion is the main way of forming verbs in modern English. Verbs can have different meaning because of that:
1. Verbs can have instrumental meanings. If they are formed from nouns denoting parts of a human body (to eye, to finger) from nouns denoting tools, machines and weapons (to hammer).
2. Verbs can denote an action characteristic of a the living being (to crowd, to wolf).
3. Verbs can denote acquisition (приобретение), addition (добавление) or deprivation (потеря) if they denote from nouns denoting an object. (to fish, to dust, to peel)
4. Verbs can denote an action performed at the place (to park, to garage, to bottle, to pocket)
5. Verbs can denote an action performed in the time (to winter, to week-end)
Verbs can be also be converted from adjectives is. In such cases they denote the change of the state (to clean, to slim).
Nouns can also be formed by means of conversion from verb. Converted nouns can denote:
1. instant of an action (a jump, a move)
2. Process or state (sleep, walk)
3. agent of the action (a help, a flirt, a scold)
4. Object or result of the action (a burn, a fight, purchase)
5. Place of the action (a drive, a stop, a walk)
IV. Composition (compounding) is the way of word-building when a word is formed by joining two or more stems to from one word.
Classifications of English compounds:
1. According to the way components are joined together compounds are divided into:
a) neutral, which are formed by joining together two stems without any joining morpheme (ball-point, to windowshop)
b) morphological compounds, where components are joined by a linking elements: vowels (o, i) or the consonant ‘s’ (astrospace, handicraft (ремесло), sportsman)
c) syntactical compounds, where the components are joined by means of form-word stems (here-and-now, free-for-all, do-or-die (отчаянный))
2. Accroding to the sctructure compounds are subdivided into:
a) compound words proper, which consists of two stems (to job-hunt, train-sick, tip-top)
b) derivational compounds, where besides the stems we have affixes (ear-minded, hydro-skimmer(судно на воздушной подушке)
c) compound words consisting of three or more stems (cornflower-blue – васильковый цвет, eggshell-thin, singer-songwriter)
d) compound shortened words (boatel, tourmobile, VJ-day, intervision)
V. Shortening clipping. Shortening is a comparative new in highly-productive of word-building especially in American English. It consists in substituting a part for a whole and can be achieved trhough the processes of clipping, abbreviation and blanding.
Clipping is the reduction of a word to one or several syllables as a result of which the new form acquires some linguistic value of its own,
The generally accepted classification of the shortened words is based on the position of a clopped part.
According to whether it is initial, middle or final part of the word that is cut off we distinguish:
1. initial clipping or aphaeresis (phone-telephone, cello from violoncello)
2.medial clipping or syncope (maths from mathematics, specs from spectacles)
3. final clipping or apocope (ad from advertisement, coke from Coca-cola)
4. words that have been clipped both at the beginning and at the end (flu from influenza, fridge from refrigerator)
Abbreviation is the rprocess and the result of forming a word out of the initial elements of a word-combination. It can be of various types:
a) acronyms are words which can be read as an ordinary word (laser – light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation)
b) initial abbreviation, which is pronounced as a series of letters(SOS – save our souls, BBC – British Broadcast Corporation)
c) a shortened form of a written word (smth, sb, adj)
d) Latin abbreviations (a.m. – ante meidiem, i.e. – id est)
e) Initial abbreviation combined with a whole word (A-bomb – atomic bomb)
Blanding. This term is used to describe a method of merging parts of words in one new word.
Types of blands:
a) additive blend which is transformable into a phrase consisting of non-clipped stems combined by the conjunction ‘and’ (brunch – breakfast and lunch, smaze – smoke and haze)
b) restrictive blend which is transformable into an attributive phrase with the 1st element serving as modifier of the second (ex., telecast – television broadcast)
