Lexicology 2 - Wordformation

of existing elements and according to the patterns and rules

of a given language.

Derivation
Compounding
Conversion
Quantitative changes

is formed by adding a derivational morpheme (usually suffix or

prefix) to the root.

Suffixation is a kind of word-formation when a new word is formed by adding a suffix to the root.
Prefixation is a kind of word-formation when a new word is formed by adding a prefix to the root.

-dom (freedom, kingdom…)
-ee (employee, referee…); -eer/er (engineer, profiteer, manager…); -ess

(manageress, heiress…)
-ist (economist…)
-hood (adulthood, singlehood…)
-ing (building, meaning…)
-ion/-sion/-tion/-ition/-ation (production, conclusion, realisation…)
-ism (consumerism, perfectionism…)
-ment (agreement, investment…)
-ness (effectiveness…)
-ship (ownership…)
-ty/-ity (productivity, prosperity…)
-ure/-ture (procedure, expenditure…)

inflationary) -ate/-ete (accurate, complete) -ful (dutiful, powerful) -ish (snobbish, reddish) -ive (effective, extensive) -less (effortless,

powerless) -like (businesslike, lifelike) -ly (costly, orderly) -ous/-ious (ambiguous, nutritious) -some (troublesome, worrisome) -y (sexy, worthy)

is often used in American English (maximize) as an alternative

spelling of ‘ise’ in British English (maximise).

percentage-wise) _
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*Words formed with ‘ward’ can usually be used as

either adverbs or adjectives words formed with ‘wards’ are mainly used as adverbs (e.g. westward, westwards).

simple word and its prefixed derivative usually belong to the

same part of speech. The group of class-changing prefixes is rather small, e.g.: be- (belittle, befriend), de- (defrost, descale).

asexual) de- (destabilise, declassify) dis- (disenfranchise, disinvest) il- (before l: illegal)/ im-(before p,b,m:

imperceptible)/ in-(inadequate)/ ir-(before r: irresponsible) non- (non-economic, non-profit) un- (unacceptable, undemocratic)

over- (overestimate, overcompensate); semi- (semiskilled, semi-annual); super- (super-dominant, supercharged); ultra-

(ultra-conservative, ultra-secret)
Repetition or possibility: em-(before p,b,m)/en- (embark, enclose)
Time, place, order relation: ex- (ex-employer, ex-tenant); inter- (inter-office, inter-government); post- (post-budget, post-election); pre- (pre-delivery, pre-budget)

(multi-dimensional, multi-media); uni- (unilateral, unisex)
Attitude, counteraction: anti- (anti-EEC, antiestablishment); auto-

(autodial, autonomy); counter- (countercharge, counteroffer); pro- (pro-business, pro-liberal)
Pejoration: mis- (miscalculation, mismanage); pseudo- (pseudo-creativity, pseudo-democratic)

abnormal, defective medi- middle non- nothing, not omni- all, every pro- before; for, in

favor of; in front of; in place of re- back, backward, again semi- half, partly, twice sub- under, below ult- beyond, excessive, to an extreme degree uni- one, single ver- true, truth, real, truthfulness via- way, road, path

determinant and determinatum (ashtray, mousetrap, stepladder)
Exocentric compounds – the

determinatum is not expressed (hangover, killjoy, ladybird, forget-me-not)
Rhyme-motivated (harum-scarum)
Pseudo-compounds (mayday, hamburger)
Semiaffixes (chairman, yes-man, kissproof)

part of speech to another without adding any derivative element

is called conversion or zero derivation.
"In English every word can be verbed..."

finger, to hammer, to empty, to up, to blind)
Nouns

(a go, a hunt, a lift, a find, pros and cons, whys, ups and downs, a black, breakdown, make-up, comeback, take-off)
Occasional formations (nonce-words) Occasional words are usually emotionally coloured words coined for a unique occasion. E.g. Don’t darling me!, Don’t yes-mum me!
Marginal Cases of Conversion Cases of formations by shift of stress are neither regular, nor productive. E.g. verb > noun (abstract, import, refill, transfer) verb > adjective ( frequent, moderate, perfect)

a word to one of its parts, as a result

of which the new form is used as an independent lexical unit.
This type of word-formation is in English highly productive.
a. Final clipping – the beginning of the prototype is retained. E.g. ad, advert < advertisement, memo < memorandum, lab < laboratory, gym < gymnasium, vac < vacuum cleaner. b. Initial clipping – the final part is retained. E.g. chute < parachute, phone < telephone, copter < helicopter, plane < aeroplane. c. The middle is retained. E.g. Liz < Elizabeth , flu < influenza, tec < detective. d. The middle is left. E.g. fancy < fantasy, bionics < binoculars, maths < mathematics, ag’st < against.

from parts of two or more other words. E.g. smog

smoke + fog, brunch < breakfast + lunch, tranceiver < transmitter + receiver, bit < binary digit, chunnel < channel + tunnel…

the words and pronounced as one word – acronyms. E.g.

UNESCO, AIDS, NATO, laser, radar.
New lexical units formed from the initial letters of the words with alphabetic reading. E.g. BC, SOS, TV, VIP, VAT.
Initial abbreviation in which the first element is a letter and the second a complete word. E.g. A-bomb, E-mail, U-pronunciation (U < upper class).
Latin abbreviations. E.g. AD, BC, i.e., e.g., pa.
Shortenings formed by a part of a word and the remaining part expressed by a capital letter or a figure. E.g. 2-nite, 4 you, par-T.