MORPHOLOGY

The Study of Word Structure and Word Formation

 How are words created? Many words are formed or created from combinations of other words, or from combinations of words and prefixes or suffixes. What are other possible ways of forming or creating new words in English?

Derivation
The most productive process of word formation in a language is the use of derivational morphemes to form new words from already existing forms. Example: -suggest can be derived to suggestion - correct, we can derive incorrect, then derive incorrectly

Coinage
Is the invention of totally new words. Process usually involves the extensions of a product a name from a specific reference to a more general one. Example: aspirin, kleenex, xerox and kodak These started as names of specific products but now used as the generic names for different brands of types of product. Can you think of other examples?

Conversion
A change in the function of a word Is the extension of the use of one word from its original grammatical category to another category as well. Example: the word must is a verb. You must be punctual, but it can also be used as a noun as in Punctuality is a must. Other examples: butter, chair, google

 Conversion process is productive in modern English. Conversion can involve: verbs nouns ( ex: guess, spy, must) phrasal verbs nouns (ex: to print out, to take over---a printout, a takeover) verbs adjectives (ex:see through, standupsee through material or a stand-up comedian) Adjv verbs (empty, dirty---to empty, to dirty)

Borrowing
New words also enter a language through borrowing from other languages. Example: croissant (French), pretzel (German), sofa (Arabic), yogurt (Turkish). Other languages do borrow terms from English. Example: BM (relevan, komited), Japanese (suupa, suupaamaaketto (supermarket, taipuraitaa)

Borrowing
Other examples of foreign words found their way into English: (a) leak, yacht (from Dutch) (b) Barbecue, cockroach (from Spanish) (c ) Piano, concerto (from Italian) (d) Algebra, amulet, caramel, carat, coffee, safari, syrup, sheriff, soda (from Arabic) (e) Yam, banana (from African Languages) Can you think of the examples?

Compounding
Combining two or more words together to form a new complex word. Examples: a) Post + card = postcard b) Post + office = post office c) Book + case = bookcase d) Finger + print= fingerprint

Acronyms
They are words created from the initial letters of several words. Examples: CD (compact disk), VCR ( video cassette recorder), radar (radio detecting and ranging), laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). Scuba (selfcontained underwater breathing apparatus), NATO, FBI, CIA, UN, UNICEF, UNESCO, RECSAM, RELC, AIDS,

Back-Formation
A type of reduction process. Formation of a new word by removing an affix; that base then is used as a root, and becomes a word through widespread use. Usually a noun is reduced to form a verb. (television-televise, donation-donate Examples: enthuse (enthusiasm), burgle (burglar), burger (hamburger), edit (editor)

Clipping
Shortening of a longer word (a word of more than one syllable) Examples: pro (professional) Prof (professor) Math (mathematics) Sub (substitute or submarine) Fax (facsimile) Gym (gymnasium) Lab (laboratory)

Blending
Another way of combining words to form a new word. The difference between blending and compounding, however, is that in blending only parts of the words, not the whole words, are combined. Blending takes only the beginning of one word and join it to the end of the other word. Examples: smoke + fog = smog Motor + hotel= motel Break + lunch= brunch Binary + digit= bit television+ broadcast= telecast

Onomatopoeia
A new word is formed by analogy with the sound made by the thing it names. Examples: buzz, beep, hiss

Suppletion
Is about irregularity. Replacement of a word form by a completely different word. They are morphologically complex forms in which the connection between the base and the newly created form is not obvious at all. Examples: go (present) = went (past)
good = better

Reduplication
A way of building up words by repeating either a part or all of the base word. We dont have this in English. Examples: Total reduplication in B.M (rumah-rumah) Partial reduplication in Tagalog, we take verb (bili) and reduplicate only the first two sounds to get the future form (bibili)

Morpheme-Internal Changes
Adding morphemes results in changes to a part of the word (stem internal vowel change). Some cases of this in English, though not productive ones. Examples: Sing (present) - sang (past) Mouse (singular) - mice (plural)

Tutorial Task
1) We noted that radar and laser are acronyms. List three other recent English words that are acronyms and state their origin (do not take examples given in the lecture). 2) In the word formation processes, conversion is one of the most productive processes? Why? Discuss with your partner.