Word-Formation Processes
in English (word building)
is the process of building new
words by means of existing
elements of language according to
certain patterns and rules
1 Affixation = adding an
established prefix or a suffix to the
existing base
A) Suffixation
- is characteristic of noun and adjective formation
- a suffix usually changes not only the lexical meaning of a
word but also its grammatical meaning or its word class,
e.g. to bake – baker, beauty - beautiful
NOUN FORMING SUFFIXES
- Or : actor, visitor, director
- er/eer : speaker, engineer, opener
- Ist : scientist, satirist, journalist
- Ess : hostess, stewardess, actress
- ty/ity : cruelty, purity, stupidity
- ure/ture : failure, exposure, mixture
- Dom: freedom, kingdom,
- Age : passage, marriage, postage
- ance/ence: appearance, preference
- Hood : likelihood, brotherhood, neighbourhood
- Ing : reading, opening, beginning
- ion/sion/tion/ition/ation: operation, permission,
description
- Ness : kindness, goodness, wilingness
- y/ery : difficulty, enquiry, robbery, slavery
- Ship : partnership, membership, kinship
- Ment : government, development, movement
- T : complaint, restraint
Adjective-forming suffixes:
- able/ible : comfortable, fashionable, sensible
- ic/atic : atomic, heroic, systematic
- Ful : beautiful, helpful, careful
- Y : bloody, dirty, sunny
- Less : useless, homeless, careless
- al/ial/tial : personal, influential, preferential
- ive/ative/itive: active, creative, sensitive
- ant/ent : pleasant, different, excellent
- En : wooden, golden, woollen
- Like : childlike, ladylike
- Ing : amusing, interesting, charming
- Ous : dangerous, famous, mysterious
- Ish : bookish, childish, foolish
- Ly : friendly, lovely, manly
Verb-forming suffixes:
- ize/ise : civilize, modernize
- ify/fy/efy : simplify, glorify
- En : deepen, sharpen, lengthen
Adverb-forming suffixes:
- Ly : formally, calmly, easily
- ward/wards: homeward, afterwards,
backwards
- wise/ways : clockwise, otherwise, sideways
- Fold : twofold, threefold
B) Prefixation
- a prefix usually changes or concretizes the lexical meaning of a
word and only rarely parts of speech, e. g. write – rewrite,
smoker – non-smoker
- Prefixes are sometimes used to form new verb: circle – encircle,
large – enlarge etc.
Negation or opposition:
un-: unable, unfair, unpack, unzip
dis-: disagreeable, dislike
a-: amoral, atypical
in-: informal, inexperience
im-: (before b, m, p) impossible, immoral
il-: (before l) illegal, illogical
ir-: (before r) irregular, irrational
non-: nonsmoker, non-scientific
de-: decode, defrost, devalue
Repetition, making it
possible:
re-: reread, rebuild, reunited
en-/em-: enrich, enlarge, embitter
Degree, measure or size:
super-: supersonic, superhuman
semi-: semi-final, semidetached
hyper-: hyperactive, hypersensitive
ultra-: ultrahigh, ultraviolet
over-: overtime, overpopulated
Time and place, order, relation:
post-: post-war, postpone, postgraduate
inter-: international, intercontinental
pre-: pre-war, prehistoric, prearrange
ex-: ex-president, ex-husband, ex-film-star
Number and numeral relation:
bi-: bilateral, bilabial
uni-: unisex, unicycle, unilateral
auto-: autobiography, autopump, auto-suggestion
multi-: multinational, multi-storey, multilingual
Attitude, collaboration,
membership:
anti-: antisocial, antiwar, antifreeze
counter-: counter-offensive, counter-revolution
pro-: pro-English, pro-vice-chancellor
Pejoration:
mis-: misinform, mislead, misuse
pseudo-: pseudo-scientific, pseudo-intellectual
2 Compounding is one of
the principal, most productive,
and the oldest way of creating
words
Nouns –in English
motorway, breakfast, skinhead
Adjectives – snow-white, hard-working
Verbs – daydream, broadcast
Adverbs – downstairs, sometimes, today
Pronouns – somebody, anyone, myself
Prepositions – into, without, within
Conjunctions – whenever, however
3 Conversion is the process of gaining
new words in a different part of speech
without adding any derivative elements
face – to face
answer – to answer
clean - to clean
THE END
Source:
Kvetko, P: Essentials of Modern English Lexicology, Bratislava
2001, pg. 35 - 45
