Word Formation Processes
The process of the creation of a new word, or the ways in which new words are made on
the basis of other words.
Types of Word Formation
1. Coinage
2. Borrowing
3. Compounding
4. Blending
5. Clipping
6. Back-formation
7. Conversion
8. Acronyms
9. Derivation
1. Coinage
Coinage is a common process of word-formation in English, and it is the invention of
totally new terms. The most typical sources are invented trade names for one company´s
product which become general terms (without initial capital letters) for any version of
that product.
For example: aspirin, nylon, zipper and the more recent examples kleenex, teflon.
These words tend to become everyday words in our language. For example, "aspirin"
was originally a brand name but is now a general term for a certain type of pain reliever.
This process shows how language evolves as people adopt and integrate new words into
everyday use.
2. Borrowing
Borrowing is one of the most common sources of getting new words in English. It
means adopting words from other languages. Throughout history the English language
has adopted a vast number of loan words from other languages. For example:
Boss (Dutch)
Croissant (French)
Piano (Italian)
Cafe ( French)
Sushi (Japanese)
Tsunami (Japanese)
A special type of borrowing is the loan translation or calque. In this process, there is a
direct translation of the elements of a word into the borrowing language. For example:
Superman, Loan Translation of Übermensch, German.
“Superman" is a loan translation or calque of the German term "Übermensch," where
"über" means "over" or "beyond," and "Mensch" means "man" or "human." Instead of
directly importing "Übermensch" into English, the term was translated element by
element to create the new term "Superman.”
3. Compounding
The combining process of words is technically known as compounding, which is very
common in English and German. Obvious English examples would be:
Bookcase
Fingerprint
Sunburn
Wallpaper
Textbook
Wastebasket
Whiteboard
4. Blending
The process of combining separate words to produce a single new term is known as
blending. In this process, the initial part of one word is joined to the last part of the other
word. For instance, if you wish to refer to the combined effects of smoke and fog, there
is a term smog.
Examples:
Motor + hotel = Motel
Breakfast + lunch = Brunch
Television + Broadcast = Telecast
5. Clipping
Clipping occurs when a word of more than one syllable is reduced to a shorter form,
often in casual speech. For example, the term “gasoline” is still in use but the term “gas”
(clipped form) is used more frequently.
Examples:
Mathematics - maths
Laboratory - lab
Photograph - photo
Telephone - phone
6. Back-formation
Back-formation is a very specialized type of reduction. Typically a word of one type,
usually noun, is reduced to form another word of a different type, usually a verb. A good
example of back-formation is the process whereby the noun “television” first came into
use and then the term “televise” is created from it.
More examples:
Donation (noun) – Donate (verb)
Option (noun) – Opt (verb)
Editor (noun) – Edit (verb)
Actor (noun) – Act (verb)
7. Conversion
Conversion is a change in the function of a word. It is assigning a new syntactic
category to an already existing word. For example, when a noun comes to be used as a
verb without any reduction.
Examples:
Switch on the light. (noun)
Light the lamp. (verb)
He is carrying a bag on his back. (noun)
The plane flew back in no time. (adverb)
8. Acronym
Some new words known as acronyms are formed with the initial letters of a set of other
words. Those letters are usually pronounced as a single word.
Examples:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration – NASA
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – UNESCO
Personal Identification Number –PIN
Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome – AIDS
9. Derivation
Derivation is the most common word formation process and it is accomplished by means
of a large number of small bits of the English language which are not usually given
separate listings in dictionaries. These small bits are called affixes and the process of
forming new words by adding affixes to already existing words is known as affixation.
Examples:
Prefix
Some affixes have to be added to the beginning of a word. These are called prefixes, e.g.
unreliable.
Un + happy = unhappy
Mis + represent = misrepresent
Be + friend (noun) = Befriend (verb)
Suffix
The other affix forms are called suffixes and are added at the end of the word, e.g.
foolishness.
Joy (noun) + ful = joyful (adjective)
Care (noun) + less = careless (adjective)
Child (noun) + ish = Childish (adjective)
