Word Formation in English



Definition:

Word formation is the process of creating new words in a language.
It usually happens by modifying or combining existing words or parts of words.
Very rarely, completely new words are invented without any base.
For example, the word Kodak was made up without any root.

Sound-Based Formation

1. Echoism (Onomatopoeia)

  • These are words that imitate natural or human-made sounds.
  • We use them often in poetry, stories, and comics.
  • Examples include buzz (a bee sound), bang (a loud noise), and sizzle (a frying sound).
  • Such words help to make language more expressive and lively.

2. Sound Symbolism

  • In this, the sound of a word suggests its meaning.
  • For example, words with "bl-" like blast or blow suggest strong air or force.
  • Tiny things often have soft sounds: slip, tip, peep.
  • It shows that certain sounds carry emotional or size-related meaning.

 Using Existing Words

(a) Compounding

  • Two or more words are joined to make a new word.
  • The new word often has a different meaning from the individual parts.
  • For example, a blackboard is not just black and a board—it’s used for writing in classrooms.
  • English compounds can be nouns, verbs, or adjectives.

Examples by Type (Each with 4 short sentences):

  1. Noun + Noun: toothbrush, bedroom
    • A toothbrush is used for cleaning teeth.
    • A bedroom is a room used for sleeping.
    • Both words are made by joining two nouns.
    • These types of compounds are widespread in English.
  2. Adjective + Noun: blackboard, greenhouse
    • A blackboard is a board used in teaching.
    • A greenhouse is a glass building for growing plants.
    • The adjective describes the noun.
    • These words give more information using simple parts.
  3. Verb + Noun: pickpocket, scarecrow
    • A pickpocket is someone who steals from pockets.
    • A scarecrow scares birds away from crops.
    • The verb shows the action; the noun shows the object.
    • These compound words describe roles or functions.
  4. Adverb + Verb: overthrow, bypass
    • To overthrow is to remove a ruler or system.
    • To bypass is to go around something.
    • These words often show direction or result.
    • They are useful in technical or political language.

(b) Derivation (Using Affixes)

  • This involves adding prefixes or suffixes to a root word.
  • Prefixes go before the root, and suffixes go after.
  • For example, happy → unhappy, hope → hopeful.
  • It helps create words for new meanings or grammatical forms.

Examples:

  • kind → kindness (suffix -ness adds a noun form)
  • hope → hopeless (suffix -less adds a negative meaning)
  • modern → premodern (prefix pre- means "before")
  • war → postwar (prefix post- means "after")

Shortening Processes

(c) Back-Formation

  • A longer word is shortened to create a new word, often a verb.
  • People remove what looks like a suffix, even if it wasn't originally one.
  • For example, editor → edit, even though "edit" came later.
  • These new words become natural over time in speech and writing.

Examples:

  • burglar → burgle
  • donation → donate
  • television → televise
  • enthusiasm → enthuse

(d) Clipping (Shortening)

  • Parts of a word are dropped to make a shorter form.
  • The meaning stays the same, but the form becomes casual or faster to say.
  • For example, refrigerator → fridge, gasoline → gas.
  • This is very common in spoken and informal English.

Types of Clipping:

  • Front-clipping: telephone → phone
  • End-clipping: advertisement → ad
  • Middle-clipping: influenza → flu
  • Complex: Elizabeth → Liz

Conversion (Functional Shift)

(e) Conversion

  • A word is used in a new grammatical category without changing its form.
  • This is also called zero-derivation.
  • For example, the noun email is also used as a verb: to email.
  • It makes the language more flexible and creative.

Examples:

  • Google (noun) → to Google (verb)
  • text (noun) → to text (verb)
  • hit (verb) → a hit (noun)
  • drink (verb) → a drink (noun)

 Conclusion

  • Word formation shows how creative and flexible English can be.
  • Old methods like compounding and derivation still make new words.
  • Shortening and converting words helps keep language modern and efficient.
  • Sound-based words make language vivid and expressive.

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