This document discusses various processes of word formation, including etymology, coinage, borrowing, compounding, blending, clipping, backformation, conversion, acronyms, derivation, and multiple processes. It provides definitions and examples for each type of word formation. Coinage refers to inventing new terms, borrowing means taking words from other languages, and compounding is joining two words to form one. Clipping, backformation, and conversion involve changing parts of speech or shortening words. Acronyms form words from initial letters and derivation uses prefixes, suffixes, and infixes.

1. WORD FORMATION
Pham Thi Huyen Trang
 Etymology
 Coinage
 Borrowing
 Compounding
 Blending
 Clipping
 Back formation
 Conversion
 Acronyms
 Derivation
 Multiple processes
Trinh Thien Thanh Thao

2. ETYMOLOGY
 Definition:
- The study of the origin and history of a word.
 Example:
- Compassion
- Money
http://www.etymonline.com

3. COINAGE
 Definition:
- The invention of totally new term.
 Example
- Aspirin, nylon, zipper,...(commercial product)
- Jeans, volt, watt,...(eponyms)

4. BORROWING
 Definition:
- The taking over of words from other languages.
 Example:
- Typhoon.
- Tattoo.
- Suupaamaaketto.
o Loan transition = calque (a special type of borrowing)
- Boy friend  nan pengyu.

5. COMPOUNDING
 Definition:
- The joining of two separate words to produce a single
form.
 Example:
- Nouns: waterfall, newspaper
- Adjectives: heartbreaking, sugar-free, airsick
- Verbs: oven-bake, baby-sit, chain-smoke
- Adverbs: good-naturedly, nevertheless

6. BLENDING.
 Definition:
- The combination of two or more separate forms to
produce a single new term.
 Example:
- Bruch
- Motel.
- Smurk.

7. CLIPPING
 Definition:
- New words are formed within a culture when phrases
and words are shortened or reduced.
 Types and examples:
- Back clipping: Pop, memo.
- Fore clipping: Phone, site.
- Middle clipping: flu.
- Complex clipping: photo-op, sci-fi.
 Hypocorisms:
- Bookie (bookmaker), telly (television)

8. BACKFORMATION
 A type of reduction process
 A word of one type ( Noun) is reduced to form a
word of another type (Verb).
Ex:
Television (n) -> televise (v)
Donation (n) -> donate (v)
Babysitter (n) -> babysit (v)
Emotion (n) -> emote (v)

9.  A regular source of backformed verbs is based on
the pattern:
Ex:
Editor (n) -> edit (v)
Sculptor (n) -> sculpt (v)
Burglars (n) -> burgle (v)
Peddlers (n) -> peddle (v)
Swindlers (n) -> swindle (v)
N +ER -- V

10. CONVERSION
 A change in the function of a word (without any
reduction)
 Category change and functional shift.
 Nouns becomes verbs
Ex: bottle, butter, chair, vacation, etc.
 Verbs become nouns
Ex: guess, spy, etc.
 Phrasal verbs become nouns
Ex: to print out -> a printout / to take over -> a
takeover

11.  Verbs become adjectives
Ex: see through (material), (a) stand up (comedian)
 Adjectives become verbs or nouns
Ex: dirty(adj->v), empty (adj->v),
crazy (adj->n), nasty (adj-> n)
 Compound nouns perform adjectival or verbal
functions
Ballpark: a ball-park figure/ to ball-park of an estimate
of the cost
-> mastermind, microwave, etc.

12. ACRONYMS
 New words are formed from the initial letters of a set
of other words.
 The pronunciation consists of saying each letter
Ex: CD (compact disk), VCR (video cassette recorder),
FBI ( Federal Bureau of Investigation)
 Pronounced as new single words ( capitalized/
uncapitalized)
Ex:
o NATO, NASA, UNESCO, GIF, etc.
o laser, radar, scuba, zip, etc.

13.  Names of organizations:
Ex: WAR ( women against rape)
 Abbreviations whose last abbreviated word is
often redundantly included
Ex: ATM (automatic teller machine), PIN ( personal
identification number)
 I sometimes forget my PIN number when I go to
the ATM machine.
 HIV virus: human immunodeficiency virus virus

14. DERIVATION
• Un- , mis-, pre-, im-, dis-, etc.
prefixes
• -ful, -less, -ish, -ism, -ness, etc.
suffixes
• It is an affix that is incorporated inside another
word
infixes

15.  Prefixes and suffixes
Ex: mislead, unhappy, prejudge, joyful, careless,
disrespectful, unkindness, foolishness, biodegradable,
etc.
 Infixes
Ex: Hallebloodylujah!, fandamntastic, etc.