Linguistics & Semantics

Lesson 3: Morphology

Ways of Creating New Words

Affixation: we add a derivational affix to a word see the examples: 'Please remind me' ('re-mind'); 'I did not know about this refusal' (refusal ‘re-fus-al’).

Compounding: we join two or more words into one new word (Can you use a skateboard? ‘skate-board’).

Zero Derivational which is also known as functional shift or conversion because we employ a word of a new category as a word of another category (noun and verb: play, comb, butter).

Stress Shift: in this case we don’t add any affix to the base. The stress is very important as it shifts from one syllable to the other changing category. (N rewrite →V rewrite, N transport→ V transport, N concrete→ A concrete, N abstract→ A abstract).

Clipping: it is a shortening of polysyllabic word (prof. ‹ professor).

Acronim Formation: here with this process we can form words by using the initials of a group of words that designates one concept (NASA, NATO).

Blending: we connect parts (which are not morphes) of two already existing words to create a new word (motor hotel ‹motel, brunch ‹breakfast and lunch, telethon ‹television and marathon).

Backformation: it is a process that creates a new word by removing a real or supposed affix from another word (option—opt, peas----pea, enthusiasm---enthuse).

Borrowing: in this case a word is taken from another language and it may be adapted to the borrowing language’s phonological system (psychology, telephone, emotion, are taken from European languages; banana is taken from African languages)

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