What is word formation? Define the basic rules of Word Formation. Write five techniques of word formation.
Introduction
Word formation rules are a very basic concept of linguistics. This is a process of forming new words. All the languages of the world possess some basic rules or processes for building up new words or phrases too. Let us now know the major word-formation rules or processes of the English language.
The derivation is one of the fundamental word formation rules in which affixes attach to the base form or root of the word. Affixes are prefixes, infixes, and suffixes. Through this process, the grammatical forms of words are changed such as from noun to verb to adjective to adverb, from verb to verb, from adjective to adjective, etc.
Examples:
- Nation – nationalize – national – nationally.
- Appear – disappear.
- Moral – immoral.
Back-formation
Back-formation is another compulsory rule of word formation. In this procedure, affixes are subtracted to create a new word. This rule is vice versa of derivation.
Examples:
- Donation – donate.
- Obsessive – obsess.
Compounding
The process in which two or more independent words are combined to hatch new words is called the compounding rule of word generation.
Examples:
- Bed + room = Bedroom
- Note + pad = Notepad
- In + to = Into
- Break + up = Breakup
Blending
In the blending process, parts of the words are taken to form a new word.
Examples:
Europe + Asia = Eurasia
Biographical + picture = Biopic
Smoke + fog = Smog
Clipping
The method in which words are shortened to coin words is called the clipping procedure of word formation. Though the words are shortened in this process, the meaning of the words remains unchanged.
Examples:
Examination – Exam
Advertisement – Ad
Mathematics – Math
Photograph – Photo
Abbreviation
The abbreviation means shortened forms of words or phrases. Abbreviated words are basically and widely used for writing but some are used in spoken as well.
Examples:
cm – centimeter
km – kilometer
Dr.- doctor
Mr.- mister
Jr. – junior
Acronym
In the acronym process, an abbreviation is formed from the initial letters of several words and pronounced as a word. The difference between the abbreviation rule of word formation and the acronym rule of word formation is that acronyms cannot be written in small letters but abbreviations can be written using small and capital letters.
Examples:
UN – United Nations
WB – World Bank
SAARC – The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
Borrowing
Borrowing is the word formation process in which words of foreign languages become the asset of one language.
Examples:
Algebra – Arabic
Near – Sanskrit
Murder – French
Conclusion
Without knowing the basic rules of word formation, nobody can possess prosperity in both oral and written communication.
Read More: What is morphology? Classify the morphemes in detail.
