Words Formation

What is Word Formation? 

How Word Formation Works? 

Word Formation is a branch of lexicology that studies the pattern that builds English words. One must have an understanding of Word formation. Words are divided into smaller parts called morphemes and morphemes are subdivided into prefixes and suffixes. The words which have suffixes or prefixes are called derivatives words. 

Main types of word formation:

1. Word derivation.

• Affixation.
• Conversion.

       2. Word composition.

       3. Abbreviation and word shortening.

Other types of word formation:

1. Sound imitation.
2. Blending.
3. Bach formation.
4. Sound and stress interchange.

• Derivational Pattern (DP)

It is a regular meaningful arrangement. Its structure imposes rules on the order and the

nature of the derivational bases and affixes that may be brought together and has a meaningful combination of bases and affixes. It shows the grammatical part of speech meaning. We especially use ee with a word.

a) Structural patterns:

They specify the base classes and individual affixes which refer derivatives to specific parts of speech.

EX Adj -ish 

• boyish
• lavish
• Varnish
• relish
• embellish

b) Structural-semantic patterns:

They specify the semantic habit of bases and individual meanings of affixes.

EX -ness 

• Rightness
• Aimlessness
• Abusiveness
• Fondness
• Tightness

Word Derivation:

1. Affixation
2. Conversion

Affixation:

In Affixation, we add some new group of letters at the starting or ending of a word. It also varies in different languages. 

Types of Affixation:

• suffixation
• Affixation
• Mixed- Affixation

Suffixation:

It is a morphological process where we add a bound morpheme at the end of a main word. Mostly we add s to make singular one plural. 

For example:

• Heavy 👉Heaviness
• Ready 👉 Readiness
• Laugh 👉 Laughed

• Deverbal suffixes (added to the verbal bases)

-er, -ing, -ment, -able

• Denominal suffixes (added to nominal base)

-less, - ful, -ist, -some

• Deadjectival suffixes (added to adjectival base)

-en, -ly, -ish, -ness

2. According to the suffixes forming parts of

speech:

• Noun-forming

–age, -ance\ -ence, -dom, -er, -ess, -ing, -hood, -ness, -ship

• Adjective-forming

–able\ -ible\ -uble, -al, -ic, -ant\ -ent, -ed, --ful, -ish, -ive, -ous

• Numeral-forming

-fold, -teen, -ty, -th

• Verb-forming

–ate, -er, -fy, -ize, ish

• Adverb-forming

- ly, -ward, -wise

3. Semantically:

• Mono semantic (one meaning)

-ness “female” ------------ lioness

• Poly semantic (some meanings)

-hood

“condition or quality” ---- womanhood

“collection or group” ---- brotherhood

Affixation:

 Affixations have particular meanings that are added at the start or end of a word. 

• sub 👉 subway
• walk 👉 walking
• mis 👉 misunderstood

• PREFIXATION

Prefixation is the formation of words with the help of prefixes that modify the lexical meaning of the base seldom shifting words from one part of speech into another.

Prefixes are classified into different types

according to different principles.

• Deverbal prefixes (added to the verbal bases)

Re-, over-, out-

• Denominal prefixes (added to nominal base)

Un-, de-, ex-

• Deadjectival prefixes (added to adjectival base)

Un-, bi-

According to the prefixes forming class of

words:

• Noun-forming

non-, sub-, ex-

• Adjective-forming

un-, il-, ir-

• Verb-forming

en- \ em-, be-, de-

• Adverb-forming

un-, up-

3. Semantically

• Mono semantic (one meaning)

Ex- “former” -------- ex-husband

• Poly semantic (some meanings)

dis-

“not’ disadvantage

“reversal or absence of action” diseconomy

“removal of” to disbranch

“Intensification of an unpleasant action” disgruntled

• 4. Origin of affixes:

1. Native:

Suffixes –er, - ness, - dom, -ing, -hood, -ship, -let, -ful,- ish, -ty,

-en, - like,

Prefixes mis-, un-, over-, be-

      2. Latin:

-able\ -ible, -ant\ -ent,

- extra-, pre-, ultra-

      3.  Greek:

ist, -ism, -ite, -ize

anti-, sym-\ syn-

    4.  Russian:

-nik

    5. French:

–age, -ance\-ence, -ard, - ate, -ee, -ess,

en-\-em

HYBRIDS:

These words are made up of elements derived from

two or more different languages.

A foreign base is combined with a native affix.

EX schoolboy (Greek + English)

A native base is combined with a foreign affix.

EX blackguard =misbehavior by someone (English + French)

Productivity of affixes

Productive affixes

They take part in deriving new words in modern language.

Prefixex de-, re-, pre-, non-, un-, anti-

• Suffixes:

Verb -ize\ -ise, -ate

Noun -er\-or, -ing, - ness, -ation, -ee, -ism, -ist, -ry, -ics,

Adjective -able, - ic, -ish, -ed, -less, -y

Adverb -ly

• Non-productive affixes:

They are not used very often.

Noun -th, -hood, -ship

Verb - en

Adjective - ful, - some, -en, -ous

• Conversion:

It is the process of creating a new word from an existing word by changing its part of speech. In this process, the morphemic shape of the original word remains unchanged. The converted word acquires a new paradigm and a

new syntactic function.