Evolution Of English Vocab

Question 1

Neologism

Answer 1

New words, created with no connection to existing old words.

e.g. Dog, blizzard, jam

Question 2

Compound

Answer 2

Two words or phrases are joined together, hyphenated or stand side by side to create a new meaning.

(e.g. New-born, boyfriend, spreadsheet)

Question 3

Blend

Answer 3

Combining parts of two words, both lose a portion (‘portmanteau’ words).

(e.g. Motel, brunch, chillax)

Question 4

Acronym

Answer 4

Formed by taking the first initial or first sound of several words. Pronounced like a word.

(e.g. RAM, NATO, AIDS, Soweto)

Question 5

Initialism

Answer 5

Contracted form of a phrase using only the initial letter to represent a whole word. Each letter is individually pronounced.

(e.g. UCT, HIV, BBC)

Question 6

Clippings

Answer 6

Words created by removing a syllable (or more) from a word.

e.g. Phone, bus, plane

Question 7

Conversions

Answer 7

New grammatical function created by removing the suffix: back formation (e.g. Lazy - to laze, escalator - to escalate).

Sometimes a word does not change in spelling or sound but is used in a different part of speech: functional conversion (e.g. Chair - to chair a meeting, major - to major in a subject).

Question 8

Eponyms

Answer 8

Words derived from names of people.

e.g. Braille, pasteurize, sandwich, sadism, chauvinism, boycott, mentor

Question 9

Toponym

Answer 9

Words derived from the names of places.

(e.g. Champagne (France), jeans (Genoa), denim (De Nimes), hamburger (Hamburg), Marathon).

Question 10

Prefix

Answer 10

Change meaning of words/create new words

Question 11

Suffix

Answer 11

Change grammatical function

Question 12

Degeneration (péjoration)

Answer 12

Semantic change where a word has come to suggest something low or unpleasant.

(e.g. Villain)

Question 13

Elevation (amélioration)

Answer 13

Semantic change where a word has come to suggest something pleasant or dignified.

(e.g. Nice)