Theoretical questions part 2

Question 1

Word-formation processes can be divided
into 3 main types:

Answer 1

primary, secondary, marginal

Question 2

Name the primary word-formation
processes.

Answer 2

• affixation
• compounding
• conversion

Question 3

19. Name the secondary word-formation processes.

Answer 3

• shortening
• blending
• back-formation
• reduplication
• lexical ellipsis

Question 4

20. Name the marginal word-formation processes.

Answer 4

• sound interchange
• eponymy
• shift of stress
• sound symbolism
• word manufacture

Question 5

21. What does it mean when we say that a word- formation process is productive?

Answer 5

Many lexemes can be formed by particular word-formation process.

Question 6

22. What is affixation?

Answer 6

Affixation is a productive word-formation process in which new lexemes are produced by adding derivational affixes to at least one root lexeme

Question 7

23. Give some noun-forming suffixes.

Answer 7

-tion, -ity, -er, -ness, -ism, -ment, -ant, -ship, -age, -ery.

Question 8

24. Give some verb-forming suffixes.

Answer 8

-en, -ify, -ate, - ise

Question 9

25. Give some adverb-forming suffixes.

Answer 9

-y, -like, -en

Question 10

26. Give some negative prefixes.

Answer 10

un-, dis-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, non-, de-, mis-

Question 11

27. Give some diminutive suffixes.

Answer 11

-y/-ie, -ette, -let, -ock, -ling, -o

Question 12

28. What is compounding?

Answer 12

Compounding is a process of creating new words by combining at least two root morphemes.

Question 13

29. According to their structure, compounds can be divided into:

Answer 13

• simple (2 root morphemes, e.g. daylight)
• complex (3+ root morphemes, e.g. forget-me-not)

Question 14

30. According to the relationship between their components, compounds can be divided into:

Answer 14

• coordinative (e.g. deaf-mute)
• subordinative (e.g. blackboard)

Question 15

31. According to the word-formation processes involved, compounds can be divided into:

Answer 15

• mono-formative (mother-in-law)
• poly-formative (back-bench/er)

Question 16

32. Explain why some compounds are called literal. Give some examples.

Answer 16

• The meaning of the morphemes is compositional.
• Example: classroom, sunlight, deaf-mute

Question 17

33. Explain why some compounds are called metaphorical. Give some examples.

Answer 17

• They cannot be interpreted literally.
• Example: chatterbox, pickpocket, nightcap

Question 18

34. Give one example of a compound adjective, compound verb, and a compound adverb.

Answer 18

• adjective: brand-new
• verb: downsize
• adverb: outside

Question 19

35. What is conversion?

Answer 19

Conversion is a very productive word-formation process in which a word is converted into a different word-class without adding any affix.

Question 20

36. What is indirect conversion? Give an example.

Answer 20

• Where a noun is not converted to a verb, but it is pre-modified by verbs such as have, get, take, give, and make, and the phrase has a verbal function.
• Example: take a shower = to shower

Question 21

37. The process of shortening can be divided into these types:

Answer 21

• clipping
• acronymy
• initialisms
• graphical abbreviation

Question 22

38. Clipping can be defined as …

Answer 22

Clipping involves cutting off one or more letter or syllables of a word.

Question 23

39. Depending on which part of the word is clipped, we distinguish these types of clipping:

Answer 23

• initial
• medial
• final

Question 24

40. Give two examples of initial clipping and final clipping.

Answer 24

• Initial: aeroplane –> plane, omnibus –> bus
• Final: gymnasium –> gym, brother –> bro

Question 25

41. What is the difference between transparent and non-transparent clipping?

Answer 25

• Transparent: the clipped lexeme directly corresponds to a part of the original word
• Non-transparent: the clipped lexeme doesn’t directly correspond to a part of the original word

Question 26

42. What is the difference between acronyms and initialisms?

Answer 26

Acronyms are read as regular words. Initialisms are always spelled out, we do not read them as words.

Question 27

43. What is special about graphical abbreviation?

Answer 27

This type of shortening is restricted to a written language.

Question 28

44. What is blending? Give two examples.

Answer 28

• Blending is a process in which two words merge into one.
• Example: br(eakfast) + (l)unch –> brunch, sm(oke) + (f)og –> smog

Question 29

45. Define the term back-formation. Give two examples.

Answer 29

• A formation of a new lexeme by means of a deletion of a suffix-like element from apparently complex form.
• Example: editor –> to edit, lazy –> to laze

Question 30

46. Give examples of full and partial reduplicatives.

Answer 30

• Full: bye-bye, chop-chop
• Partial: tip-top, chit-chat

Question 31

47. Define lexical ellipsis.

Answer 31

An omission of one word of a multi-word phrase/collocation.

Question 32

48. What is sound interchange? Give two examples.

Answer 32

• This process typically involves a change of word class by the mutation of one or more phonemes within the word/root.
• Example: blood –> bleed, breath –> breathe

Question 33

49. What is interesting about the words present, export, frequent, absent, etc. from the word-formative point of view?

Answer 33

Shift of stress