Tig053 Creating new words Flashcards
Etymology
The study of the origin and history of all words.
Neologisms
A new word
Borrowing
The process of taking words from other languages.
a) Loan-Translation/Calque: A type of borrowing in which each element of a word is translated into the borrowing language.
Ex. “Piano” from Italian “pianoforte.”
Loan-Translation/Calque
Borrowing
A type of borrowing in which each element of a word is translated into the borrowing language.
Ex. “Skyscraper” from Dutch “wolkenkrabber,” directly translated as “cloud scraper.”
Compounding
The process of combining two (or more) words to form a new word.
a) Blending: The process of combining the beginning of one word and the end of another word to form a new word.
Ex. “Brunch” from “breakfast” and “lunch.”
Blending
Compounding.
The process of combining the beginning of one word and the end of another word to form a new word.
Ex. “Smog” from “Smoke” and “Fog”
Clipping
The process of reducing a word of more than one syllable to a shorter form.
a) Hypocorisms: Word-formation process in which a longer word is reduced to a shorter form with “-y” or “-ie” at the end.
b) Backformation: The process of reducing a word such as a noun to a shorter version and using it as a new word such as a verb.
Ex. “Phone” from “telephone”
Hypocorisms
Clipping
Word-formation process in which a longer word is reduced to a shorter form with “-y” or “-ie” at the end.
Ex. “Telly” from “television”
Backformation
Clipping.
The process of reducing a word (such as a noun) to a shorter version and using it as a new word (such as a verb).
Ex. “Televise” from “television”
Conversion
The process of changing the function of a word, (such as a noun to a verb) as a way of forming new words.
Ex. “Google” (noun) to “google” (verb) meaning to search for something on the internet using the Google search engine
Both Conversion and Backformation are used to create new words of new word classes, what is the difference between them?
Backformation: The process of reducing a word by removing an affix.
Ex. “EditOR” (verb) → “edit” (noun)
Conversion: The process of changing the function of a word.
Ex. “Google” (noun) → “google” (verb)
Coinage
The invention of entirely new words.
These words are typically created either arbitrarily or as a result of naming conventions, rather than through any linguistic process like borrowing or derivation.
Ex. “Frappuccino” - Coined by Starbucks in the 1990s for their blended coffee beverage. It combines “frappe,” a New England term for a milkshake or thick beverage, with “cappuccino,” a type of espresso coffee.
Eponyms
A word derived from the name of a person or place.
Ex. The term “boycott” derived from the name of Charles C. Boycott, an English land agent in 19th-century Ireland.
Acronym
A new word formed from the initial letters of the words.
Pronounced as a phrase.
Ex. “RADAR” from “Radio Detection And Ranging” or “NASA”
Initialism
A series of letters representing a phrase, with each letter standing for a word in the phrase. Pronounced by saying each letter individually.
Ex. “BBC” from “British Broadcasting Corporation”
