Week 10 - Word formation process and exploitations

Question 1

How do we get new words?

Answer 1

• Shortenings
• Initialisms
• Compounding
• Blends
• Derivation
• Conversion

Question 2

Define clipping/truncation

Answer 2

• The shortening of a word where part of it is retained
• Word class doesn’t change

Eg. Laboratory = lab

Question 3

Define backformation

Answer 3

• Shortening by removing a morpheme
• Mistakes in etymology

Eg. Writer = write

Question 4

Define initialisms

Answer 4

• Extreme form of shortenings
• Only initial letters or syllable retained
• Acronyms vs alphatbetisms = BO vs NASA
• Acronym say as word, alphabetisms say letters

Question 5

Define macronyms

Answer 5

• Acronym that contains an acronym itself

Eg. AIM = AOL Instant Messenger = America Online

Question 6

Define backronym

Answer 6

• Word is reinterpreted as an acronym

Eg. Book = box of outstanding knowledge

Question 7

Define compund

Answer 7

• Modified as a unit
• Inflected according to lexical class
• One primary stress
• Combines words to make a unit

Question 8

Define blends

Answer 8

A new lexeme built from combining parts of two or more words, with both part still individually identifiable

Eg. Brunch

Question 9

Define derivation

Answer 9

• The creation of a new word by the addition of a derivational morpheme

Eg. Talk-ative

Question 10

Define derivational morpheme

Answer 10

• Combined with a root a new lexeme is created
• Morpheme can attach at front or end
• Typically involves change of class

Two types:

• Class changing (eg. Teach v. to teacher n.)
• Class maintaining (eg. Kind adj. to kindness adj.)

Question 11

Define inflectional morpheme

Answer 11

• Morphemes used to mark grammatical functions and tenses
• Tend to be regular ( eg. Verb + -ed)
• Irregular forms in dictionary (Mouse, mice)
• Lexical content not changed, not a new lexeme
• Inflected forms are lexical items of a lexeme (eg. talks, talked are of lexeme TALK)

Question 12

Define bound morpheme

Answer 12

• Cannot stand alone, must be attached to a route
• No meaning in isolation

Eg. -s, re-, -ing, un-

Question 13

Define free morpheme

Answer 13

• Can stand alone or with other morphemes in a lexeme
• Meaning in isolation

Eg. cheese, heat, and

Question 14

Define root

Answer 14

• The base word
• Smallest possible unit of meaning
• Affixes attach to the root

Eg. HEATed

Question 15

Define affixes

Answer 15

• The cover term for prefix, suffix, infix
• Attach to or embed in the root

Prefix: un-HAPPY, re-PROCESS

Suffix: runn-ING, call-ED

Infix: abso-BLOODY-lutely (rare in English, used in German)

Question 16

Define zero derivation

Answer 16

• Conversion of words without change in form
• Change of word class

Noun to verb: to bottle, to network

Verb to noun: a call, a command

Adjective to verb: to better, to dirty

Question 17

Define neologism

Answer 17

• A newly coined word or expression

Eg. Meme (not so recently!)

Question 18

Define lexical creativity

Answer 18

• The act of an unpredictable departure from the rules of regular word formation
• For humour or irony

Question 19

Define lexical productivity

Answer 19

Refers to the word formation process wrought upon a lexeme

• Productive words have grammatical and derivational variants being produced

Question 20

What are exploitations?

Answer 20

• Genuine uses of the word (not mistakes) that don’t fit a norm
• Unusual/creative uses of words coined for rhetorical effect
• Ways of creating new meanings

Question 21

Define lexicalisation

Answer 21

The process by which new terms that are considered lexical come into being

Eg. LOL

Question 22

Exploitations and domain-specific norms

Answer 22

• In one context it may be an exploitation
• But in another it may be more expected or accepted and therefore isn’t an exploitation

Eg. The policeman wanted to talk to the bird (exploitation)

Childs tv programme: Dr DoLittle talking to birds is a domain-specific norm

Question 23

Examples of exploitations

Answer 23

The brick arrived through my window - as if it were an everyday occurrence

The troops ambushed merrily - what did they ambush? Exploits semantics of ambush using positive adverb