Week 10 - Word formation process and exploitations Flashcards
How do we get new words?
- Shortenings
- Initialisms
- Compounding
- Blends
- Derivation
- Conversion
Define clipping/truncation
- The shortening of a word where part of it is retained
- Word class doesn’t change
Eg. Laboratory = lab
Define backformation
- Shortening by removing a morpheme
- Mistakes in etymology
Eg. Writer = write
Define initialisms
- Extreme form of shortenings
- Only initial letters or syllable retained
- Acronyms vs alphatbetisms = BO vs NASA
- Acronym say as word, alphabetisms say letters
Define macronyms
- Acronym that contains an acronym itself
Eg. AIM = AOL Instant Messenger = America Online
Define backronym
- Word is reinterpreted as an acronym
Eg. Book = box of outstanding knowledge
Define compund
- Modified as a unit
- Inflected according to lexical class
- One primary stress
- Combines words to make a unit
Define blends
A new lexeme built from combining parts of two or more words, with both part still individually identifiable
Eg. Brunch
Define derivation
- The creation of a new word by the addition of a derivational morpheme
Eg. Talk-ative
Define derivational morpheme
- 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.)
Define inflectional morpheme
- 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)
Define bound morpheme
- Cannot stand alone, must be attached to a route
- No meaning in isolation
Eg. -s, re-, -ing, un-
Define free morpheme
- Can stand alone or with other morphemes in a lexeme
- Meaning in isolation
Eg. cheese, heat, and
Define root
- The base word
- Smallest possible unit of meaning
- Affixes attach to the root
Eg. HEATed
Define affixes
- 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)
Define zero derivation
- 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
Define neologism
- A newly coined word or expression
Eg. Meme (not so recently!)
Define lexical creativity
- The act of an unpredictable departure from the rules of regular word formation
- For humour or irony
Define lexical productivity
Refers to the word formation process wrought upon a lexeme
- Productive words have grammatical and derivational variants being produced
What are exploitations?
- 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
Define lexicalisation
The process by which new terms that are considered lexical come into being
Eg. LOL
Exploitations and domain-specific norms
- 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
Examples of exploitations
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
