...The study of language has become a subject of interest for many years. English for instance, has without a doubt become the global language. Whenever we turn on the news to find out what is happening from four corner of the world, local people are being interviewed and telling us about it in English. To be more specific, English is adopted as an internal lingua franca and second language for most Europeans (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Dutch, and France) although English is not treated as an official language in these countries. While in most Asian countries, having English is always associated with having a prestigious job and career. However, people do not realize that English has adopted enormous number of words from various countries in the world since the imperialism and trade kicked off.
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This essay will respectively discuss the various ways that word-formation processes come into a language, adapted from Yule (1996, p.63-70) namely; coinage, borrowing, compounding, blending, clipping, backformation, conversion, acronyms, derivation, prefixes and suffixes, infixes and multiple processes. Furthermore, this essay will also discuss the implications of word formation for a language learning and teaching process....
Table of Contents
1. Coinage (an adoption of brand names as common words)
2. Borrowing
3. Compounding
3.1 Compound nouns
3.2 Verb-noun compounds
3.3 Compound ad positions
4. Blending
5. Clipping
6. Backformation
7. Conversion
8. Acronym formation
9. Derivation
10. Prefixes and suffixes
11. Infixes
12. Multiple purposes
13. The implications
13.1 The implication for students
13.2 The implication for teachers
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This essay examines the diverse morphological processes by which new words enter the English language, drawing upon Yule's (1996) linguistic framework. Beyond documenting these mechanisms, it explores how understanding word formation serves as a critical pedagogical tool for enhancing both student language competence and teacher vocabulary instruction.
- Mechanisms of neologism (coinage, borrowing, blending, etc.)
- Structural analysis of word formation processes
- Comparative linguistics in an Indonesian context
- Pedagogical applications for English language learning
- The role of morphological awareness in developing collocational competence
Excerpt from the Book
Backformation
The backformation process goes through: a suffix identifiable from other words is cut off of a base which has previously not been a word; that base then is used as a root, and becomes a word through widespread use. Examples: pronunciate (pronunciation < pronounce), resurrect (resurrection), enthuse (enthusiasm), self-destruct (< self destruction < destroy), burgle (burglar), attrit (attrition), and burger (hamburger). This differs from clipping in that, in clipping, some phonological part of the word which is not interpretable as an affix or word is cut off (e.g. the '-essor' of 'professor' is not a suffix or word; nor is the '-ther' of 'brother'. In backformation, the bit chopped off is a recognizable affix or word ('ham ' in 'hamburger'), '-ion' in 'self-destruction'.
Backformation is the result of a false but plausible morphological analysis of the word; clipping is a strictly phonological process that is used to make the word shorter. Clipping is based on syllable structure, not morphological analysis. It is impossible for you to recognize back-formed words or come up with examples from your own knowledge of English, unless you already know the history of the word. Most people do not know the history of the words they know; this is normal.
Summary of Chapters
Coinage (an adoption of brand names as common words): Details the creation of new words from trade names, distinguishing between motivated and ex nihilo root creation.
Borrowing: Explains the adoption of words from other languages due to cultural domination, close contact, or functional necessity.
Compounding: Discusses the combination of roots to form new words, with specific sub-sections on nouns, verb-noun structures, and ad positions.
Blending: Describes the fusion of parts from two existing words to create a new lexical item.
Clipping: Outlines the process of reducing polysyllabic words to shorter, more colloquial forms.
Backformation: Explores the reduction of a base through the misinterpretation or removal of a recognizable suffix.
Conversion: Examines how words change their grammatical function, such as nouns acting as verbs.
Acronym formation: Explains the formation of new terms from the initial letters of word groups.
Derivation: Discusses the use of affixes to modify the meaning of root words.
Prefixes and suffixes: Analyzes the structural application of affixes to the beginning or end of words, including examples from the Indonesian language.
Infixes: Addresses the insertion of affixes within a word, noting their rarity in English compared to other languages.
Multiple purposes: Examines how words can undergo several formation processes simultaneously.
The implications: Explores the practical applications of understanding word formation for students' language fluency and teachers' instructional methods.
Keywords
Word-formation, Coinage, Borrowing, Compounding, Blending, Clipping, Backformation, Conversion, Acronyms, Derivation, Affixes, Infixes, Language Pedagogy, Collocational Competence, Morphology
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this text?
The text provides a comprehensive overview of the various ways new words are created in the English language and their significance in educational settings.
Which mechanisms of word formation are discussed?
The author covers processes including coinage, borrowing, compounding, blending, clipping, backformation, conversion, acronyms, derivation, affixes (prefixes/suffixes), and infixes.
What is the ultimate goal of the research?
The goal is to analyze linguistic word-formation processes and argue that this knowledge is vital for enhancing language competence in students and improving vocabulary teaching strategies.
What methodological approach is taken?
The author adapts the theoretical framework of Yule (1996) to categorize and explain these linguistic processes, supported by examples from English and the author's own context (Indonesian language).
What does the main body cover?
It provides detailed definitions and examples for each word-formation process, followed by an analysis of the practical implications for language teachers and learners.
Which terms characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as morphology, neologism, pedagogical application, and linguistic analysis.
How is the distinction between clipping and backformation explained?
Clipping is identified as a phonological process of shortening words based on syllables, whereas backformation involves a morphological reanalysis where a suffix is removed.
Why is the Indonesian language used as an example?
The author uses Indonesian as a point of reference to illustrate how morphological processes—such as borrowing and affixation—function in other languages and to demonstrate the universality of these concepts.
What is "collocational competence"?
It refers to a learner's ability to understand which words naturally go together, which the author argues is significantly improved by understanding root words and affixation.
What specific aspects should teachers consider when teaching vocabulary?
Teachers should focus on polysemy, affective meaning, translation awareness, and lexical chunks to help students better internalize the English language.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anne-Katrin Wilking (Autor:in), 2011, How new words come into the language, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/177150
