Chapter 4
The Internal Structure of Words and Processes of Word Formation in English
Exercise 4.9Minor Processes of Word Formation
Identify the process of word formation responsible for each of the following words. Try to determine the process before you consult a dictionary, though it may be necessary for you to do so.
curio
(to) laze
(to) network
(to) cohere
(a) sitcom
(the) muppets
(a) what-not
margarine
dystopia
serendipity
diesel
(a) ha-ha
(to) make up
(to) total
(the) hereafter
amphetamine
(a) construct
(the) chunnel
guestimate
canary
brain-gain
boojum
gaffe-slack
psycho
walkie-talkie
bonfire
The words in column A have been created from the corresponding words in column B. Indicate the word formation process responsible for the creation of each word in column A.
| Column A | Column B | |
| a. |
stagflation |
stagnation + inflation |
| b. |
nostril |
nosu + thyrl ‘hole’ (in Old English) |
| c. |
bookie |
bookmaker |
| d. |
van |
caravan |
| e. |
Amerindian |
American Indian |
| f. |
CD |
compact disc |
| g. |
RAM |
random access memory |
| h. |
televise |
television |
| i. |
xerox |
xeroxography |
| j. |
telathon |
television + marathon |
| k. |
sci-fi |
science fiction |
| l. |
elect |
election |
| m. |
deli |
delicatessen |
| n. |
scuba |
self-contained underwater breathing apparatus |
| o. |
scavenge |
scavenger |
| p. |
hazmat |
hazardous material |
clipping < curio(sity)
back formation < lazy — -y
conversion N > V
back formation < coherence — -ence
clipping < sit(uation) com(edy)
blend < m(arionette) (p)uppets
phrasal compound
clipping < (oleo)margarine (N.B. oleo is an alternate clipped form)
false morphological division < dis- + -topia < u/topia
literary coinage (by Horace Walpole)
commonization < Rudolf Diesel
reduplication < French
phrasal verb
conversion N > V
compounding, conversion Prt + Prt > N
acronym < a(lpha) m(ethyl) phe(ngl) t(hyl)amine
conversion V > N
blend < ch(annel) (t)unnel
blend < gu(ess) + estimate or guess + (es)timate
commonization < Canary Islands
reduplication
root creation (used by physicist N. David Mermin following creation by Lewis Carroll)
reduplication
clipping < psycho(path)
reduplication, diminutive, conversion
amalgamated compound < bān’ ‘bone’ + fyr ‘fire’ in Old English)
blending
amalgamated compound
clipping, diminutive
clipping
blending
initialism
acronym
back formation
clipping, commonization
blending, false morphological analysis
clipping
back formation
clipping, false morphological analysis (delicat/essen)
acronym
back formation
clipping