Word Formation

    

WORD FORMATION

Word Formation refers to the ways in which new words are created or existing words are modified. As Bauer (1983) puts it, word formation involves the systematic creation of new lexical items through various linguistic processes.

Plag (2003) adds that word formation is one of the most productive ways to expand vocabulary in English, combining both morphological rules and semantic shifts. 

Types of Word Formation

1. Derivation

Adding prefixes or suffixes to a root word to change its meaning or word class.

Root	Derived Word	Sentence Example
kind	unkind	She gave an unkind response.
friend	friendship	Their friendship lasted decades.

Example of Derivation analysis of words (WF1+WF2)

Base Word	Affix(es)	Derived Word	Word Class Change	Meaning Shift
abduct	-ion	abduction	verb → noun	the act of taking someone away illegally
abolish	-ion	abolition	verb → noun	the act of formally ending a system or practice
abuse	-ive	abusive	verb/noun → adjective	showing harmful or violent behavior
contradict	-ion	contradiction	verb → noun	a statement that opposes another
convey	-ed (past participle)	conveyed	verb → verb (past form)	past action of transferring or communicating
dispose	-al	disposal	verb → noun	the act of getting rid of something
durable	-ity	durability	adjective → noun	the quality of lasting for a long time
immense	-ly	immensely	adjective → adverb	to a great extent; extremely
variable	in-	invariable	adjective → adjective	not changing; constant
labor	-ious	laborious	noun → adjective	requiring much effort
legitimate	il-	illegitimate	adjective → adjective	not lawful or acceptable
preoccupy	-ied (past participle)	preoccupied	verb → adjective	absorbed in thought or concern
prevail	-ent	prevalent	verb → adjective	widespread; commonly occurring
withstand	(past form)	withstood	verb → verb (past form)	resisted; endured
aspire	-ation	aspiration	verb → noun	a strong desire to achieve something
compile	-ation	compilation	verb → noun	a collection or assembling of materials
confess	-ion	confession	verb → noun	the act of admitting something
convict	-ion	conviction	verb → noun	a firm belief or legal judgment
deny	-al	denial	verb → noun	the refusal to accept or acknowledge something
derive	-ed (past participle)	derived	verb → verb (past form)	taken from a source
deteriorate	-ion	deterioration	verb → noun	the process of becoming worse
fulfill	-ing	fulfilling	verb → adjective/participle	bringing satisfaction or completeness
obscure	-ity	obscurity	adjective → noun	the state of being unknown or unclear
worth	-while	worthwhile	noun → adjective	valuable, deserving time or effort

 Derivation can change a noun into adjective, noun to verb, verb to noun, and adjective to noun.

Example of Noun to Adjective:

 

1.     Cloudish (Cloud+ ~ish)

2.     Stonely (Stone+ ~ly)

3.     Rainy (Rain + ~y)

4.     Childlike (Child + ~like)

Example of Noun to Verb:

1.     Threat→ Threathen

2.     Apology→ Apologize

3.     Motivation→ Motivate

4.     Terror→ Terrorize

5.     Symbol→ Symbolize

Example of Verb to Noun:

1.     Decide→ Decision

2.     Grow→ Growth

3.     Move→ Movement

4.     Agree→ Agreement

5.     Act→ Action

Example of Adjective to Noun:

1.     Kind→ Kindness

2.     Weak→ Weakness

3.     Dark→ Darkness

4.     Active→ Activity

5.     Happy→ Happyness

2. Inflection

Changes that show grammatical relationships like tense, number, or possession without altering the word class.

 

Base Word	Inflected Form	Sentence Example
book	books	She owns several rare books.
jump	jumped	He jumped over the puddle.

Inflection never creates a new word class, just grammatical variation.

3. Compounding

Combining two or more independent words into one new word.

Words Combined	Compound	Sentence Example
sun + flower	sunflower	A sunflower field stretched for miles.
keyboard + shortcut	keyboard shortcut	Use keyboard shortcuts to save time.

Compounds may be written as one word (toothpaste), hyphenated (sister-in-law), or as two words (ice cream).

4. Blending

Merging parts of two words to form a new one.

Source Words	Blend	Sentence Example
smoke + drizzle	smizzle	It wasn't rain, it was more like a smizzle.
camera + recorder	camcorder	He brought a camcorder to film the concert.

In the blending, there are beginning blends, ending blends, middle blends, and vowel blends

Example of Noun to Adjective:

 

1.     Cloudish (Cloud+ ~ish)

2.     Stonely (Stone+ ~ly)

3.     Rainy (Rain + ~y)

4.     Childlike (Child + ~like)

Example of Noun to Verb:

1.     Threat→ Threathen

2.     Apology→ Apologize

3.     Motivation→ Motivate

4.     Terror→ Terrorize

5.     Symbol→ Symbolize

Example of Verb to Noun:

1.     Decide→ Decision

2.     Grow→ Growth

3.     Move→ Movement

4.     Agree→ Agreement

5.     Act→ Action

Example of Adjective to Noun:

1.     Kind→ Kindness

2.     Weak→ Weakness

3.     Dark→ Darkness

4.     Active→ Activity

5.     Happy→ Happyness

Example of Beginning Blends:

1.     fl ~ Flower

2.     tr ~ Tree house

3.     gr ~ Green plant

4.     st ~ Street light

5.     bl ~ Blue print 

Example of Middle Blends:

1.     Brunch (Breakfast + Lunch)

2.     Spork (Spoon + Fork)

3.     Infoble (Information + Table)

4.     Flexure (Flexible + Structure)

5.     Globax (Global + Tax)

Example of Ending Blends:

1.     nd ~ Hand bag

2.     st ~ Fast car

3.     mp ~ Lamp post

4.     ng ~ Strong wind

5.     lt ~ Belt buckle

Example of Vowel Blends;

1.     ai ~ Rain coat

2.     ea ~ Sea shell

3.     oi ~ Boiling water

4.     ou ~ Loud noise

5.     ue ~ Blue sky

5. Conversion (Zero Derivation)

A word changes class (e.g., noun to verb) without any change in form.

Original Word	New Word Class	Sentence Example
access (noun)	access (verb)	You can access the files remotely.
update (verb)	update (noun)	The latest update improved the app.

 

6. Clipping

Shortening a longer word to create a simpler version.

Full Form	Clipped Form	Sentence Example
laboratory	lab	We're working on the experiment in lab.
advertisement	ad	I saw your ad online.

Often used in informal speech or writing.

7. Acronyms and Initialisms

Formed from the initial letters of words in a phrase.

Phrase	Acronym/Initialism	Sentence Example
Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus	SCUBA	She learned to use a SCUBA for diving.
World Health Organization	WHO	WHO sets international health standards.

Acronyms are pronounced as words (e.g., NASA); initialisms are spelled out (e.g., FBI).

 

8. Back-formation

Creating a new word by removing what looks like a suffix (often mistakenly).

Original Word	Back-Formed Word	Sentence Example
editor	edit	He edits the journal every month.
babysitter	babysit	They need someone to babysit tonight.

 

Now that we’ve seen how words come to life through various formation processes, now it is about

What do these words actually mean?

A word is not just a combination of sounds or letters. Behind every word lies meaning and that meaning can be simple, layered, literal, or emotional. In linguistics, this study belongs to the realm of semantics, specifically the types of meaning a word or phrase can carry.

 

What Is "Meaning" in Language?

 

According to Lyons (1977), meaning refers to the relationship between linguistic forms (like words or phrases) and what they refer to, express, or evoke in the mind of the speaker and listener. It's the bridge between language and thought.

Leech (1981) classifies types of meaning into seven categories, providing one of the most influential frameworks in semantic analysis.

Types of Meaning

    Here are several types of meaning

Type	Explanation	Example
1. Conceptual Meaning	The literal, dictionary meaning (also called denotative meaning)	“Cat” → a small domesticated carnivorous animal
2. Connotative Meaning	The emotional or cultural associations beyond the literal meaning	“Home” → warmth, family, safety (not just house)
3. Social Meaning	Indicates social context or level of formality	“Would you mind…?” (polite) vs. “Do it now.” (direct)
4. Affective Meaning	Expresses speaker’s feelings or attitudes	“Ugh, this soup again?” → dislike
5. Reflected Meaning	When a word has multiple senses and one evokes the other unintentionally	“Cock” can refer to a bird but also has vulgar sense
6. Collocative Meaning	Meaning derived from typical word combinations	“Pretty girl” vs. “handsome boy”
7. Thematic Meaning	Meaning derived from emphasis or structure of the sentence	“He donated the money.” vs. “The money was donated by him.” (focus shifts)