WORD-FORMATION
(Word derivation)
Lecture # 4
Grigoryeva M.

Words are divisible into smaller units –
morphemes

All morphemes are subdivided into roots
(radicals) and affixes (prefixes and suffixes)

Words consisting of a root and an affix are
derivatives

Derived words are produced by the process of
word-building
Word-formation
branch of Lexicology which studies the
patterns on which the English language
builds words
 process of creating new words from
resources of the language after certain
semantic and structural formulas and
patterns
 Is one of the ways enriching vocabulary of
the language

Main types of word-formation
word-formation
word-derivation word-composition
affixation
conversion
shortening and
abbreviation
Minor types of word-formation
word-formation
sound- and
stress interchange
back
formation
sound
imitation
blending
Derivational Pattern (DP)
Is a regular meaningful arrangement, a structure that
imposes rules on the order and the nature of the
derivational bases and affixes that may be brought
together.



is a meaningful combination of bases and affixes
regularly reproduced
indicates the grammatical part-of-speech meaning
EX verbal base + -ee = noun (‘one who is V-ed’)
examine + -ee = examinee
DPs represent the derivational structure at
different levels:
a) structural types.
Patters of this level are structural formulas
which specify the class membership of
Immediate Constituents and the directions of
motivation
Suffixal derivatives,
Prefixal derivatives,
Conversions,
Compound words
structural patterns
specify the base classes and individual
affixes which refer derivatives to specific
parts of speech
EX Adj + ish (resemblence)
a)
c) structural –semantic patterns
specify semantic peculiarities of bases and
individual meanings of affixes
EX -ness (female)
WORD-DERIVATION
Affixation
Conversion
Affixation

formation of words by adding derivational
affixes to bases

one of the most productive ways of wordbuilding
Types of Affixation
affixation
suffixation
prefixation
mixed
affixation
SUFFIXATION
Is the formation of the words with the help
of suffixes
 Suffixes usually modify the lexical
meaning of the base and transfer words to
a different part of speech
 Suffixes are classified into different types
according to different principles

1. according to lexico-grammatical character
of the base
Deverbal suffixes (added to the verbal bases)
-er, -ing, -ment, -able

Denominal suffixes (added to nominal base)
-less, - ful, -ist, -some

Deadjectival suffixes (added to adjectival base)
-en, -ly, -ish, -ness

2. According to the part of speech formed
suffixes are
Noun-forming
–age, -ance\ -ence, -dom, -er, -ess, -ing, -hood, -ness, -ship

Adjective-forming
–able\ -ible\ -uble, -al, -ic, -ant\ -ent, -ed, --ful, -ish, -ive, -ous

Numeral- forming
-fold, -teen, -ty, -th

Verb-forming
–ate, -er, -fy, -ize, ish

Adverb-forming
- ly, -ward, -wise

3. Semantically
Monosemantic (one meaning)
-ness “female” ------------ lioness

Polysemantic (some meanings)
-hood
“condition or quality” ---- womanhood
“collection or group” ---- brotherhood

PREFIXATION
The formation of words with the help of
prefixes
 Modifies the lexical meaning of the base

Seldom shift words from one part of
speech into another
 Prefixes are classified into different types
according to different principles

1. according to lexico-grammatical character
of the base
Deverbal prefixes (added to the verbal bases)
Re-, over-, out
Denominal prefixes (added to nominal base)
Un-, de-, ex
Deadjectival prefixes (added to adjectival base)
Un-, bi
2. According to the class of words
formed prefixes are
Noun-forming
non-, sub-, ex
Adjective-forming
un-, il-, ir-

Verb-forming
en- \ em-, be-, de-


Adverb-forming
un-, up-
3. Semantically

Monosemantic (one meaning)
Ex- “former”
--------
ex-husband
Polysemantic (some meanings)
dis-

“not’ disadvantage
“reversal or absence of action” diseconomy
“removal of” to disbranch
“Intensification of an unpleasant action” disgrantled
4. Origin of affixes
Native
Suffixes –er, - ness, - dom, -ing, -hood, -ship, -let, -ful,- ish,
-ty, -en, - like,
Prefixes
mis-, un-, over-, beLatin
-able\ -ible, -ant\ -ent,
- extra-, pre-, ultraGreek
- ist, -ism, -ite, -ize
- anti-, sym-\ syn Russian
-nik
 French
–age, -ance\-ence, -ard, - ate, -ee, -ess,
en-\-em

HYBRIDS
are words made up of elements derived from
two or more different languages
A foreign base is combined with a native affix
EX schoolboy (Greek + English)


A native base is combined with a foreign affix
EX blackguard (English + French)
Productivity of affixes

Productive affixes
take part in deriving new words in modern language
Prefixex
de-, re-, pre-, non-, un-, antiSuffixes:
Verb
-ize\ -ise, -ate
Noun
-er\-or, -ing, - ness, -ation, -ee, -ism, -ist, -ry, -ics,
Adjective -able, - ic, -ish, -ed, -less, -y
Adverb
-ly
 Non-productive affixes are not used very often
Noun
-th, -hood, -ship
Verb
- en
Adjective - ful, - some, -en, -ous
Affixation
Suffixation
 words are formed with the
help of suffixes
 changes a part-of-speech
meaning (e.g. work –
worker)
 transfers a word into a
different semantic group
(e.g. child – childhood)
 is characteristic of noun
and adjective formation
Prefixation
words are formed with the
help of prefixes
does not change a part-ofspeech meaning (e.g.
usual – unusual)
about 25 prefixes form one
part of speech from
another (e.g. head – to
behead)
is characteristic of verb
formation
Main types of word-formation
word-formation
word-derivation
affixation
conversion
word-composition
shortening and
abbreviation
Conversion

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
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process of creating a new word from an existing
word by changing its part of speech
the morphemic shape of the original word
remains unchanged
The new word acquires a meaning, which differs
from that of the original one though it can be
easily associated with it
The converted word acquires a new paradigm
and a new syntactic function
Conversion

Face (noun)
 meaning: a front part of
the head from the
forehead to the chin
 paradigm:
-s, pl.
-’s, poss. c., sg
-s’, poss. c., pl
 functions
Subject, Object
To face (verb)
meaning:
to turn the
face towards sb/smth
paradigm:
- s, 3rd p. sg.
-ed, past ind., past part.
-ing, pres. part., gerund
functions
Predicate
Conversion in Different Parts of
Speech

Verbalization (noun
verb)
Denominal verbs
EX an eye – to eye
EX tame- to tame (adj
Substantivation (verb
Deverbal substantives

verb)
noun)
EX to jump – a jump

Adjectivation
(adv
EX go down- down floor
adj)
Conversion in Different Parts of Speech
form word
EX ups and downs

noun
affix
noun
EX . Freudism and all other ‘isms’ of modern life.

interjection
EX pooh – to pooh-pooh

verb
Conversion in Present-Day English
typical for one-syllable words
 not common to affixed words
 the predominant way of verb formation
 verbs are mainly formed from nouns and
rarely from other parts of speech
 highly productive

Traditional and Occasional Conversion
Traditional Conversion
 the use of a word is
recorded in the dictionary
Occasional Conversion
the use of a word is not
registered by the
dictionary
occurs momentarily, through
the immediate need of
the situation, brings out
the meaning more vividly