Resources Available for Creating New Words

  1. Creation of new words out of morphemic and phonemic resources.
  2. Extension of the uses of words already in the vocabulary.
  3. Borrowing of words from other languages.
  1. Phonemic and Morphemic Resources.
    1. Grammatical generation of words (derivation)
    2. Composition:
      1. Affixal derivation: black, blacken; sing, singer.
      2. Compounding: blackbird, seasick, splashdown.
    3. Back Formation: editor, edit; television, televise.
    4. Conversion: black shoes, (A + N vs. V + N).
    5. Antonomasia (proper nouns or names): sandwich, quixotic.
  2. Root Modification
    1. Reduplication: sing-song, fuddy-duddy.
    2. Shortening or Clipping: lab, prof, exam, ad, cab, photo.
    3. Blends: brunch, smog, motel.
    4. Acronymy: MP, OK, NATO, radar.
  3. Root Creation
    1. Invention or Neologism: Kodak, rayon.
    2. Sound symbolism: meow, ouch, snap, crackle, pop.
  • Extension of Uses-- Semantic Processes
    1. Generalization: (widening): layman, assassin, thing, bird.
    2. Specialization (narrowing): meat cattle, wealth.
    3. Metaphor (similitude): head, perplex, imply.
    4. Metonomy (nearness in space or time): jaw 'cheek'
    5. Synecdoche (wholelpart relationship): town 'fence,' stove 'heated room.'
    6. Hyperbole (stronger to weaker meaning): astound 'strike with thunder.'
    7. Lytotes (weaker to stronger meaning): kill 'torment'
    8. Degeneration: knave 'boy.'
    9. Elevation: kright 'boy.'
    10. Antanomasia (proper nouns or names)
      1. Eponymy (widens a proper name into a common noun): sandwich, quixotic, ampere, hertz.
      2. Inductive antonomasia (specific term becomes generic): brand names: xerox, kleenex, gramophone, aqualung, aspirin.

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    This page was last updated on February 17, 2000.