An introduction to word–formation

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-校园英语 / 语言文化An introduction to word–formation江西省吉安市永新县思源实验学校/方源和A word is a free form which doesn’t consist entirely of lesser free forms. In briefly, a word is a minimum free form. You may be curious about how the words are formed. Let’s study the rules how words are formed step by step .1. Onomatopoeic wordsThe words which represent sounds or things that make a sound are called onomatopoeic words. i.e. The words “bang and crash” are clearly imitative of the sounds that they denote.2. BorrowingBorrowing is the taking over of words from other languages. Throughout its history, the English language has adopted a vast number of loan–¬words from other languages. For instance, alcohol(Arabic)、robot(Czech)、tycoon(Japanese)、Kung fu(Chinese).Latin:Battle,banner,wall,pit,street,pound,wine,trade,bargain,jar,kettle,dish,gem,cheese,pepper,plum,nutter,pipe,mule,Chester,Manchester.Alter,candle,creed,disciple,mass,nun,shrine,shrive,alms,angel,anthem,amen,apostle,bishop,Christ,church,clerk,devil,martyr,minister,monk,pope,priest,psalm,cap,sock,purple,chest,mat,sack,millet,radish,doe,oyster,lobster,cook,box,pine,lily,mallow,school,master,circle,elephant,talent,giant.Contempt,frustrate,distract,gesture,history,immune,include,incredible,index,individual,infancy,minor,moderate,necessary,nervous,ornate,picture,polite,popular,present,private,promote,quite,interrupt,legal,mechanical,rational,reject,script,secular,solar,solitary,submit,suppress,subscribe,summary,temperate,temporal,testify,tract,-able,-ible,-al,-ous,-ive.Focus,radius,status,bouns,circus,apparatus,nucleus,genius,eateem,minimum,maximum,stratum,via,criteria,species,series,specimen,prostest,enterprise,reproach,alibi.Greek:Democracy,monarchy,politics,anarchy,logic,academy,philosophy,matephysics,astronomy,atom,arithmetic,geography,eclipse,mathmatics,planet,sphere,anatomy,arthritis,clinic,diet,pharmacy,alphabet,drama,epic,grammar,idiom,phrase,poem,poet,rhythm,athlete,gymnasium,stadium,anthology,architect,chaos,electric,erotic,ethnic,hero,idiot,method,music,mystery.Anti-,hyper-, pacifist, speedometer, television.French:Barber,butcher,carpenter,fletcher,mason,taylor,govern,reign,state,crown,country,power,council,authority,parliament,people,nation,feudal,vassal,prince,peer,duke,count,baron,justice,just,judge,jury,court,suit,sue,defendant,plea,plead,fee,accuse,crime,felony,traitor,damage,dower,heritage,property,realestate,injury,privilege,bail,person,piety,religion,service,angel,sacrifice,cruel,miracle,pray,prayer,sermon,virtue,vicce,duty,consience,grace,desire,pity,discipline,mercy,war,peace,battle,arms,dart,ensign,siege,office,captain,colonel,lieutenant,soldier,troops,vessel,navy,challenge,enemy,danger,prison,march,force,company,guard,beef,veal,mutton,pork,baccon,brawn,sauce,biol,fry,roast,toast,pasty,soup,jelly,dainty,dinner,supper,feast,arch,tower,pillar,porch,column,choir,palace,castle,manor,mansion,fashion,dress,gown,dobe,garment,attire,cloak,coat,veil,lace,embroidery,fur.Barber,butcher,carpenter,fletcher,mason,taylor,govern,reign,state,crown,country,power,council,authority,parliament,people,nation,feudal,vassal,prince,peer,duke,count,baron,justice,just,judge,jury,court,suit,sue,defendant,plea,plead,fee,accuse,crime,felony,traitor,damage,dower,heritage,property,Joy,pleasure,delight,ease,comfort,flower,fruit,leisure,chase,sport,cards,dice,partner,suit,trump,ace,deuce.3. compoundingIt’s a combination of two or more words which functions as a single word, i.e. Compound noun, lifeboat, shellfish, wallpaper. Compound adjective: man-made, duty-free, heart-broken, worn-out. There are many other similar examples, such as daydreaming, window shopping, everlasting, ocean-going, record-breaking, peace loving, and so on.Compound preposition: into , throughout , without. Compound verb: sky-dive , babysit. Besides, English compounds can be analyzed according to different criteria. According to orthographic criterion, compounds are written in three ways: ①solid: i.e. bedtime, newspaper, horseback ②hyphenated：i.e. above-mentioned, part-time, good-looking, second-hand ③open：i.e. reading material, black sea, black sheep.4. BlendingIt’s combining parts of other words . Blending is a relatively complex form of compounding in which two words are blended by joining the initial part of the first word and the final part of the second word or by joining the initial parts of the two words .i.e. channel + tunnel → chunnel. situation + comedy→ sitcom. teleprinter + exchanger→ telex. communication + satellite→ comsat. smoke + fog → smog. motor +hotel → motel. news broadcast→newscast. television broadcast→telecast. helicopter airport→heliport.5. AbbreviationAbbreviation is also called clipping. This occurs when a word of more than one syllable is reduced to a shorter form , often in casual speech.(1)截头telephone→phone aeroplane→planeomnibus→bus discotheque→disco(2)去尾mathematics→maths executive→execco-operate→co-op discotheque→disco(3)截头去尾