1. Deny A. Kwary http://www.kwary.net Airlanga University
Word Formation
Deny A. Kwary
Airlanga University

2. Types of Word Formation
Compounding
Conversion
Clipping
Blends
Backformation
Acronyms
Onomatopoeia
Eponyms

3. 1. Compounding
Definition: Two or more words joined together to form a new word.
Examples:
Home + work  homework
Pick + pocket  pickpocket

4. Coconut oil  oil made from coconuts.
Note: The meaning of a compound is not always the sum of the meanings of its parts.
Coconut oil  oil made from coconuts.
Olive oil  oil made from olives.
Baby oil 
cathouse 
blue-movies 
blue-chip 
oil for babies
NOT oil made from babies
a house where men visit prostitutes

5. 2. Conversion
Definition: Assigning an already existing word to a new syntactic category.
Examples:
butter (N)  to butter the bread
permit (V)  an entry permit
empty (A)  to empty the litter-bin

6. 3. Clipping
Definition: Shortening a polysyllabic word by deleting one or more syllables
Examples:
Facsimile  fax
Hamburger  burger
Gasoline 
Advertisement 
Omnibus 

7. 4. Blends
Definition: Similar to compounds, but parts of the words are deleted.
Examples:
Motor + hotel  Motel
Breakfast + lunch  Brunch
Wireless + Fidelity  Wi-Fi

8. Is this a blend?

9. Case Study: Blends or Compunds
‘Wild-haired revolutionaries like Che Guevara have been replaced by clean-cut metrosexual icons like soccer star David Beckham and musician Ricky Martin.’ (cbsnews.com, 25th November 2003).
‘No botox for the Retrosexual. No $1,000 haircuts. The retrosexual man eats red meat heartily and at times kills it himself.’ (The Washington Dispatch, 2nd May 2004).
Another recent coinage borne out of the current preoccupation with male stereotyping is the noun and adjective technosexual. (Macmillan Online, January 2005).

10. 5. Back-formations
Definition: Creative reduction due to incorrect morphological analysis.
Examples:
editor (1649)
 edit (1791)
television (1907)
 televise (1927)

11. 6. Acronyms
Definition: Words derived from the initials of several words
Examples:
severe acute respiratory syndrome
 SARS
Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
 SCUBA

12. Other examples of Acronyms:
Radar
FYI
TGIF
a.k.a
Html
www
SWOT
Radio detecting and ranging
For Your Information
Thanks God It’s Friday
also known as
Hypertext mark-up language
World wide web
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

13. 7. Onomatopoeia
Definition: Words created to sound like the thing that they name.
English
Japanese
Tagalog
Indonesian
Cock-a-doo
Kokekokko
Kuk-kakauk
Kukuruyuk
Meow
Nya
Niyaw
Meong

14. 8. Eponyms Definition: Words derived from proper names or things.
Examples:
Kodak
Sandwich
Celcius

15. Complete the process and Identify the type of word formation:
1. Return on Investment 
2. information, entertainment 
3. modulator, demodulator 
4. love, seat 
5. International, police 
6. A comb 
7. delicatessen 
8. Capt. Charles Cunningham Boycott 
ROI 
Infotainment 
Modem 
Loveseat 
Interpol 
To comb 
Deli 
Boycott 
acronym
blends
compounding
conversion
clipping
eponym