ENGLISH MORPHOLOGY AND
SYNTAX
WORD FORMATION
Morphology
Today`s lecture will capture the following issues
1. Types of Word formation
A. Etymology
B. Coinage
C. Borrowing
D. Blending
E. Clipping
F. Backformation
G. Acronyms
Types of Word Formation
Etymology
Around 1900 a person called Murray Spangler
invented an Electric Suction Sweeper. This
device is known as “spangler”, after the inventor
sur name, and it became very popular among
people. People began to use the “new word”
EX:
He is spanglering the roofs
She spanglered the carpets.
It is used as an adjective to describe a person
who is droned on and on.
He is spanglerish etc.
Then, Mr. Murray sold this invention to a
German business man called William H. Hoover.
who produced his first electric machine
“hoover”.
People in Germany used the new word “hoover”
to talk about hoovering rugs.
So, the aim behind this story is that “new words”
can enter any language and human faculty is able
to process and derive new words out of the new
words.
The study of the origin and history of new words
Etymology comes from Latin but has Greek
roots (etymon ‘true meaning’ + logia ‘study of’)
Modern English begins from around 500 years
age.
If we consider old English, we won`t be able to
understand their daily conversation
Thousands of words in old English have been
discarded and thousands of new words have
entered English today, “Cell phone, microwave
etc, social media, google ebay etc”
How about future, 500 years later!
So, the only way fascinating way to hold on
language and to find out the words meaing is to
study the origin of words “Etymology”!
Examples:
Sandwich: it is named after John Montagu “the
fourth Earl of town Sandwich.” He is a gambler
who did not have time to have his dinner meal.
So, he satisfied his hunger by having cold roast
beef between slices of bread.
Recall “Etymology” consists of etymon ‘true
meaning’ + logia ‘study of
So we can predict the meaning of words the ends
with “logy”
Biology: “bio” means life “logy” means study of
So, biology is the study of living organisms
Morphology: morphe: form or shape, “logy” the
study of. The study of forms in language etc
Also, have a look at the inflectional suffix “-ful”
which comes Anglo-Saxon time which means
“full of”
Colour : colourful: full of colours
Deceit: deceitful: full of deceit
Telephone: it came from the Greek words “tele”
which means “afar” and phone which means
“sounds” and it means literally “sounds from
afar”
“robot” as a word came from a play in 1920s.
The word “robot” is taken from Czech “robota”
which means “forced labour”
“robot” refers to machines that have human
abilities.
However, nowadays it refers to people who work
like machines!!!!
I bought an apple. What does it mean to you!
• English is an international language.
Knowledge of English opens doors to great
literature, philosophy, and science. And a
sound knowledge of English rests, ultimately,
upon an understanding of the origins of words
“ETYMOLOGY”
Coinage
Coinage: invention of totally new words in a
language.
• Google, Aspirin, escalator, sandwich, Band-Aid,
factoid, Google, ebay, kerosene, Kleenex, nylon,
zipper, volt, watt
• Eponyms: words based on a name of a person or a
place. E.g. sandwich, jeans, watt
James Watt, Alessandro Volta etc
Borrowing
• Taking over of words from another language
• English borrowed a lot of Latin and French words
• Leak (Dutch) Barbecue (Spanish) Piano (Italian) Sofa
(Arabic) Croissant (French) Yogurt (Turkish)
• Arabic also borrowed a lot of words from English, e.g.
television, radio, supermarket
• Loan-translation or calque
• A phrase that is introduced into a language through translation
• Superman
• Skyscraper
Blending
• Similar to compounds, but in blending only parts of
the words are combined.
• Examples: Motor + hotel = Motel
• Breakfast + lunch = Brunch
• Smoke + fog + smog
• Teleprinter + exchange = telex
• Think of Arabic words!
Clipping
• Shortening a word by deleting one or more
syllables
• Examples: Facsimile = fax
• Hamburger = burger
• Gasoline = gas
• Advertisement = ad
Professor? , Champ, flu, math, exam, sycho etc
• A particular type of reduction, favoured in Australian
and British English, produces forms technically
known as hypocorisms. In this process, a longer word
is reduced. In this process, a longer word is reduced
to a single syllable, then -y or -ie is added to the end
• to a single syllable, then -y or -ie is added to the end
• McDonald`s = Mcy
• Australian = Aussie
Back Formation
• Assigning an already existing word to a new syntactic
category.
• Examples: butter (N) to (V): Have buttered your toast?
• permit from (V) to (N): She obtained a temporary
residence permit
• must (V) to (N): Doing the homework is a must.
• chair (N) to (V): Someone has to chair the meeting.
Acronyms
• Words derived from the initials of several words
• Examples: National Aeronautics and Space Agency:
NASA
• United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund:
UNICEF
• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization: UNESCO
• Compact Disc: CD
• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome: AIDS
References
• Hope C. Dawson, Michael Phelan, 2016. Language Files,
Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics.
Columbus: Ohio State University Press . Ch.4
• Yule, George (2006). The Study of Language: An Introduction.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ch. 6
