Word-Formation Processes in English (Word Building)

Word-Formation Processes in English (word building)is the process of building new words by means of existing elements of language according to certain patterns and rules

1 Affixation = adding an established prefix or a suffix to the existing baseA) Suffixation- is characteristic of noun and adjective formation- a suffix usually changes not only the lexical meaning of a word but also its grammatical meaning or its word class, e.g. to bake baker, beauty - beautiful

Noun-forming suffixes:-or: actor, visitor, director-er/eer: speaker, engineer, opener-ist: scientist, satirist, journalist-ess: hostess, stewardess, actress-ty/ity: cruelty, purity, stupidity-ure/ture: failure, exposure, mixture-dom: freedom, kingdom, -age: passage, marriage, postage-ance/ence: appearance, preference-hood: likelihood, brotherhood, neighbourhood-ing: reading, opening, beginning-ion/sion/tion/ition/ation: operation, permission, description-ness: kindness, goodness, wilingness-y/ery: difficulty, enquiry, robbery, slavery-ship: partnership, membership, kinship-ment: government, development, movement-t: complaint, restraint

Adjective-forming suffixes:-able/ible: comfortable, fashionable, sensible-ic/atic: atomic, heroic, systematic-ful: beautiful, helpful, careful-y: bloody, dirty, sunny-less: useless, homeless, careless-al/ial/tial: personal, influential, preferential-ive/ative/itive: active, creative, sensitive-ant/ent: pleasant, different, excellent-en: wooden, golden, woollen-like: childlike, ladylike-ing: amusing, interesting, charming-ous: dangerous, famous, mysterious-ish: bookish, childish, foolish-ly: friendly, lovely, manly

Verb-forming suffixes:-ize/ise: civilize, modernize-ify/fy/efy: simplify, glorify-en, deepen, sharpen, lengthen

Adverb-forming suffixes:-ly: formally, calmly, easily-ward/wards: homeward, afterwards, backwards-wise/ways: clockwise, otherwise, sideways-fold: twofold, threefold

B) Prefixationa prefix usually changes or concretizes the lexical meaning of a word and only rarely parts of speech, e. g. write rewrite, smoker non-smokerPrefixes are sometimes used to form new verb: circle encircle, large enlarge etc.

Negation or opposition:un-: unable, unfair, unpack, unzipdis-: disagreeable, dislikea-: amoral, atypicalin-: informal, inexperienceim-: (before b, m, p) impossible, immoralil-: (before l) illegal, illogicalir-: (before r) irregular, irrationalnon-: nonsmoker, non-scientificde-: decode, defrost, devalue

Repetition, making it possible:re-: reread, rebuild, reuniteden-/em-: enrich, enlarge, embitter

Degree, measure or size:super-: supersonic, superhumansemi-: semi-final, semidetachedhyper-: hyperactive, hypersensitiveultra-: ultrahigh, ultravioletover-: overtime, overpopulated

Time and place, order, relation:post-: post-war, postpone, postgraduateinter-: international, intercontinentalpre-: pre-war, prehistoric, prearrangeex-: ex-president, ex-husband, ex-film-star

Number and numeral relation:bi-: bilateral, bilabialuni-: unisex, unicycle, unilateralauto-: autobiography, autopump, auto-suggestionmulti-: multinational, multi-storey, multilingual

Attitude, collaboration, membership:anti-: antisocial, antiwar, antifreezecounter-: counter-offensive, counter-revolutionpro-: pro-English, pro-vice-chancellor

Pejoration:mis-: misinform, mislead, misusepseudo-: pseudo-scientific, pseudo-intellectual

2 Compounding is one of the principal, most productive, and the oldest way of creating words in EnglishNouns motorway, breakfast, skinheadAdjectives snow-white, hard-workingVerbs daydream, broadcastAdverbs downstairs, sometimes, todayPronouns somebody, anyone, myselfPrepositions into, without, withinConjunctions whenever, however

3 Conversion is the process of gaining new words in a different part of speech without adding any derivative elementsface to faceanswer to answerclean - to clean

Source:Kvetko, P: Essentials of Modern English Lexicology, Bratislava 2001, pg. 35 - 45