Course Code: Mc EL 102
Course Name: Structure of English
Instructor: Mr. A. Emerenciana
st
Term: 1 sem. A/Y 2022 - 2023
MODULE 2
WORD FORMATION AND ITS MECHANISM AND PROCESS
l. LEARNING OUTCOME/S:
A. Discuss how words are formed; its mechanism and process
B. Reflect on how word meaning changes when used in varied contexts
11 WARM up
A. Find the word closest in meaning to the original word
1. To esteem a.) to hate b.) to hold in high regard c.) to believe
d.) to-hear
2. Raven a.) a book b.) a sound c.) a prayer d.) a bird
3. Pomp a.) a house b.) a brilliant display c.) an open space
d.) a court
4. Solace a.) rage b.) joy c.) comfort d.) suspense
5. impious a.) mischievous b.) thoughtful c.) irreverent d.) unkind
6. forestall a.) to postpone b.) predict c.) prevent d.) relieve
7. succor a.) to cheat b.) overwhelm c.) help d.) give up
8. levy a.) sloping edge b.) group c.) scattering d.) tax
9. contemptuous a.) disdainful b.) satisfied c.) conceited d.) quarrelsome
10. apostasy a.) vision b.) desertion of faith c.) firm statement d.) missionary zeal
B. Write true or false according to your understanding of the underlined word in the
sentence.
1. An embargo prohibits the entry of ships at certain parts.
2. An interrogation is a statement issued by a king.
3. The terrain of a country is its chief export.
4. Inflation brings about a rise in price levels.
5. Armaments are a nation's equipment for war.
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6. Defeatism means a belief in success.
7. To stabilize prices is to hold them steady
8. An Ultimatum is an invitation to a conference
9. Military tactics is concerned with the use of troops.
10. An intrigue is a plot to gain some end.
Ill. OVERVIEW
As one philologist put it; "A deeper and more thorough study of our use of words is at
every point a study in our ways of living." English is a living language. Like all living organisms,
and unlike machines, it did not come to be all at once, as the orderly invention of one mind, but
grew and changed and probably will continue to grow and change over a long period of time. But
while organisms like plants and trees can exist by themselves, language is a function of human
society. It reflects the needs and institutions of people, and inextricably involved with their
history, their science, and their art. (Pollock, et. al., pp 8-9)
Ill. LESSON PROPER
Word: The Definition and Criteria
In traditional grammar, word is the basic unit of language. Words can be classified according to
their action and meaning, but it is challenging to define.
A word refers to a speech sound in both written and verbal form of language. A word works as
a symbol to represent / refers to something / someone in language to communicate a specific
meaning.
"A word is the smallest unit of grammar that can stand alone as a complete utterance,
separated by spaces in written language and potentially by pauses in speech." (David Crystal, The
Cambridge
Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2003)
There are several criteria for speech sound, or a combination of some speech sound to be called
a word.
a.) There must be a potential pause in speech and space in written form between two words.
For instance, suppose 'ball' and 'bat' are two different words. So if we use them in a
sentence, we must have a potential pause after pronouncing each of them. It cannot be
like
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"l do not play with bat ball. If we take a pause, these sounds can be regarded as seven
distinct words which are 'l', 'do', 'not', 'play', 'with', 'bat', and 'ball'.
b.) Every word must contain at least one root. If you break this root is cannot be a word
anymore.
For example, the word 'unfaithful' has a root 'faith'. If we break 'faith' into 'fa' and tith'
these sounds will not be regarded as words.
c.) Every word must have a meaning.
For example, the sound 'lakkanah' has no meaning in the English language. So, it cannot be
an Engllish word.
Word formation.
In Linguistics, word formation is the creation of a new word. Word formation is
sometimes contrasted with semantic change which is a change in a single word's meaning.
New words are formed in three main ways:
1. Affixation is the formation of words by adding derivational affixes to different types of
bases. Affixes are classified into prefixes and suffixes.
Every word has a core of one or two syllables, called the root.
Anglo — Saxon Word Parts. While French, Latin and Greek Words have added
refinement and subtlely to the English language, most of the basic words that give
English its character and style are of Anglo-Saxon- also called Old Engtish-derivation.
Some of these common Anglo-Saxon words are but, child, down, food, God, good,
grass, he, high, home, house, it, man, moon, mother, north, oar, out, sea, she, ship,
since, sleep, steer, stone, sun, the, through, up, and west.
Anglo — Saxon words are characteristically short and direct.
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Some prefixes of Anglo —
Saxon origin:
Prefix Meaning Example of Usage
after - following, behind afternoon
for off, away. from forbid
-
over - too much, in excess overestimate
with - against, towards, withstand
opposite
Suffix Meaning Example of Usage
ness Quality, state,
or condition of goodness
fast strong and firm steadfast
ship position or state of friendship
word in the direction seaward
Latin and Greek Word Parts
Latin and Greek Roots
Root Meaning Example of Usage
ag, agi (L) to set in agitate
motion
antropo (G) man anthropology
dic (L) speak, command dictator
erg (G) work energy
psyc (G) soul, mental, process psychology
sent, sens (L) feel, think sentiment
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Latin and Greek prefixes
prefix Meaning Example of Usage
ante — (L) preceding, prior to antecedent
anti —(G) against, opposite antipathy
cantra-, counter — (L) against, opposite contradict, counteract
hyper — (G) over. above hvnersitive
hypo — (G) under, beneath hypothesis
sub - (L) under, beneath subsist
super - (L) above, beyond supernatural
Suffixes such as —ance, -ancy, -ence, and —ency transform adjectives or verbs into nouns
(elegance, compliancy, violence, fluency)
2. compounding, composition or nominal composition is the process of word formation
that creates compound lexemes. That is, in familiar terms, compounding occurs
when two or more words or signs are joined to make one longer word or sign.
a. Noun-noun compound: note + book *notebook
b. Adjective — noun: blue + berry -Y blueberry
c. Verb — noun compound: work + room *workroom
d. Noun — verb Compound: breast + Feed Breastfeed
e. Verb — verb compound: stir + fry stirfry
f. Adjective — verb compound: high + light highlight
g. Verb-preposition compound: break + up + breakup
h. Preposition — verb compound: out + run + outrun
Adjective — adjective compound: bitter + sweet -¥ bittersweet
j. Preposition — preposition compound: in + to into
3. Conversion is a word formation process which involves the transfer of the base from
a word class to another without a physical change in its form. It is a process of stress
change or shift. Many nouns can be converted into verbs have the same form as
their noun counterparts.
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a. Noun to noun
My grandmother put the juice in a bottle (noun) and pickles in a can (noun)
My grandmother bottled (verb) the juice and canned (verb) the pickles
Noun to verb conversion is also known as verbification or verbing.
b. Verb to noun
The guard alerted (verb) the general to the attack (noun)
The enemy attacked (verb) before an alert (Noun) could be sounded.
Verb to noun conversation is also referred to as nomination.
-A new word is created every 98 minutes or about 14.7 words per day.
v. DO-IT-YOURSELF
A. performance Task. Here are some common place statements that contain many words of
Ang10
— Saxon origins.
With the help of a dictionary, determine which words are derived from the Anglo Saxon.
1. I will stay away from there as long as I live!
2. Keep away from that hot stove!
B. ASSESSMENT TASKS.
1. Define word
2. Give its criteria
3. What is affixation
4. What compounding?
5. What is conversion?
6. Look up these words in the dictionary.
Then try figure out the meanings of the prefixes and suffixes. Think of one additional
word using each prerfix and suffix
a. Abstain f.
conscientiousness
b. Amphitheater g. despotism
c. Interchange h. dramatize
d. Postscript i. resignation
e. Conservative j. servitude
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7. Following is a list of words that come from a variety of human experiences and
activities.
First, define, each word then tell what activity it is associated with.
a. f.
Counterpoint predestination
b. Epic g. amoeba
c.
Linoty h. spectrum
pe
d. Elixir i. invocation
e. putt j. tort
Vil - REFERENCES
The Art of Communicating. The MACMILLAN ENGLISH SERIES
INTERNET
