4-1 Word formation Ⅰ

Chapter4WordformationⅠGeneralremarks•Variouswaysofformingwordscanbeclassifiedonthebasisoffrequencyofusageintomajororminorprocess.Themajorprocessesarethree,namely,compounding(复合),derivation(派生)andconversion(转化).Theminorprocessareseveral,suchasshortening(缩略),wordsfrompropernames,back-formation(逆生),reduplication,andetc.Percentageoftheword-formationprocessessinceWorldWarII•1.Threemajorprocesses(a)Derivationoraffixation(17.5%)Prefixation:antihero,nonheroSuffixation:modernize,helpful(b)Compoundingorcomposition(27%)raindrop,snow-white,baby-sit(c)Conversion(10.5%)bottle(verb),buy(noun)Theseprocessesaccountfor55%ofthenewvocabulary.•2.Eightminorprocesses•(a)Initialisms（首字母连写词）andacronyms（首字母拼音词）(9%)VOA,IOC,TV;UNESCO(联合国教科文组织),NATO.•(b)Blending拼缀法(6%)brunch,motel，smog•(c)Clipping截短法(2%)phone,lab•(d)Wordsfrompropernames(2%)UncleSam,Xerox['zɪərɔks]复印,影印;china(e)Backformation逆生法(1%)gangle,vacuumclean,editor(f)Reduplication重叠法(0.5%)go-go表演歌舞的walkie-talkie步话机/对讲机(g)Neoclassicalformations(about4%):psychodelic迷幻剂,neurolinguistics神经语言学;(h)Others(about3%):pizzazz精力,潇洒,gazump房价谈妥后又抬价改售给Wordsformedbytheseminorprocessesaccountfor26.5%ofthenewvocabulary.Theremaining18.5%isfromborrowing,e.g.discotheque,ombudsman调查官员舞弊情况的政府官员(专员）andmanyothers.4.1Affixation/Derivation•Affixationisthemorphologicalprocesswherebygrammaticalorlexicalinformationisaddedtothebase.•Affixationfallsintotwocategories:prefixationandsuffixationandthedifferencesbetweenthemarejustthedifferencesbetweenprefixesandsuffixes.•Prefixesdonotgenerallychangetheword-classofthebase,whilesuffixesfrequentlychangethewords-classofthebase.1.Word-formationrules:Therulesofword-formationdefinethescopeandmethodswherebyspeakersofalanguagemaycreatenewwords;forinstance,the–ableword-formationrulessays,“-ableistobeaddedtoverbstoformanadjectivemeaning‘fittobe’,ortonounstoformanadjectivewiththesenseshowingthequalityof.”Andoneofthenouncompoundformationisnounplusnoun.However,anyruleofword-formationisoflimitedproductivityinthesensethatnotallthewordswhichresultfromtheapplicationoftheruleareacceptable.Thusreadable,fashionableareacceptable,butwritable,deskablearenotacceptable.2.Root,stem,base:Thethreearetermsusedinlinguisticstodesignatethatpartofawordthatremainswhenallaffixeshavebeenremoved.Arootisaformthatisnotfurtheranalysable,eitherintermsofderivationalorinflectionalmorphology.Itisthatpartofaword-formthatremainswhenalltheinflectionalandderivationalaffixeshavebeenremoved.Thusinthewordundesirables,therootisdesire,towhichfirstthesuffix–able,thentheprefixun-andfinallytheinflectionalsuffix–shavebeenadded.Inacompoundwordlikegreenhouse,therearetworoots,greenandhouse.Astemisofconcernonlywhendealingwithinflectionalmorphology.Itisthepartofwordformwhichremainswhenallinflectionalaffixeshavebeenremoved.Thusinthewordundesirables,thestemisundesirable;butintheworddesired,thestemisdesire;inthewordgreenhousesthestemisgreenhouse,eventhoughthestemconsistsoftworoots.Abaseisanyformtowhichaffixesofanykindcanbeadded;itmayalsobedefinedas“aformtowhicharuleofword-formationisapplied.”Therefore,thismeansthatanyrootorstemcanbetermedabase.Butabasediffersfrombotharootorastem,becausetheyhavetheirownspecialfeaturesaswehavediscussedbefore.ClassificationofprefixesThemajorprefixescanbeclassifiedinto10categoriesbytheirmeaning.1.NegativePrefixes否定前缀2.Reversativeorprivativeprefixes逆反前缀3.Pejorativeprefixes贬义前缀4.Prefixesofdegreeorsize表范围和程度的前缀5.Prefixesoforientationandattitude表方向和态度的前缀6.Locativeprefixes方位前缀7.Prefixesoftimeandorder表时间和顺序的前缀8.Numberprefixes数字前缀9.Conversionprefixes转化前缀10.Miscellaneousprefixes其他类型的前缀1.Negativeprefixes(1)theoppositeof,notwiseexpectedassumingun1.Negativeprefixes(2)notessentialsmokerdripnon1.Negativeprefixes(3)theoppositeofinsaneillogicalimmortalirregularin(il,im,ir)1.Negativeprefixes(4)nothonestlikeinformationdis1.Negativeprefixes(5)lackof,lackinginAmoral无道德感的Anarchy混乱Atheism无神论a,an1.Negativeprefixesprefixesmeaningexamplesun-not,theconverseofunwisenon-nonessentialdis-dishonestin-informalim-immatureil-illegalir-irregular2.Reversative(privative)prefixes逆反前缀(1)reversetheactionof,toreleasefrompackwrapdodressun2.Reversativeprefixes(2)togetrodof,toreversetheactionofcentralizemobilizeforestcodeDe-2Reversativeprefixes(3)分开,分离,connectunioncolourheartendis-2.Reversativeprefixesprefixesmeaningexamplesun-reversingtheactionunpackde-decodedis-disconnect3.Pejorative贬损的prefixes(1)wrongly,astrayhearconceptiongiving(s)mis3.Pejorativeprefixes(2)badly,badtreatfunctionformedodorousmal3.Pejorativeprefixes(3)false,imitationsciencedemocraticmemorypseudo3.Pejorativeprefixesprefixesmeaningexamplesmis-wronglymishearmal-badmalformedpseudo-falsepseudoscience4.Prefixesofdegreeorsize(1)supreme,highest,worstenemybishopmonetaristarchangelarch4.Prefixesofdegreeorsize(2)above,morethan,bettermannaturalmarketsellsuper4.Prefixesofdegreeorsize(3)(todosth)better,faster,longer,etc.thangrowrunliveweighout4.Prefixesofdegreeorsize(4)over,andabovepassrealveilesur4.Prefixesofdegreeorsize(5)Under,lowerthan,lessthanCulturesoniccentersub4.Prefixesofdegreeo