Affixes, Compounding, Blending, Clipping, Back-formation, Compounding, eponym, Euphemisms, abbreviations

1. Major processes of Word
Formation

2. Word-Formation: Definition
Word Formation means forming new words to
add up to our language.
Our life changes fast.
New technology, new political events, new
happenings all over the world make us invent
new words.

3. Word-Formation: Definition
• However, we cannot invent new words at
random. Or else there will be language barrier
between sender and receiver.
• The invention or addition of new words
actually take place in 9 specific ways.
• These are known as the 9 processes of word
formation

4. Word Formation Processes
Affixes
Compounding
Blending
Clipping
Back-
Formation
Abbreviations
Eponyms
Euphemisms
Loan-
words

5. Affixes
Affixes mean adding pre-fixes or suffixes to a
word to change its:
Tense
Plurality
Form [noun to verb, noun to adjective;
noun to verb; verb to noun, etc]

6. 2 types of Affixes
Inflexional Derivational
When we use –s to change
from singular to plural.
Horse—horses
When we use –ed to
change Present tense into
past.
Walk--Walked
Changes Nouns to Verbs,
Nouns to Adjectives; etc.
Nation [ Noun] + Al = National [ Adj.]
National [Adj.] + ize = Nationalize [Verb]

7. Noun used as adverb

8. Derivative Affixation used in Sports News:
Equal > Equalise > Equaliser

9. Noun used as Verb with –ed
Power--Powered

10. Noun used as Verb by adding -ed

11. Compounding
• Two words are used together to make a new
word.
• Both the words are kept intact.

12. Compounding
2 Types of Compounding
Compositional Non-
Compositional

13. Examples
Compositional
[with hyphen]
African-American
Sino-Pak
Bitter-sweet
Half-brother
Non-compositional
Breakup
Highlight
Butterscotch
Staircase

15. Compounding in KFC billboard

16. Find the compound word in the Picture

17. Blending
• Parts of two or more words
• combine together
• to form a new word.
• The meaning = a combination of
the original words.

18. Examples of Blending
• television + broadcast → telecast
• smoke + fog → smog
• web + seminar → webinar
• Twitter + Litterati--- Twitterati

19. Blendings in IGNITIA posters

21. Clipping
In an effort to save time and increase efficiency,
Big words are often shortened up
This is called Clipping.
• Ad (-vertisement) [eg. of Back-Clipping]
• Fridge (Refrigerator) [Middle Clipping]
• [Omni] Bus [Front Clipping]

23. Back-Formation
When Nouns are shortened, and used as verbs
to add style
• Emotion---Emote (You need to emote!)
• Option----Opt
• Inception—Incept

25. Actual Meaning of ‘Incept’

26. IGNITIA Incept = Back-Formation of
‘Inception’

27. Abbreviation & Acronym
Abbreviation: A word formed out of the Initials
within the name of an Organization.
NATO, SAIL, NAFTA
Acronym: A word formed by joining the initials
of a group of general words.
• ASAP – as soon as possible
• AWOL – Absent Without Leave

28. Can you tell the full form of these two
abbreviations?

29. Can you tell the name of this light?

30. Can you tell the name of this light?
LED [Light-Emitting-Diode]

31. Eponyms and Coinages
Eponyms bear the direct name or place from
which an object is derived.
Famous eponyms:
Jeans (from Genoa), Fahrenheit (D.G.
Fahrenheit), Volcano (Vulcan)
Coinages are simply names given to products
by their broadcasters. They have become
common nouns now.
Eg.: Oreo, Teflon

32. Can you recognize this item?

33. Check your answer:
It is not DALDA [a brand, among others.]
But Vanaspati [the product]
Example of Eponym

34. Euphemisms
Euphemism is an indirect way of saying things.
It is used in maintaining political correctness.
Eg.: Lay off  Downsizing
Handicapped Differently abled.
Lunatic  Mentally challenged.
Racial & gender inclusiveness Diversity

35. Euphemism in Indian Railways:
Physically Handicapped = Divyangjan

36. Loanwords: Words that are borrowed
from other languages
• Loanwords form a majority of the root-words
in English. English has borrowed heavily from
Greek, Latin, French and the Germanic.
• We call the early loanwords “borrowings”
• “Loan-word” tag is for those borrowings that
are recent, on account of colonization and
globalization.

37. Loanwords/ Borrowings contd.
Borrowings that are now part of English Roots:
Anthrop, Logy (Greek)—Anthropology
Lingua (French)—Linguistics
Polis (Lat. Suffix)—Metropolis.
Saffron—Arabia.

38. Recent loanwords
The Modi Juggernaut [Indian]
Uber [German] car services
Shawarma, kebab [Arabic]
Pizza, Pasta [Italian]
Chicken a la carte [French]

39. Loanword Blendings in Advertisement