词汇学论文On-the-Three-Major-Processes-of-English-Word-formation.doc

On the Three Major Processes of English Word formation

赖惠珊，英D，NO.12

Various ways of forming words can be classified on the basis of frequency of usage, into major of minor processes. The major processes are three.
a. Derivation or Affixation (about 17.5%)
b. Compounding (about 27%)
c. Conversion (about 10.5%)
The minor processes are eight.
a. Initialism and acronym首字母缩写 (about 9%)
b. Blending (about 6%)
c. Clipping (about 2%)
d. Words from proper names (about 2%)
e. Back formation (about 1%)
f. Reduplication (about 0.5%)构成重叠
g. Analogy (about 4%)
h. Others ( about 3%)

One of the three major processes——Affixation or derivation is generally defined as a word formation process by which new words are created by adding a prefix, or suffix, or both, to the base. To be more exact, derivation may be defined as a process of forming new words by the addition of a word element, such as prefix, suffix or combining form, to an already existing word. Prefixes do not generally change the word-class of the stem but only modify its meaning. However, there is an insignificant number of class-changing prefixes. Non-class-changing prefixes such as natural-unnatural, like-dislike, fair- unfair. Class-changing prefixes such as force-enforce, danger-endanger, enslave, enlarge, enrich and empower and so on.
In some reference books, prefixes and suffixes are classified according to their source, but this does not seem to help from a practical point of view. It seems more helpful to classify the most important productive prefixes bu their meaning into the following ten categories:
1）Reversative or privative.
For example,
de- : decentralize, deforest, deregulate
dis- :disconnect,, dishearten
un- : unpack, un-wrap, unzip

2) "negative" prefixes (a(n)-, dis- , in-, non-, un-)
For example,
a- (an-) –: anarchy, amoral
dis- : disloyal, dislike, disjoint
in- (im-,il-, ir-) : infamous, illegal, impossible, irregular
non- : nonessential, non-smoker, non-stop, non-science
un- : unwise, unhappy, unease
4) "prefixes of degree or size (arch-, co-, hyper-, mini- ,out-, over-, sub-, super-, sur, ultra-, under-,)
5) prefixes of attitude (anti-, contra, counter-, pro-)
6) "locative" prefixes (fore-, inter-, sub-, super-, trans-);
7) prefixes of time and order (ex-, fore-,pre-, post-, re-);
8) "number" prefixes (uni-/mono-, bi-/di-, tri-, … multi-/poly-);
9) Conversion prefixes (a, be-, en- )
10) Miscellaneous category (auto-, extra-, neo-, paleo-, pan-, proto-, tele-, vice)

Suffixation is the formation of a new word by adding a suffix or a combining form to the base, and usually changing the word-class of the base. Since suffixes usually change the word from one part of speech to another, it is convenient to classify them not only according to the word-class of the word they form as 1)noun-forming suffixes,
2) adjective-forming suffixes, 3) adverb suffixes 4) verb suffixes , but also according to the kind of base to which they are typically added. Take some examples, a de-verbal suffix: -able or-er is one that is typically added to verb; a de-adjectival suffix: -ize is added to an adjective : a de-nominal suffix like -hood is added to a noun.
1) noun-forming suffixes
noun-forming suffixes may be subdivided into the following five kinds.
Denominal nouns(concrete or abstract)
Deverbal nouns
De-adjectival nouns
Noun and adjective suffixes
2) adjective-forming suffixes
For example, 
-able, -ible, movable, comfortable, applicable, visible, responsible,etc.
-al, natural, additional educational,etc.
-ant, -ent, distant, important, excellent,etc.

3) adverb suffixes
For example,
-ly, possibly, swiftly, simply,etc.
-ward, -wards, downward, inwards, upward,etc.
-wise, otherwise, clockwise, lengthwise,etc.
4) verb suffixes
For example,
-ize, ise, modernize, mechanize, democratize, organize,etc.
-en, quicken, weaken, soften, harden,etc.

Compounding is the process of conjoining two or more free morphemes to form a new word. Compounds are written in various ways. For example, a.conjoined: honeymoon, airmail,etc.
b.hyphenated: air-conditioning, above mentioned,etc.
c.open: air force, air raid, reading material,etc.
Conversion is a word-formation whereby a word of a certain word-class is shifted into a word of another without the addition of an affix. It is also called zero derivation. What’s more, conversion also called functional shift, and derivation by zero suffix. Conversion is a result of the almost entire loss of inflection in Modern English;productive.

There are three major types of conversion.
1) Noun-verb conversion
Today the large number of words formed by conversion is constituted bu verbs from nouns.
2) Verb-noun conversion
Nouns converted from verbs are not as numerous as verbs converted from nouns,because the English speaking people are inclined to employ derivation by means of de-verbal suffixes.
3) Adjective noun conversion
The conversion of adjective into noun is complete conversion when the converted from takes on all the features of a noun.
Multiple conversion, which enables a word to function as a member of several word classes. Take some examples, The second round was exciting.(n); Any round plate will do.(adj); Some drivers round the comers too rapidly.(V) The above examples tell us a very important fact: because word order is more fixed in Modern English than ever before, functional shift within sentence structures are possible without causing any confusion in intelligibility.