This is a brief explanation of how new English words are created. Also, the processes of word-formation are discussed. The writer provides the references for further reading to deepen knowledge in addressing some related issues in word-formation.

1. P a g e | 124
A Concise Companion to Word-Formation
Ahmad Faiz (ahmadfaiz.faiz@gmail.com)
Badril Huda Islamic Institute for Science & Education, Situbondo, East Java, Indonesia
I. Introduction
In English, word formation is a creation of a new word. People have been
generating new words through many processes. Generally new words can
be generated by derivation and compounding processes. The derivation
process can be further divided into two smaller processes i.e. affixation
and non-affixation. The affixation processes can also be broken down into
prefixation and suffixation. While non-affixation processes consists of
coinage, eponyms, borrowing, blending, clipping, backformation,
conversion, acronyms and initialisms.
II. Word Formation
The following passage will explain you how new words are generated.
2.1 Derivation
Derivation is the most common word-formation process to be found in
the production of new English words. This is accomplished by the so-
called affixation. English only recognizes two kinds of affixations. They
are prefixes and suffixes. Note that other languages e.g. Bahasa
Indonesia may have also other kinds of affixation such as infixation and
circumfixation.
2.1.1 Affixation
Affixes are bound morphemes attached to certain words to change its
meaning or use, for example an adjective rich plus an affix en– forms a
verb enrich and an adjective bright plus an affix –ness can form brightness
which is a noun. An Affix added to the beginning of a word is called
prefix as en– in enrich, when it is added in the end of a word, we call it
suffix as –ness in brightness.

2. P a g e | 125
2.1.1.1 Prefixation
A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change
its meaning and make a new word. For example, un–, dis–, and multi– are
prefixes in the words unnecessary, distrust, and multicultural. Many prefixes
appear as headwords in the dictionary. Learning the meanings of
common prefixes can unlock the meanings of many new words, especially
academic words. The following list is most common prefixes taken from
Teaching Reading Sourcebook: For Kindergarten through Eighth Grade by Bill
Honig, Linda Diamond, and Linda Gutlohn. Can you mention other
examples?

3. P a g e | 126
2.1.1.2 Suffixation
A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its
function, making it into a different part of speech. For example, the suffix
–al changes verbs to nouns: arrival, refusal, denial. The suffix –ous
changes nouns to adjectives dangerous, famous, and poisonous. Many
suffixes appear as headwords in the dictionary. Learning common
suffixes can help you understand and use all the members of a word
family. Here is the list of most common suffixes taken from Teaching
Reading Sourcebook: For Kindergarten through Eighth Grade by Bill Honig,
Linda Diamond, and Linda Gutlohn. Can you make your own list of the
common suffixes?

4. P a g e | 127
2.1.2 Non-affixation
Some linguists e.g. Plag classifies non-affixation processes which have
many subcategories such as coinage, eponyms, borrowing, and so on
under derivation processes. This is rather odd because derivation
processes require affixation. Whereas, coinage, eponyms, etc. do not use
any affixes at all. Thus, this kind of process in generating new words is
not through affixes, whether prefixes nor suffixes. Some linguists may
also call this kind of process as zero-affixation because no affixes involved
or attached to generate new words. There are many types of non-
affixation. They are coinage, eponyms, borrowing, blending, clipping,
backformation, conversion, acronyms and initialisms. The following
section will discuss them respectfully.
2.1.2.1 Coinage
Coinage is totally the invention of new words. However, this is one of the
least common processes of word-formation in English. The most typical
sources are invented trade names for commercial products that become
general terms (usually without capital letters). The most well-known
example for this is the word xerox (a photocopying machine) as in Can you
xerox this report for me? or a recent word google (a search engine on the
Internet) that come into use as in I have googled the answer last night. Other
examples are kodak, kleenex, aspirin, nylon, teflon, and zipper. Can you think
of other examples?
2.1.2.2 Eponyms
Like coinage, eponyms is also least common processes of word-formation.
Eponyms is generating new words based on the name of a person or a
place. For example, the word sandwich is derived from the eighteenth-
century Earl of Sandwich who first insisted on having his bread and meat
together while gambling. Another example is the word jeans which is
derived from the Italian city of Genoa where the type of cloth was first

5. P a g e | 128
made. Other examples are the word watt as in A 60-watt light bulb; the
word sprangler and volt. Can you make a sentence using those two words?
2.1.2.3 Borrowing
When one language takes a word from another one, it is simply said to
borrow the word, and the word is called a loan-word. Borrowing is one of
the most common sources of new words in English. Throughout its
history, the English language has adopted a vast number of words from
other languages, including croissant (French), dope (Dutch), lilac (Persian),
piano (Italian), pretzel (German), sofa (Arabic), tattoo (Tahitian), tycoon
(Japanese), yogurt (Turkish) and zebra (Bantu). What do you think of the
word bamboo, orangutan, and sarong? Where do these words come from?
Note that, a special type of borrowing is described as loan-translation or
calque. In this process, there is a direct translation of the elements of a
word into the borrowing language. The common English phrase flea
market is calque of the French marché aux puces which means market with
fleas. Also, the English expression moment of truth is believed to be a loan-
translation from the Spanish phrase el momento de la verdad.
2.1.2.4 Blending
Blending can be simply defined as the combination of two separate forms
to produce a single new term. Blending is usually accomplished by taking
only the beginning of one word and joining it to the end of the other
word such as the word brunch, a combination of breakfast and lunch, or
smog, a combination of smoke and fog. Other examples of blending are
infotainment, motel, and Macbook. Can you identify the combination of
those words?
2.1.2.5 Clipping
Clipping can be defined as creating new words by shortening already
existing words. Moreover, the element of reduction that is noticeable in
blending is even more apparent in clipping. This occurs when a word of
more than one syllable e.g. facsimile is reduced to a shorter form fax. Also,

6. P a g e | 129
we have info from information, ad from advertisement, fridge from
refrigerator, and Mac from Macintosh as in My roommate just got a Mac.
Others are lab, flu, phone, gas, bra, and condo. Can you guess the complete
word for those clipping?
Do you know that English speakers also like to clip each other’s names, as
in Al, Ed, Liz, Mike, Ron, Sam, Sue and Tom?
2.1.2.6 Backformation
A very specialized type of reduction process is known as backformation.
Typically, a word of one type (usually a noun) is reduced to form a word
of another type (usually a verb). A good example of backformation is the
process whereby the noun television first came into use and then the verb
to televise was created from it. Others are to donate from donation, to edit
from editor, to burgle from burglar, to surveil from surveillance and a very
recent word to twit from twitter. Can you think of other examples?
2.1.2.7 Conversion
Conversion is a change in the function of a word, as for example when a
noun comes to be used as a verb (without any reduction). Other linguists
also call this type of word-formation as category change or functional shift
because the category or function of the word is shifted or altered. An
example of conversion of a verb derived from a noun is chair in Someone
has to chair the meeting. Conversion is also able to create a noun from a verb
as a noun a guess, a spy, and a must. They respectively come from a verb
guess, spy and must. Further, through conversion a phrasal verb can
transform into a noun as to print out and to take over can be a noun a
printout and a takeover. Verbs as see through and stand up also become
adjectives as see-through materials and a stand-up comedian. Some compound
nouns have assumed adjectival or verbal functions, exemplified by the ball
park appearing in a ball-park figure or asking someone to ball-park an
estimate of the cost. Other nouns of this type are carpool, mastermind,
microwave and quarterback. Other forms, such as up and down, can also

7. P a g e | 130
become verbs, as in They upped the offer by 50% or More than 60 electric lines
were downed by the severe thunderstorm. Can you think of other examples of
conversion?
2.1.2.8 Acronyms and Initialisms
When the first letters of words that make up a name or a phrase are used
to create a new word, the results are called acronyms or initialisms. In
acronyms, the new word is pronounced as a word, rather than as a series
of letters. For example, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome gives us AIDS,
pronounced [eidz], North Atlantic Treaty Organization gives us NATO
pronounced [neıţoʊ]. Other example is self-contained underwater breathing
apparatus gives us scuba. The word laser is also an acronyms of light
amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Furthermore, Initialisms are
similar to acronyms in that they are composed from the first letters of a
phrase, but unlike acronyms, they are pronounced as a series of letters.
So most people in the US refer to the Federal Bureau of Investigation as the
FBI pronounced [ɛf bi ai] and the Central Intelligence Agency as the CIA
pronounced [si ai eı]. Other words we commonly found are PIN, ATM,
BBM, MAC OS, zip, Interpol, radar, LCD, and HIV. Can you identify which
ones are acronyms and which ones are initialisms?
2.2 Compounding
Derivation is not the only way of forming new words, of course. Many
languages also form words by a process called compounding. Chiefly,
compounding can be described as a joining of two separate words to
produce a single form. Common English compounds are bookcase,
doorknob, fingerprint, sunburn, textbook, wallpaper, wastebasket and waterbed.
Some compounds that have been introduced fairly recently into English
are Facebook, YouTube, powerbank, and carjack. All these examples are
nouns, but we can also create compound adjectives as good-looking and
low-paid and compounds of adjective fast plus noun food as in a fast-food
restaurant or a full-time job. Also, compound words are commonly found in

8. P a g e | 131
movies such as Harry Potter movies and a well-known American TV
serials, Friends. You will notice some compound words as you-know-what
and you-know-who words to refer to Voldemort. And in Friends you will
frequently hear Mr. I wanna-be-your-buddy, Man-child, You should go to a
quit-being-a-baby-and-leave-me-alone clinic, Mr. right-place-at-the-right-time,
and Who is educated now? Mr. I-forgot-ten-states! Those are examples of
compound words. Now, can you make your own compound words?
III. Summary
We have reviewed how new English words are generated. Keep in mind
that word-formation is generally divided into two main branches. They
are derivation and compounding. In derivation, the affixes play vital role
in creating new words. Note that, some subcategories of derivation which
is called non-affixation does not need any affixes at all. Please read other
sources to address this issue. On the other hand, compounding is really
depending on joining two separate words. However, in compounding
words, you should consider many issues dealing with when do we have a
compound? compound structure, and types of compound. Please consult
other books in addressing these issues. Hopefully, this brief explanation
will help you to understand the process of creating new words in Queen
Elizabeth’s language. Last but not least, below is a diagram of word-
formation for you based on the discussion above-mentioned.

9. P a g e | 132
Diagram of Word-formation

10. P a g e | 133
References for Further Reading
Bauer, Laura. 2001. Vocabulary. New York, NY: Routledge
Fromkin, Victoria, Rodman, Robert, and Hyams, Nina. 2011. An
Introduction to Language (9th
Edition). Boston, MA: Wadsworth
Lieber, Rochelle. 2009. Introducing Morphology. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press
Plag, Ingo. 2002. Word-Formation in English. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press
Yule, George. 2010. The Study of Language (4th
Edition). Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press