The Word Formation in English

 The English language is dynamic and flexible enough to adapt itself and create the words its needs through different means. English is a language alive and has the ability to evolve over time. The formation of words in English can be divided in the main following process:

1-DERIVATION/AFFIXATION: derivation involves creating a new word by adding prefixes or suffixes to a base word, sometimes it also changes the meaning or grammatical category of the original word, the adding of syllables before or after the root of the word are usually of Latin or Greek origin related to a specific meaning.

-Prefixation: the formation of new words adding of syllables before of the root of the word.

-Negative prefixes:

-Prefixes of degree or size:

-Locative prefixes:

-Prefixes of time and order:

-Number prefixes:

-Conversion prefixes:

-Suffixation: the adding of syllables after the root of the word. 

-Noun suffixes:

-Noun/Adjectival suffixes:ç

-Pejorative prefixes:

2-COMPOUNDING: creation of new words which combines two or more whole words to create a new word. The meaning is often derived from the meanings of the individual components.

-Composition of compound nouns:

-Compound adjectives:

-Compound verbs:

3-CONVERSION: also known as Zero Derivation, it occurs when a word changes its grammatical category without any change in form. This often happens with nouns and verbs.

Examples: nouns converted into verbs: google, email, run, etc.

4-BLENDING: it merges parts of two or more words to forma new word, often taking sounds and meanings from both.

Example: smoke + fog= smog                      breakfast + lunch: brunch

5-ACRONYMS and INITIALISM: they are formed from the initial letters of a series of words and are pronounced as single words, while initialism are pronounced letter by letter.

Example: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation).

6-CLIPPING: it shortens a longer word by removing one or more syllabes, often resulting in a more informal version of the original term.

Example: advertisement = ad              mathematics= maths           refridgerator= fridge

7-BACK FORMATION: it involves creating a new word by removing an affix from an existing word, typically changing its part of speech.

Example: noun editor= verb edit                  noun donation= verb donate

8-BORROWING: words taken from other languages which are not changed.

Example: café (French), curriculum (Latin), democracy (Greek)