Etymology

Etymology

• The study of the origin and history of a word

1. Coinage

• the least common process of making new words

• Invention of new words

• Neologism = we are making a new word from a non-existing one based on phonemes

• The most typical sources are invented trade names for commercial products that become general terms

• Granola, xerox, zipper, aspirine, nylon, google

• Google - Originally a misspelling for the word googol (= the number 1 followed by 100 zeros), has become a widely used expression meaning “to use the internet to find information”

• Eponyms = new words based on a name of person or a place (hoover, sandwich, watt (person), jeans (place), changing proper name (surname Diesel) to a common name (diesel)

1. Borrowing

• one of the most common sources of new words in English

• it means taking over of words from other languages

• croissant (French), dope (Dutch), lilac (Persian), piano (Italian), pretzel (German), sofa (Arabic), tattoo (Tahitian), tycoon (Japanese), yogurt (Turkish)

• other languages also borrow from English some words (supermarket – Japanese, Hungarians – sport, French – weekend, whisky)

• A special type of borrowing is described as loan-translation or calque (/kælk/)

• a direct translation of the elements of a word into the borrowing language

• gratte-ciel = “scrape-sky”

• superman is thought to be a loan-translation of the German “Ubermensch”

1. Compounding

• the process of combining two (or more) words to form a new word

• good-looking, waterbed, sunburn, wallpaper

• more popular in analytic than in synthetic

1. Blending

• The combination of two separate forms to produce a single new term, but blending is typically accomplished by taking only the beginning of one word and joining it to the end of the other word

• smog(smoke/fog), brunch (breakfast/lunch), motel (motor/hotel) and telecast (television/broadcast)

1. Clipping

• the process of reducing a word of more than one syllable to a shorter form

• have the same meaning

• ad (advertisement), bra (brassiere), cab (cabriolet), pub (public house), exam (examination), fridge (refridgerator)

• English speakers like to clip each other’s names, as in Al, Ed, Liz, Mike, Ron, Sam, Sue and Tom

• Hypocorism = a word-formation process in which a longer word is reduced to a shorter form with -y or -ie at the end

• Aussie (“Australian”), barbie (“barbecue”), bookie (“bookmaker”), brekky (“breakfast”)

1. Backformation

• the process of reducing a word such as a noun to a shorter version and using it as a new word such as a verb (e.g. babysit from babysitter)

• donate (from “donation”), emote (from „emotion”), enthuse (from “enthusiasm”), liaise (from “liaison”)

• Regular source of backformed verbs: editor will edit, a sculptor will sculpt, and burglars, peddlers and swindlers will burgle, peddle and swindle

• From longer word to a shorter – opposite to derivation – “forming backwards”

1. Conversion

• the process of changing the function of a word, such as a noun to a verb, as a way of forming new words, also known as “category change” or “functional shift”

• Phrasal verbs (to print out, to take over) also become nouns (a printout, a takeover)

• Butter - Have you buttered the toast? ) noun to verb

• Empty room – empty the bin