(b) COMPOUNDING
This is the process of words formation whereby two or more lexical morphemes are joined or combined together to form a new single word.
E.g. Classroom
Earth quake
Girlfriend
Tea spoon
Table mat
Easy-going
Washing-machine
NB:
The new words formed as a result of the process of compounding are technique known as compound words or compounds.
Classification of compound words
The compound words are classified basing on two aspects;
- i) The way they are written
ii) According to the meaningi) The way they are written– Solid/closed compound
These are the compound words that are written without leaving any space or gap between the bases.
E.g. Classroom
Teaspoon
Earthquake
Wallpaper
Textbook
Payphone
– Hyphenated compounds
These are the compound words that the written with the hyphen separating the two bases.
E.g. Fire-escape
High-grade
Colour-blind
Brother-in-law
Machine-gun
– Open Compounds
These are the compound words that are written by leaving the space (gap) between the two bases.
E.g. Sewing machine
Town planning
Tape measure
Baking powder
Washing machine
- ii) According to the meaning
Transparent compounds
These are the compound whose meanings reflect the meaning of separate bases i.e. the compounds whose meanings are directly derived or related to the meaning of the separate bases which make them up.
E.g. Classroom
Girlfriend
Earthquake
Teaspoon
Washing machine
Opaque Compounds
These are the compounds whose meanings differ from the meanings of separate bases i.e. the compounds whose meanings are not derived or not directly related with the meanings of separate bases which make up
E.g. Honey moon wide spread
Daily word blue berry
Pass word call right
Sweet heart cow boy
Hot cake
Home sick
Sugar mummy
Day dream
Bahrain
These are the compound words whose meanings reflect the physical features or appearance of a person or object being reflected to.
E.g. Blackboard
White fluid
Block head
Feature weight
Red – eyed
Identification of the compound words
There are three ways of identifying the compound words
- Through the entry in the dictionary
i.e. any compound word should occupy its own entry in the dictionary. It should be regarded as an independent word in the dictionary.
E.g. Bedroom
Classroom
National park
- Through the word class or category
i.e. Each compound word has its own class different from other word classes of the words constituting the compound
E.g. play boy – Noun
Play -Verb
Boy – noun
Madman – noun
Mad – adjective
Man – noun
Colour blind – adjective
Colour – noun
Blind – adjective
Well – known – adjective
Well – adverb
Known – verb
Through the meaning i.e. some words retain their original meaning after the combination but some of the words convey the meaning that are totally different from the meaning of the original word
E.g. Green fly, Sweet heart, Pass word
(c) CONVERSION
This is the process of word formation (derivation process) whereby a base is assigned a new word category (class) without an addition or reduction of any affix. I.e. it is the process whereby a new word is formed by the change of one class into another without the addition or reduction of affix or syllable such as noun into verb adjective – noun and vice – verse
E.g. Love (N) Love is blind.
Love (V) I love you.
Walk (N) The walk to Kilimanjaro was fantastic.
Walk (V) We usually walk on foot to school.
Drink (N) We didn’t get any drink at chalinze.
Drink (V) My parents drink beer daily.
Help (N) I need help.
Help (V) I used to help him.
Work (N) My brother has gone to work.
Work (V) They work day and night.
Doubt (N) I did not have any doubt on her.
Doubt (V) I doubt his ability.
Lower (V) May you please lower your voice?
Lower (Adj) He usually speaks in a lower voice.
Ship (N) She traveled by ship.
Ship (V) Slave traders ship travel to America every year.
Poor (N) we need to help the poor.
Poor (Adj) That poor person has been killed.
NB: There some words which change from noun into verb by either voice in the final consonant or by stress shift
(N) Use /just/
(V) Use /just/
Advice (N) I gave him advice.
Advice (V) I advised him.
Object – (N) give me that object.
Object – (V) why do you object?
Conduct – (N) he didn’t show as any good.
Conduct – (V) conduct discussion.
Protest (N) – The protest was between government and student of Dodoma University.
Protest (V) – The groups of women took to the streets to protest against the arrest.
Present (N) Adj – I was present.
– He has brought a nice present.
Present (V) – Present your work.
TASK
1. Construct two sentences in each of the following words showing how they can be used in a different word classes without any affixation process
i) Water
ii) Import
iii) Produce
iv) Class
v) Cleaning
- Write new sentences by changing each of the words in capital in to noun
- What you PRESENT to day will automatically affect your future
- We except to PRODUCE enough crops this year because there is enough rain
III. The names of evils doers were BLACKLISTED
- For the language to develop, it must borrow some vocabularies from other language.
(d) REDUPLICATION
This is the process of word formation where by new words are formed through the repetition of the same or almost the same sounds i.e. It is the process whereby the new word are formed by repeating sound which are either similar or slightly different
E.g. Hush – hush
Sing – song
Tip – top
Tick – tock
Ding – dong
Zig – zag
Criss – cross
Poor – poor
Goody – goody
See – saw
Tom – tom
Bow – Bo
NB: The new words that are formed as a result of reduplication process are known as reduplicative
The reduplication have the following basic uses
- To imitate sound
E.g. Ding – dong (sound of the bell)
Ha ha – (sound of laughter)
Bow – bow (dog barking)
Tick – tock (Clock sound)
- To make things took more intense than they are.
(To intensify adjectives)
E.g. Tip – top – (top most)
Goody – goody (very good)
- To suggest a state of disorder, instability, non-sense
E.g. Niggled – pigged (Un orderly/ mixed up)
Lodge – podge (disorganized)
Wishy – washy (weak)
Locus – pocus (Trickery)
Tick – tacky (cheap an of low quality)
Pool – pool (not working)
- To suggest alternative movement of things
- Minor processes of word information
(e) CLIPPING
This process of word formation whereby one of the syllables are omitted or subtracted from a word and the remaining syllables are regarded as a new word
This occurs when a word of more than one syllable is reduced to a shorter form which is regarded as a new word.
NB: The removal or emotion of a syllable may take place either at the beginning at the end of the word or both.
(f) BLENDING
This is the process of word formation whereby two or more parts, fragments or elements of two or more different words are put or joined together to form a new.
I.e. it is the process of talking only the beginning part of one word and joining it to (with) the beginning or the end of another word.
Example:
breakfast + lunch = Bruch
Motorist + hotel =motel
Cellular + telephone = cell phone
Mobile + telephone = mobile
Television + Broad cast = telecast
International + police = Interpol
Transfer + resister = transistor
Information + entertainment = infotainment
Gasoline + alcohol = gas
International + network = internet
Television + marathon = telethon
Motor + pedal = moped
Electronic + mail = email
Smoke + fog = smog
Helicopter + airport = heliport
Parachute + troops = paratroops
Travel + catalogue = travelogue
Binary + Digit = bit
(g) ACRONYM
This is the process of word formation whereby the initial or first letters of different words are put together as a new word.
The words that are formed from the initial letter are technique termed as acronyms.
There are two types of acronyms
- Acronyms pronounced as a sequence of letter
E.g. C.O.D – cash on delivery
CID – Criminal Investigation Department
FBI – Federal bureau
UN – United Nations
IPA – International Phonetic Alphabet
CUF – Civil United Front
CPU- central processing unit
- Acronyms pronounced as words
E.g. NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
TANESCO – Tanzania electricity Supply Company
UNO – United Nations Organization
UNESCO – United nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
AIDS – Acquired immune Deficiency and Syndrome
CUF – Civil United Fronts
TANU – Tanganyika African National Union
TAMWA – Tanzania Media Women Association
(h) BACK FORMATION
This is the process of word formation whereby new words are created or formed by the removal of some parts (affixes) from an existing word.
I.e. it is the process whereby a word of one type (usually a noun) is reduced to form another word of different type (usually a verb)
E.g. Option = opt
Examination = Examine
Donation = Donate
Worker = Work
Television = Televised
Emotion = Emote
Discussion = Discuss
Action = act
(i) BORROWING
This is the process of taking over the words from one language and adopting or incorporating into another language. The borrowed words are termed as loan words.
English language has borrowed many words
E.g. alcohol – Arabic
Zebra – Bantu
Safari – Swahili
Garage – French
Piano – Italian
Chemistry – Arabic
Opera – Italian
Umbrella – Italian
Mosquito – Spanish
Zero – Arabic
Wagon – Dutch
Golf – Dutch
Calvary – Italian
Magazine Arabic
Bazaar – Persia
Boss – Dutch
Tycoon – Japanese
Algebra – Arabic
However other language have borrowed some words from English
(Shirt) English – shati – Swahili
Super market – suupaa – maketto – Japanese
Radio – rajio – Japanese
(j) COINING/ COINAGE
This is the process of word formation by which totally new words are incorporated into the language. This comes as a result of scientific discoveries in which new terms or words are introduced which name the product.
E.g. Aspirin
Website
Black berry
Toss
Hitachi
Samsung
Internet
Globalization
You – tube
(k) ONOMATOPOEIA
This is the process whereby words are formed by imitating the natural sounds made by objects or animal. The word formed by imitating the natural sounds made by objects or animals are termed as Onomatopoeic or Echo words
E.g. ding – dong (sound of a bell)
Bomb (explosion)
Bow bow (dog barking)
Bang (sudden loud noise of something)
Tick – tock – (clock sound)
Cuckoo – (sound of a bird)
Hah aha –( laughter)
Revision Question
1. Mention the word formation processes involved in the formation of the following words.
- Exaggeration
- Vodacom
iii. Transistor
- Safari
- Revlon
- Farmer
vii. Sugarcane
viii. Leader ship
- Book case
- Motel
- Socialist
xii. Bookcase
xiii. Prof
xiv. Samsung
- Mini
xvi. Motorcycle
xvii. UNO
Make two different sentences for each of the following words. For each sentence the word has to belong to a different class.- A conflict
(i) ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
(ii) …………………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Abuse
(i) …………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(ii) …………………………………………………………………………………………….
iii. Insult
(i) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
(ii) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
- Narrow
(i) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
(ii) ……………………………………………………………………………………………
- Reject
(i) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
(ii) …………………………………………………………………………………………..
- Name the word formation processes involved in the formation of the words in brackets
- Mwakifulefule had a (jacket less) book
- Mayasa (parties) every Saturday night
III. Everybody must fight against (aids)
- Mufungwa has just got a new (car phone)
- Kagaruki wants to be a (footballer)
NECTA 2012
1. Read the following complex sentence and then answer the questions that follow.
Tanzania government has been using teacher in trying to transform education system which was inherited from the colonialism in order to match it with its own new goals, aspirations and concepts of development.
Identify the following from the above given sentence.
a. Five stems
b. From 5 stems in part (a) show the roots
c. 5 derivation morphemes
d. 5 inflectional morpheme
2. a) Provide the adjectival forms the following words and write one Sentence for all
b) explain the process involved in the formation of the following groups of words
- Alcohol, boos, piano, zebra
- Loan word, waste basket, water – bird, finger print
iii. Facsimile – fax, cabriolet – cab, advertisement – ad
- Telecast, hotel, heliport, brunch
- Telecast – television, opt- option, enthuse – enthusiasm, emote – emotion
Answers for question 1 & 2 (necta 2012)
1a. Government
Education
Colonialism
Aspiration
Development
b. Govern
Educate
Colony
Spice
Develop
- meant
ion
ism
ion
met - -ing
-en
-s
-ed
a) Breakable
My pen is breakable.
b. Measurable
Ojiki’s thing is measurable
c. Mental
She visited the mental clinic
d. Memorable
Her birthday was a memorable event
e. Medical
She is a medical student
b) (i) Borrowing
(ii) Compounding
(iii) Clipping
(iv) Blending
(v) Back formation
