Word Formation

Counting every word form in a sentence.

"It is what it is." has 5 tokens.

Only counting the first occurrence of a word form in a text.

"It is what it is." has 3 types.

1. The smallest element of a sentence which has positional mobility (can be moved around without destroying the grammaticality of the sentence).
2. Typically the largest units which resist ‘interruption’ by the insertion of new material between their constituent parts. 

A fundamental unit of the lexicon of a language.

Multi-word lexemes

come up with, speak up, pull through

Semantic or content side of the lexeme.

star (a sun) and star (a celebrity) are lexical units of the lexeme star

One of several realizations of a lexeme.

The lexical unit cat has the following word forms: cat, cats, cat's

A newly coined word or expression.

E.g. meme

Derivation of new senses of established words.

E.g. sick

Meaning one: ill

Meaning two: cool

1. Use lexical material of their own language and combine or modify it in some way.
2. Take over words from another language (which may be integrated and modified to various degrees).
3. Invent new words without making use of the first two techniques (e.g. quark).

• Describe the inventory of word formations of a language at a particular point in time and the rules and mechanisms that have made these word formations possible.
• Describe the ability of native speakers to understand and interpret the word formations they encounter (analytic aspect).
• Describe the ability of native speakers to create new lexemes (synthetic aspect).

A process by which a new word is formed by combining two constituents, which are both free morphemes or contain a free morpheme.

vacuum cleaner, flowerpot, rocking chair

The process of inflection or derivation that consists of adding an affix.

The two types of affixation are prefixation and suffixation.

A process by which a new word is formed by combining two constituents so that a bound morpheme (prefix) precedes the second constituent.

unbelievable, impossible, non-smoker

A process by which a new word is formed by combining two constituents so that a bound morpheme (suffix) follows the first constituent.

freedom, baker, compatibility

A process by which a new word is formed without any formal change.

dance (noun) – dance (verb)

A process by which a new word is formed by taking off a sequence of phonemes resembling a suffix from an existing word.

televise from television

A process of shortening a polysyllabic (multiple syllables) word, often to a single syllable.

ad from advertisement 

A process of forming a new word from two existing words by maintaining elements of both constituents.

hangry (hungry + angry), smog (smoke + fog)

A process of shortening a compound by using the initial letters of the words it is made up of to form an acronym which is pronounced as one word.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

ASAP (as soon as possible)

A process of shortening a compound by using the initial letters of the words which are pronounced separately.

USB (Universal Serial Bus) 

OMG (oh my god)

a change of word class.

Word formations that are related to onomatopoeic or aesthetic features of the words.

wishy-washy, wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey

Transitive verbs: verbs that require a direct object to convey meaning (e.g. "He stole a book").

Intransitive verbs: verbs that do not require a direct object to convey meaning (e.g. "She reads.")

The extent to which a particular affix is likely to be used in the production of new words in the language.

The suffix -th (as in truth or growth) is not very productive.

The suffix -ness (as in fondness or slowness) is highly productive.

1. Phonological restrictions
2. Morphological restrictions
3. Semantic restrictions
4. Etymological restrictions

Possible word formation is blocked due to a preexisting word that suffices in conveying the meaning.

e.g. *untall does not exist since short exists

A word that has been formed and used by a speaker on a particular occasion but not spread any (or much) further.

e.g. "Confessions of a chocaholic".

Words that a speaker would identify as being codified in a dictionary.