6. Major types of word-formation in the English language.

When a word first comes into existence it is built out according to the existing patterns of the elements available in the language. Word-formation is that branch of lexicology that studies the derivative structure of existing words and the patterns on which a language builds new words. WF – is the system of derivative types of words and the process of creating new words after certain structural and semantic formulas and patterns (Ginzburg); WF – the process of forming words by combining root and affixal morphemes according to certain patterns specific for the language. (Medvedeva).

Derivation - словопроизводство, словообразование, деривация. In generative grammar the set of stages that link the abstract underlying structure of an expression to its surface form ex. Begger-to beg

Composition – such word formation where the target word is formed by combining two or more stems

Word composition compound words:

1. Of the parts of speech compound words represent: N: night-gown, waterfall; V: to honeymoon, to outgrow; Adj.: peace-loving, hard-working; Adv.: downstairs; Prep.: within; Num.: thirty-seven;

2. Of the means of composition used to link the two ICs together: neutral – formed by joined together two stems without connecting elements, ex.: scarecrow; morphological – components are joined by linking element (o, I and s), ex.: videophone, tragicomic, craftsman; syntactical – the components are joined by means of form-word stems, ex: man-of-war, face-to-face.

3. Of degree of semantic independence of components: subordinative comp. (determinative) их большинство– one component is the semantic and structural centre, the second component is subordinate, and subordinate relations can be: comparative (snow-white); instrumental or agentive relations (sunrise, dogbite); relations of purpose (bookshelf); emphatic relations (dead-cheap); functional relations (textbook); sex relations (he-goat); various relations of adverbial type. Coordinative comp. (copulative or additive) both components are semantically independent: reduplicative comp. (made by repetition of the same base ex. goody-goody, go-go); comp. formed by rhythmic stems (a walkie-talkie, chit-chat); additive comp. are built on stems of the independently functioning words of the same part of speech. Denote an object ex. afro-american.

4. Of the order of ICs compounds may be: syntactic – formed by merely placing components in direct order that resembles the order of words in free phrases, ex.: blacklist, handcuffs; asyntactic are compounds with Indirect order (the order of bases runs counter to the order in which the motivating words can be brought together), ex.: oil-rich, rain-driven.

5. Of their structure: compounds proper are formed by joining together two stems, ex.: film-star, earthquake; compound-derived words (stem+affixes), ex.: long-legged, a two-seater; compound-shortened words, ex.: h-bag, A-bomb; compounds where at least of the constituents is a compound stem: wastepaper-basket.free phrases, ex.: a night-cap – “a drink taken before going to bed at night”.

6. Of the correlative relations with the system of free word-groups: non-idiomatic, if the meaning of the whole is the sum total of the meanings of the components, ex.: flower-bed, homeland; idiomatic compounds are different in meaning from corresponding

Conversion – the process of coining new words in a different part of speech and with different distribution characteristics but without adding any derivative elements so that the basic form of the original and derived words are homonymous. H. Sweet used this term in his New English Grammar. Different scholars treat this term differently as morphological word forming mean (Smirnitscy), combined morphological and syntactic way (change of syntactic function in a sentence) V and N (Arnold) and purely syntactic approach.

1. N into V (denominal verbs) denote:

Instrumental use of the object ex. eye-to eye; Action characteristic of the object ex. ape-to ape; acquisition (преобритение) ex. fish-to fish; deprivation (лешение) of the object ex. dust- to dust

2. V into N (deverbal substantives) denote:

Instance (этап) of an action, ex. to move-a move; Word agent of an action, ex. to bore-a bore (скважина); place of an action, ex. to walk – a walk (расстояние); result of the action, ex. to cut – a cut.