Submorphemic elements in the formation of acronyms, blends and clippings
Mainstream word-formation is concerned with the formation of new words from morphemes. As morphemes are full linguistic signs, the resulting neologisms are transparent: speakers can deduce the meanings of the new formations from the meanings of their constituents. Thus, morphematic word-formation pr...
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| Language: | English |
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Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3
2008-11-01
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| Series: | Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/lexis/713 |
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| author | Ingrid Fandrych |
| author_facet | Ingrid Fandrych |
| author_sort | Ingrid Fandrych |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mainstream word-formation is concerned with the formation of new words from morphemes. As morphemes are full linguistic signs, the resulting neologisms are transparent: speakers can deduce the meanings of the new formations from the meanings of their constituents. Thus, morphematic word-formation processes can be analysed in terms of their modifier/head relationship, with A + B > AB, and AB = (a kind of) B. This pattern applies to compounding and affixation. There are, however, certain word-formation processes that are not morpheme-based and that do not have a modifier/head structure. Acronyms like NATO are formed from the initial letters of word groups; blends like motel ‘mix’ or conflate submorphemic elements; clippings like prof shorten existing words. In order to analyse these word-formation processes, we need concepts below the morpheme level. This paper will analyse the role played by elements below the morpheme level in the production of these non-morphematic word-formation processes which have been particularly productive in the English language since the second half of the 20th century. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eaf352ec416a4c0ea1eae1206d6a62df |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1951-6215 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2008-11-01 |
| publisher | Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology |
| spelling | doaj-art-eaf352ec416a4c0ea1eae1206d6a62df2025-08-20T03:08:06ZengUniversité Jean Moulin - Lyon 3Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology1951-62152008-11-01210.4000/lexis.713Submorphemic elements in the formation of acronyms, blends and clippingsIngrid FandrychMainstream word-formation is concerned with the formation of new words from morphemes. As morphemes are full linguistic signs, the resulting neologisms are transparent: speakers can deduce the meanings of the new formations from the meanings of their constituents. Thus, morphematic word-formation processes can be analysed in terms of their modifier/head relationship, with A + B > AB, and AB = (a kind of) B. This pattern applies to compounding and affixation. There are, however, certain word-formation processes that are not morpheme-based and that do not have a modifier/head structure. Acronyms like NATO are formed from the initial letters of word groups; blends like motel ‘mix’ or conflate submorphemic elements; clippings like prof shorten existing words. In order to analyse these word-formation processes, we need concepts below the morpheme level. This paper will analyse the role played by elements below the morpheme level in the production of these non-morphematic word-formation processes which have been particularly productive in the English language since the second half of the 20th century.https://journals.openedition.org/lexis/713acronymblendclippingmorphemesplinterword-formation |
| spellingShingle | Ingrid Fandrych Submorphemic elements in the formation of acronyms, blends and clippings Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology acronym blend clipping morpheme splinter word-formation |
| title | Submorphemic elements in the formation of acronyms, blends and clippings |
| title_full | Submorphemic elements in the formation of acronyms, blends and clippings |
| title_fullStr | Submorphemic elements in the formation of acronyms, blends and clippings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Submorphemic elements in the formation of acronyms, blends and clippings |
| title_short | Submorphemic elements in the formation of acronyms, blends and clippings |
| title_sort | submorphemic elements in the formation of acronyms blends and clippings |
| topic | acronym blend clipping morpheme splinter word-formation |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/lexis/713 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ingridfandrych submorphemicelementsintheformationofacronymsblendsandclippings |