Word Formation Quiz

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Questions and Answers

How does conversion differ from back-formation?

Conversion changes the word's class without altering its form. (correct)

Conversion creates a word that has the same form but different meaning.

Back-formation and conversion are the same processes.

Back-formation involves shortening words without changing their class.

What is back-formation primarily used for?

Forming a new verb from an existing noun (correct)

Making shortened forms of longer words

Changing the spelling of a word without altering its class

Creating a new noun from an existing verb

Which option demonstrates an acronym formation?

Clean from cleaner

Doc from doctor

Bottled from bottle

ATM from Automatic Teller Machine (correct)

Which of the following is an example of conversion?

To print out to printout (D) Signup and view all the answers

In which process does 'Xerox' illustrate coinage?

By being derived from a brand name (A) Signup and view all the answers

What type of word formation is represented by 'must' used as a noun?

Conversion (A) Signup and view all the answers

What defines the process of clipping in word formation?

Shortening a word without changing its meaning (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which example illustrates back-formation?

Doc from doctor (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of compounding in word formation?

Joining two separate words to create a single form. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a noun-noun compound?

notebook (C) Signup and view all the answers

In the compound 'dining table', which word is the head?

table (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is an example of blending?

brunch (C) Signup and view all the answers

What type of compound is 'stir-fry'?

Verb-verb compound (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the most common type of clipping?

Back clipping (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of backformation?

Televise from television (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which word is an example of front clipping?

gator from alligator (B) Signup and view all the answers

What does the process of derivation involve?

Attaching affixes to a base word to form a new word. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of coinage?

Jeans from Genoa. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What type of word formation process involves the combination of two or more words to create a new word?

Compounding (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following represents borrowing in word formation?

Adopting a word from another language. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following processes involves a direct translation of the elements of a word into another language?

Calque (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for new words created based on the names of people or places?

Eponyms (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which type of word-formation process can involve short forms of existing words?

Clipping (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a type of word formation process listed?

Suffixation (A) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Word Formation

Word formation is the process of creating new words.

Types of Word Formation

Derivation: Adding prefixes or suffixes to create new words (e.g., unhappy, misrepresent, joyful, careless)
Coinage: Invention of totally new terms, often for commercial products (e.g., Aspirin, Nylon, Google).
- Eponyms: New words based on a person or place (e.g., Jeans from Genoa, Parkinson's disease).
Borrowing: Taking words from other languages (e.g., Croissant, Sofa, Piano, Yogurt, Boyfriend)
- Loan Translation (Calque): Direct translation of elements from another language (e.g., "Boyfriend" becomes 'Boyifurendo' in Japanese, 'nan pengyu' 'male friend' in Chinese).
Compounding: Joining two separate words to form a single word (e.g., sunglasses, life-threatening, football stadium).
- The head of the compound is the right-side word (e.g., "bag" in "handbag").
Blending: Combining two separate words to create a shorter word (e.g., smog, motel, webinar).
Clipping: Shortening a word by removing syllables (e.g., fax, flu, ad, vet, gym).
- Types of Clipping:
  - Front Clipping: retains the final part (e.g., "phone" from "telephone", "chute" from "parachute").
  - Middle Clipping: retains the middle part (e.g., "flu" from "influenza", "tec" from "detective").
  - Back Clipping: retains the beginning (e.g., "ad" from "advertisement", "cable" from "cablegram").
Backformation: Removing suffixes from existing words to create new words (e.g., television to televise, donation to donate).
Conversion (Zero Derivation): Changing the function of a word without changing its form (e.g. "Mom butter my toast, please!")
- Example Types of Conversion:
  - Phrasal verb to noun (e.g. "print out” to "printout").
  - Verb to noun (e.g., "must" as a verb, "must" as a noun).
  - Noun to verb (e.g. "bottle" as a noun, "to bottle" as a verb).
  - Adjective to verb (e.g. "clean" as an adjective, "clean" as a verb).
Acronyms: New words from the initial letters of a set of words (e.g., CD, laser, radar).

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Description

Test your knowledge on the processes of word formation, including derivation, coinage, and compounding. This quiz covers various techniques used to create new words, along with examples for better understanding. Challenge yourself and see how well you know the art of linguistics!