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Chapter III
 Derivation
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CHAPTER III
DERIVATION
3.1. Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to present the amount of vocabulary grasped by the
students, their knowledge in derivation, the problems in this concept, the factors
considered as hindrance in their acquiring the knowledge of derivation. The factors
studied are gender, board of the study, medium of instruction in school, location of
school, boarding status in school, parents‘ education and their involvement with their
wards. All these factors and their relationship with students‘ is discussed in this chapter
followed by the chapter summary.
3.2. Derivation
Definition
The formation of a word from an earlier word or base (as by the addition of an
affix).
Derivative is a word or thing that has been developed or produced from another
word or thing : ‗Happiness‘ is a derivative of ‗happy‘.
(OXFORD Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary of Current English)
In linguistics, derivation is the process of forming a new word on the basis of an
existing word, e.g. happi-ness and un-happy from happy, or determination from
determine. Derivation stands in contrast to the process of inflection, which uses another
kind of affix in order to form grammatical variants of the same word, as with determine/
determine-s/determin-ing/determin-ed. Generally speaking, inflection applies to all
members of a part of speech (e.g., every English verb has a past-tense form), while derivation
applies only to some members of a part of speech (e.g., the nominalizing suffix -ity can be
used with the adjectives modern and dense, but not with open or strong).
3.3. Derivational Affixes
The knowledge of affixes should be made clear to the learners. The rules for the
usage of proper suffix / prefix is to be elaborately discussed before teaching the concept
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of derivation. Also the meaning and the form of the new word after the addition of any
suffix / prefix should be understood by the students. For this the meaning of any affix
must be understood first.
Derivation is the word formation process in which a derivational affix attaches to
the base form of a word to create a new word. Although derivational affixes do not
necessarily alter the syntactic category, they do change the meaning of the base. In many
cases, derivational affixes change both the syntactic category and the meaning: modern
→ modernize ("to make modern"). The change of meaning is sometimes predictable:
Adjective + ness → the state of being (Adjective); (white→ whiteness).
Affixes, which include prefixes and suffixes, are bound morphemes. Morphemes
are the smallest linguistic unit of a language with semantic meaning. Bound morphemes,
unlike free morphemes, cannot stand alone but must attach to another morpheme such as
a word. For example, the following two lists provide examples of some common prefixes
and suffixes with definitions in English:
A prefix- is a group of letters added before a word or base to alter its meaning and
form a new word. In contrast, a suffix is a group of letters added after a word or base.
3.3.1. Prefixes:
a- – without, not
co- – together
de- – opposite, negative, removal, separation
dis- –opposite, negative
en- – cause to be
ex- – former, previous, from
in- – negative, not
non- – absence, not
re- – again, repeatedly
un- – negative, not, opposite, reversal
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A prefix (write → re-write; lord → over-lord) will rarely change syntactic
category in English. The inflectional prefix un- applies to adjectives (healthy → unhealthy)
and some verbs (do → undo), but rarely to nouns. A few exceptions are the derivational
prefixes en- and be-. En- (em- before labials) is usually used as a transitive marker on
verbs, but can also be applied to adjectives and nouns to form transitive verbs: circle
(verb) → encircle (verb); but rich (adj) → enrich (verb), large (adj) → enlarge (verb),
rapture (noun) → enrapture (verb), slave (noun) → enslave (verb).
3.3.2. Suffixes:
A derivational suffix usually applies to words of one syntactic category and
changes them into words of another syntactic category. For example, the English
derivational suffix -ly changes adjectives into adverbs (slow → slowly).
-able – sense of being
-er – agent
-ful – characterized by
-fy – make, become, cause to be
-ism – action or practice, state or condition
-less – lack of
-ly – -like
-ology – study, science
-ship – condition, character, skill
-y – characterized by, inclination, condition
Examples of English derivational patterns and their suffixes:
adjective-to-noun: -ness (slow → slowness)
adjective-to-verb: -ise (modern → modernise)
adjective-to-adjective: -ish (red → reddish)
adjective-to-adverb: -ly (personal → personally)
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noun-to-adjective: -al (recreation → recreational)
noun-to-verb: -fy (glory → glorify)
verb-to-adjective: -able (drink → drinkable)
verb-to-noun (abstract): -ance (deliver → deliverance)
verb-to-noun (concrete): -er (write → writer)
3.4. Zero derivation
Some derivations can occur without any change of form, for example telephone
(noun) and to telephone. This is known as conversion or zero derivation.
Some verbs and adjectives in English can be used directly as nouns without the
addition of a derivational suffix. Some examples include:
Change:
I need a change. (change = noun)
I will change. (change = verb)
Murder:
The murder of the man was tragic. (murder = noun)
He will murder the man. (murder = verb)
In addition to true zero-derivation, English also has a number of words which,
depending on subtle changes in pronunciation, are either nouns or verbs. One such type,
which is rather pervasive, is the change in stress placement from the final syllable of the
word to the first syllable.
Progress:
Progress is important. (progress = noun)
Our plan must progress nicely. (progress = verb)
An additional case is seen with the verb use, which has a different pronunciation
when used as a noun.
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Use:
The use of drugs is dangerous. (use = noun)
Use your fork! (use = verb)
3.5. Various kinds of derivatives
The derivative can be grouped into two, namely:
3.5.1.The establishment of a verb
Example :
beauty (noun) + -fy : beautify
justice (noun) + - fy : justify
quick (adj ) + -en : quicken
wide (adj) + -en : widen
deep (adj) + -en : deepen
broad (adj) + -en : broaden
3.5.2. The establishment of a noun
Verb + -ion ; -ment ; -er ; -or ; -ace ; -ist
Adjective + -ness ; -ity ; -nce ; -th
Derivation may result in new words of the same grammatical form, e.g., noun to
noun, or of different grammatical forms, e.g., verb to noun. For example:
3.5.3. Grammatical Form Retaining Derivation
verb to verb: appear → disappear
noun to noun: friend → friendship
adjective to adjective: practical → impractical
3.5.4. Grammatical Form Changing Derivation
verb to noun: preserve → preservation
verb to adjective: bore → boring
noun to verb: code → codify
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noun to adjective: nature → natural
adjective to noun: ugly → ugliness
adjective to verb: sweet → sweeten
adjective to adverb: quick → quickly
Although both processes involve the affixation of suffixes, derivation differs from
inflection in that inflection results in the creation of a new form of the same word rather
than a new word. For example, the addition of the third person singular -s inflectional
suffix to verbs creates the third person singular form of verbs, e.g., eat and eats, and the
addition of the plural -s inflectional suffix to nouns creates the plural form of nouns, e.g.,
dog and dogs. Both eats and dogs are new forms of the same word, eat and dog, rather
than new words.
3.6. Noun derivation
New nouns can be derived from other nouns, from adjectives and from verbs:
Adjective to noun
With derivational morphology
This is a process by which a grammatical expression is turned into a noun phrase.
For example, in the sentence "Combine the two chemicals," combine acts as a verb. This
can be turned into a noun via the addition of -ation, as in "The experiment involved the
combination of the two chemicals."
Examples of nouns formed from adjectives:
applicability (from applicable)
carelessness (from careless)
difficulty (from difficult)
intensity (from intense)
Suffixes – ness – is used to form Noun
Suffix – ness is usually put after adjective
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For example :
1. bitter
- bitterness
2. bright - brightness
3. conscious – consciousness
4. happy – happiness
EXERCISE-VII
The following exercises were given to the students in order to identify the problems
faced by them in noun derivatives. The informants were asked to give the appropriate
noun derivative for the adjective used in each sentence and rewrite the sentence.
1. The scene was so beautiful that it took his breath away.
2. They measured how wide the pitch was.
3. The fact that he was fit impressed the selectors.
4. My sister was cheerful. This made me forget my bad luck.
5. The temple‘s foundations are strong. This stopped it from collapsing in the earthquake.
6. The box is heavy. It slowed my progress.
Expected answers for the above mentioned sentences are:
1. The beauty of the scene took his breath away.
2. They measured the width of the pitch.
3. His fitness impressed the selectors.
4. My sister‘s cheerfulness made me forget my bad luck.
5. The strength of the temple‘s foundation stopped it from collapsing in the earthquake.
6. The heaviness of the box slowed my progress.
In all the above sentences the informants were asked to use the appropriate noun
derivative for the adjective used.
The answers obtained from the informants are:
1. The beautiful scene took his breath away.
1. The scene‘s beautiness which took his breath away.
2. They measured the wideness of the pitch.
2. They measured how wide the pitch should be?
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3. The fact of he fit impressed the selectors.
3. The fact that he is fit impress the selectors.
4. My sister was cheerful which made me forget my bad luck.
4. My sisters‘ cheerful made me forget my bad luck.
5. The temple‘s strong foundations stopped it from collapsing in the earthquake.
5. The temple‘s foundations are strong which stopped it from collapsing in the
earthquake.
6. The box is heavy which slowed my progress.
6. The heavy box slowed my progress.
Error analysis
By the answers obtained by the informants it is clear that the students are
confused with the concept of derivation. The informants were asked to give the noun
form of the adjective used in the sentence. Whereas 38% of the informants used the same
adjective given in the sentence and the sentence was rewritten.
Instead of using the noun form the informants have given the same adjectives, like;
Table XII
Expected noun form
Adjective reproduced
Beauty
Beautiful, Beautiness
Width
Wide
Fitness
Fit
Cheerfulness
Cheerful
Strength
Strong
Heaviness
Heavy
The table above shows that the informants have considered adjective words as
noun, they don‘t know the noun form of the adjective word and moreover they don‘t
know the parts of speech. Further it indicates that the topic ‗derivation‘ is not clearly
grasped by the informants. All these made them give incorrect answers.
This also gives us the idea that not only the concept but the basics of grammar is
not at all clear to the informants.
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The errors in derivations are mainly intralingual. The influence of vernacularism
is seen in the pattern used by the informants in the answering of the exercise given to
them. For instance, in Tamil the word ‗strong‘ is ‗balam‘, which is used as the verb form
as well as the adjective form.
3.7. Verb-Noun Derivation
In English, the affixation of the suffixes -er, -or, and -ar to verbs creates nouns.
The -er, -or, and -ar are referred to as agentive suffixes because their affixation to action
verbs produces agent nouns, or nouns that identify the person or other entity performing
the action. In other words, agent nouns are usually names for people. For example,
affixing -er to the base form of the verb learn results in the noun learner, meaning
someone who learns, and affixing -or to the base form of the verb interrogate results in
the noun interrogator, meaning someone who interrogates.
A derivative noun derives from a verb form. Certain suffixes (-tion, -sion,
-ence, -ance, and others), when added to verbs, produce derivative nouns. Examples
include conclusion, statement, pertinence, and scores of others.
Derivation may result in new words of the same grammatical form, e.g., noun to
noun, or of different grammatical forms, e.g., verb to noun. For example:
Derivative noun -Verb form
acceptance-accept, application-apply, approval-approve, assumption-assume, calculationcalculate, certification-certify, complaint-complain, conservation-conserve, considerationconsider, contribution-contribute, decision-decide, deduction-deduct, delivery-deliver,
disclosure-disclose, discovery-discover, disposal/ disposition-dispose,
distribute,
education-educate,
investigation-investigate,
enforcement-enforce,
movement-move,
filing-file,
objection-object,
distribution-
inclusion-include,
prevention-prevent,
qualification-qualify, reaction-react, reliance-rely, specification-specific, statement-state,
submission-submit.
Examples of verb to noun
bake – baker, clean – cleaner, dance – dancer, employ – employer, farm – farmer, garden
– gardener, lead – leader, listen – listener, manage – manager, mourn – mourner, observe
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– observer, paint – painter, publish – publisher, read – reader, research – researcher, sell –
seller, teach – teacher, travel – traveler, use – user, write – writer, act – actor,
administrate – administrator, advise – advisor, animate – animator, audit – auditor,
conduct – conductor, decorate – decorator, direct – director, edit – editor, educate –
educator, govern – governor, instruct – instructor, invent – inventor, investigate –
investigator, negotiate – negotiator, operate – operator, possess – possessor, sail – sailor,
supervise – supervisor, visit – visitor.
EXERCISE – VII
Study the cartoons below:
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The informants were asked to look at the pictures and perceive what are the
people trying to say? Further they were asked to study the first example and then
complete the rest of the sentences using the same pattern with appropriate derivative).
1. They are protesting against cutting down of trees.
2. They are demanding………………………………….
3. The boss insists on everyone………………………………….
4. They are worried about………………………………….
5. The women are demanding ………………………………….
6. They want the government to put a ban on………………………………….
Expected answer for the pictures:
2. They are demanding for the reduction in working hours.
3. The boss insists on everyone‘s punctuality.
4. They are worried about losing their job.
5. The women are demanding safer work environment.
6. They want the government to put a ban on poaching of animals.
Answers given by the informants were2. They are demanding to reduce the working hours.
3. The boss insists on everybody to be punctual.
4. They are worried about loosing their jobs.
5. Women are demanding for their safety at work.
6. They want the government to put a ban on poach of animals.
Observation
Table XIII
Expected derivative
Incorrect words given
Reduction
Reduce
Punctuality
Punctual
Cheerfulness
Cheerful
Losing
Loosing
Safer
Safety
Poaching
Poach
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In sentence (4), the informants have given a word with wrong spelling ―loosing‖
instead of ―losing‖.
The above errors clearly state that the informants lack knowledge in not only
derivation but also in spellings.
This is because of the habit of selective reading as the informants skip hard words
which appear in their text. Because of the above stated reasons the informants don‘t know
the different forms of words.
3.8. Agent Nouns
Agent nouns are the root words (nouns) which is added with affixes (either suffix
or prefix) to form a new word of either the same form or the different form.
For verbs spelled with a final consonant preceded by either two vowels or additional
consonants or with a vowel preceded by a consonant, simply add the agent suffix:
act – actor
design – designer
ski – skier
teach – teacher
For verbs spelled with a final w, x, or y preceded by a vowel, simply add the
agent suffix:
box – boxer
brew – brewer
play – player
survey – surveyor
For verbs spelled with a final "silent" e preceded by a consonant, remove the e
and then add the agent suffix:
drive – driver
love – lover
observe – observer
supervise – supervisor
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For verbs spelled with a final y preceded by a consonant, change the y to i and
then add the agent suffix:
cry – crier
fly – flier
supply – supplier
worry – worrier
For two-syllable verbs spelled with a final le, remove the e and then add the agent
suffix:
cobble – cobbler
handle – handler
meddle – meddler
tumble – tumbler
For two-syllable verbs spelled with a final er, simply add the agent suffix:
discover – discoverer
gather – gatherer
murder – murderer
suffer – sufferer
For one-syllable verbs that end in a single vowel followed by a single consonant
other than w, x, or y, double the final consonant and then add the agent suffix:
beg – beggar
drum – drummer
jog – jogger
plan – planner
For two-syllable verbs that end in a single vowel followed by a single consonant
other than w, x, or y, double the final consonant and then add the agent suffix:
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begin – beginner
format – formatter
For verbs that end with the letter c, add the letter k after the c and then add the
agent suffix:
frolic – frolicker
mimic - mimicker
picnic – picnicker
traffic – trafficker
The following exercises were given to the students in order to identify the
problems faced by them in noun derivatives. The informants were asked to combine the
given pair of sentences giving appropriate noun derivative for the verb used in each
sentence and rewrite the sentence.
Exercise IX
The informants were asked to combine the following sentences by nominalizing
the first verb into its noun derivative:
1. There has been a rise in the crime rate in the last two years. The police are very
concerned.
2. Thousands of people participated in the charity walk. This helped Cancer Aid
Society to raise funds for treatment of cancer patients.
3. The number of young people consuming drugs are growing. This has become an
issue of social concern.
4. Vinod presented his project very effectively. He was able to bag the multimillion
dollar order.
5. He committed a series of cold blooded murders. He was awarded the death penalty.
Expected answer –
1. The very concern of the police is the rise in crime rate in the last two years.
2. The participation of the people in the charity walk helped Cancer Aid Society
raise funds for treatment of cancer patients.
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3. The consumption of drugs by growing number of young people has become an
issue of social concern.
4. Vinod‘s effective presentation of his project helped him to bag the multimillion
dollar order.
5. He was awarded the death penalty for his commitment in a series of cold blooded
murders.
Answer obtained from the informants1. The police are concerned in the rise in crime rate in the last two years.
2. The participating of the people in the charity walk helped Cancer Aid Society
raise funds for treatment of cancer patients.
3. The consuming of drugs by growing number of young people has become an
issue of social concern.
4. Vinod presented his project effectively which helped him to bag the multimillion
dollar order.
5. He was awarded the death penalty because he committed a series of cold blooded
murders.
Error analysis
Table XIV
Expected noun form
verb reproduced
Concern
Concerned
Participation
Participating
Cheerfulness
Cheerful
Consumption
Consuming
Presentation
Presented
Commitment
Committed
The table given above clearly states that instead of noun derivatives the
informants have used the same verb form given in the sentences. In sentence (3) although
the purpose of derivative is defeated here, the sentence is correct grammatically.
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The knowledge of the informants in basics of English language is not very strong
at all, as they are unable to differentiate noun and a verb or adjective and a noun or verb
and a gerund in any sentence.
3.9. Adjective derivation:
New adjectives can be derived from nouns, from other adjectives, from verbs and
from adverbs:
A noun that becomes an adjective by adding a suffix is called an adjective
derivative.
Adjective
Noun
Beautiful
Beauty
Clean
Neat
Arrogant
Intelligent
Fit
High
Frequent
Proud
Anxious
Cleanliness
Neatness
Arrogance
Intelligence
Fitness
Height
Frequency
Pride
Anxiety
Some examples of adjectives derived from nouns are:
3.10. Adjective - Noun
child: childish
comfort: comfortable
weight: weighty
joy: joyful or joyous
care: careful or careless.
Example of Adjective Derivative:
subject- subjective
addict- addictive
react- reactive
success- successive
care- careless
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ugly- ugliness
hope- hopeless
steel- steely
accept- acceptable
obey – obedient
EXERCISE X
The informants were asked to read the following examples, notice how the
adjective in the first sentence is changed to its noun form and combine the sentences
accordingly.
1. Cindrella‘s beautiful looks so charmed the Prince that he could not take his eyes of her.
1. Cindrella‘s beauty so charmed the prince that he could not take his eyes of her.
2. They were asked to guess how high the building was.
2. They were asked to guess the height of the building.
3. The news that he was fit to play the match brought immense relief to his teammates.
3. The news about his fitness to play the match brought immense relief to his teammates.
Combine the following pairs of sentences by changing the adjective to a noun:
1. He was honest. The Principal commended him at the assembly.
2. Rajesh is a very amiable person. It has endeared him to his colleagues.
3. The actor was famous. It got him many endorsements.
4. The young businessman was extravagant. It led to his downfall.
5. James was silent during the enquiry. It did not help the police in bringing the culprit to book.
Expected answer:
1. The Principal commended him at the assembly for his honesty.
2. Rajesh has endeared him to his colleagues because of his amiability.
3. The actor‘s fame got him many endorsements.
4. The young businessman‘s extravagance led to his downfall.
5. James‘s silence during the enquiry did not help the police bringing the culprit to book.
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Answers obtained from informants
1. The Principal commended him at the assembly for being honest.
2. Rajesh has endeared him to his colleagues because of his amiable personality.
3. The famous actor got many endorsements.
4. The extravaganza of the young businessman led to his downfall.
5. James‘s silent during the enquiry did not help the police bringing the culprit to
book.
Error analysis
Table XV
Expected noun form
Adjective reproduced
Honesty
being honest
Fame
Famous
Extravagant
Extravaganza
Silence
Silent
In sentence (2) the informants instead of using the noun form of ‗amiable‘ have
given the noun form of the word ‗person‘.
Since the students do not read nowadays and their reading habit has totally
declined because of the impact of Mass media. Students spend a lot of time sitting in
front of television not to learn new words but to watch their favourite cartoon channel,
which does not help them learn English or retain their existing English vocabulary
By the above they neither learn new words nor retain the spelling of the words
which they have already acquired. This further damages their spelling and sentence
making skill. They lack knowledge of various forms of words like verb, noun, pronoun,
adjective, adverb, etc.
The knowledge of any language depends on two important factors namely –
1. Perception of spelling
2. Structure of sentence
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3.11. Verb derivation
Verbs can be derived from nouns, from adjectives, from other verbs and from
adverbs:
Noun to verb
Adjective to verb
Verb to verb
3.12. Adverb derivation
There is only one way to derive adverbs from adjectives:
The function of an adverb in a sentence is significant because of its impact on the
verb it qualifies. The effectiveness and vitality of the action reflected by the sentences is
denoted by the use of the adverb. Sometimes adverbs qualify the adjectives also.
Nowadays it is commonly noticed that students over generalize the ‗ly‘ with
words to make them adverbs.
Errors found in this regard are analyzed and classified in the following wayExercise
Analogical creation wrongly created words with ‘ly’ endingsI. Adjective to adverb
1. He is working hardly but he failed.
2. Indian children live dependently on parents.
3. He smokes non stoppingly.
4. His statement was affirmatively.
5. The teacher clarified his doubts enoughly.
Intended answers:
1. He is working hard but he failed.
2. Indian children live depending on parents.
3. He smokes continuously.
4. His statement was affirmative.
5. The teacher clarified his doubts enough.
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Error analysis
The informants got confused and added ‗ly‘ with all the words filled in the blanks.
The informants do not have the knowledge of modifiers and their classifications.
3.13. Grammar and Spelling Tips for derivatives
There is a need to learn some grammar and spelling tips to avoid common
mistakes made in day to day usage of English language.
The learners of English need
Words that are formed from existing words can also be confusing - sometimes the
original spelling stays the same and sometimes it changes. Some to remember are:
Words ending in -our:
Examples : honour, favour, labour, humour.
Keep the u when you add -able or -er.
Examples : honourable, favourable, labourer; favourite
But u is very often lost before -ous.
Examples : humorous, glamorous, rigorous, honorary and honorific
Occur and occurrence but refer and reference.
In verbs ending in -ur, double the r when you add -ence.
Leave it single if the verb ends in -er or -ear.
Examples : appear and apparent
Drop the o if you add -iation to a verb ending in -ounce.
Examples : pronunciation from pronounce.
suffix – or – is used to form Noun
actor, collector, demonstrator, director , editor, imitator, inspector, instructor, operator,
translator, inventor
suffix – ful is used to form Adjective
beautiful, careful, doubtful, peaceful, powerful, skillful, useful, forgetful
suffix – y – is used to form adjective
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bloody, cloudy, dusty, funny, grassy, handy, hilly, muddy, rainy, salty, stony, sunny,
windy, windy, wordy
Prefixes – :mis
miscount, misinform, misuse, mislead, mismanage, misplace, misprint , mispronounce,
misread, misspell , misstate, misunderstand, misuse
Prefixes : dis
Disagree, disarm, disclose, disconnect , dishonest , dislike , disobey, disorder, distrust,
discontinue
Suffixes : en – is used to form Verbs
Brighten, broaden, darken, fatten, harden, lessen, redden, sadden, shorten , soften,
sweeten, thicken, weaken, whiten, widen
Suffixes – ment – is used to form Noun
Suffix – ment is usually put after verbs
agreement, arrangement, development, enjoyment, disappointment, improvement,
management, movement, requirement, treatment , appointment, assignment, government ,
measurement, payment, statement, announcement.
Suffixes – ity – is used to form Noun
Suffix – ity is usually put after adjective
1. Certain – certainty
2. Electric – electricity
3. Irregular – irregularity
4. National – nationality
5. Uncertain – uncertainty
6. Possible – possibility
7. Probable – probability
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8. Rapid – rapidity
9. Real – reality
10. Able = ability
3.14. Some, Any and their derivatives
+
-
?
SOME
ANY
ANY
ONE / BODY
THING
WHERE
SOMEONE/SOMEBODY
I met someone I knew.
SOMETHING
He bought
something
cheap.
SOMEWHERE
They went
somewhere on
holiday.
ANYONE/ANYBODY
We didn't speak with
anyone.
ANYTHING
I can't see
anything nice.
ANYWHERE
I'm not going
anywhere tonight.
ANYONE/ ANYBODY
Do you know anyone here?
ANYTHING
Did you answer
anything?
ANYWHERE
Did you hide it
anywhere?
3.15. Nouns transferred as adjectives
1. India develops technically.
2. Youngster develop revolutional attitude.
3. Karl Marxs‘ views are quite revolutional.
4. Actresses in the past were treated as respectably.
5. Appreciation of a person is quite appreciably.
Expected answers from the informants:
1. India develops technologically.
2. Youngster develop revolutionary attitude.
3. Karl Marxs‘ views are quite revolutionary.
4. Actresses in the past were treated as respectable.
5. Appreciation of a person is quite appreciative.
3.16. Verbs used as adjectives
1. In India the women education is not satisfy.(satisfactory)
2. Terrorism seems to be a continue threat to mankind. (continuous)
3. No product is cheapened nowadays. (cheaper)
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4. There are thousands of fans for a specify group. (specific)
5. The disease Swine flu is infect. (infectious)
Expected answers from the informants
1. In India the women education is not satisfactory.
2. Terrorism seems to be a continuous threat to mankind.
3. No product is cheaper nowadays.
4. There are thousands of fans for a specific group.
5. The disease Swine flu is infectious.
3.17. Adjectives used as nouns
1. Many people migrate to Tiruppur to work in industrials .
2. Due to inflation the productive is not high in industries.
3. India has a rich cultural .
4. World cultural has developed after independence.
5. Productive is not high in any part of the world due to the economic slowdown.
Expected answers from the informants
1. Many people migrate to Tiruppur to work in industries .
2. Due to inflation the production is not high in industries.
3. India has a rich culture .
4. World culture has developed after independence.
5. Production is not high in any part of the world due to the economic slowdown.
Interpretation
The above mentioned errors are due to the following factors:
Mother tongue plays an important role in the acquisition of vocabulary by pushing
the learner of English into dark.
In Tamil the word ‗thodarandhu‘ implies continue or continuous, this confuses the
informants and hence results in their giving wrong answer to sentence (2).
Terrorism seems to be a continue threat to mankind.
In Tamil the words ending with ‗al‘ sound marks the word plural.
So the learner whose mother tongue is Tamil assumes the same with English.
Hence he / she tends to make mistakes in English sentences. For example:
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In sentence (4) of adjectives used as nouns the informants have given the
incorrect answer:
World cultural has developed after independence. This is because they got
confused with the ‗al‘ rule of Tamil.
The impact of language spoken in surrounding is seen commonly amongst the
first generation learners, whether of rural background or urban.
The place where people live plays an important role in the acquisition of English
vocabulary. The people of a particular area tend to make common mistakes whether in
pronunciation of a word or in written form, as it is wrongly used by majority of the same
locality. For instance:
Informants have given the incorrect answer for sentence (1) as
Many people migrate to Tirupur to work in industrials.
The reason behind this incorrectness is because they might have associated
Tirupur with industrials.
3.18. Conclusion
From the viewpoint of linguistic prescriptivism, derivations are considered to
make sentences more difficult to follow and to promote wordiness. For these reasons,
derivations are usually discouraged in writing. However, they can be warranted when it is
necessary to use the derived verb or adjective as the head of a noun phrase. Very
common derivations (like the noun "changes") are usually not discouraged.
The very concept of derivatives is new and confusing for the informants.
Although there is a chapter in CBSE schools having NCERT books for their curriculam.
Their English book titled ―Interact with English‖ has a chapter named Nominalization.
As far as the children are concerned, the concept is not easily understood. As it includes
conversion adding the affixes either suffix or prefix to any word form.
Further there is no hard and fast rule that describes which word will have a suffix
and which will have prefix. In most of the cases which suffix / prefix to be added and
which should not be is not so clear.
To overcome the problems faced by the informants, they must master in English
vocabulary, even if it is a foreign language. This will come only by sheer hard work and
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practice. ‗A new English word a day‘ will also help any individual to a great extent. Acquiring
a new word is not enough, one must know which form of the word that is, say verb, noun,
adverb or adjective. What part of speech etymology the word belongs to. The same word exists
in how many different forms, like- rise, is used in verb as well as noun form.
This is another major area of concern that the informants do not have the clear
knowledge of the various forms of words in English grammar and hence they must enrich
their knowledge in that.
Further to confuse the informants there are many new words added into English
language every day all over the world.
There are few examples of the words added in English language recently. These
words are derivatives or not, is not very clear. Further these words are in which form is
also not very clear.
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