Download In linguistics, derivation is the process of forming a new word on the

Group 6, Class 1, Grade 09
小组成员：张国琳 张培沛 刘惠 高刘佳 李红 刘敏
English Lexicology
Derivation
1. General knowledge
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).
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).
Examples of English derivational patterns and their suffixes:
adjective-to-noun: -ness (slow → slowness)
adjective-to-verb: -ise (modern → modernise) in British English or -ize
(archaic → archaicize) in American English and Oxford spelling
adjective-to-adjective: -ish (red → reddish)
adjective-to-adverb: -ly (personal → personally)
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)
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).
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- (embefore 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).
Note that derivational affixes are bound morphemes. In that respect,
derivation differs from compounding by which free morphemes are
combined (lawsuit, Latin professor). It also differs from inflection in that
inflection does not create new lexemes but new word forms (table →
tables; open → opened).
Derivation can occur without any change of form, for example
telephone (noun) and to telephone. This is known as conversion or zero
derivation.
2. Suffixation
Suffixation is the formation of a new word by adding a suffix or a
combining form to the base, and usually changing the word class of the
base. Generally, there are four kinds of suffixes： noun suffixes, verb
suffixes, adjective suffixes, and adverb suffixes. For these suffixes, i will
choose several common and specific ones to illustrate.
1. Noun suffixes
（1） "-dom" stands for someone's or something's status or field.
eg: dukedom 公爵的爵位/地位
stardom 明星的地位/身份
（2）"-ness" can stand for the characteristics, state, and degree
eg: attractiveness 吸引力
awareness 意识
2. Verb suffixes
（1） "-ate" ---make ...become
eg: isolate 使隔离，使孤立
federate 使成为联盟
violate 破坏，违反
decorate 装饰
（2） "-le"---repeat small action of movement
eg: sprinkle 散布，撒落
dazzle （以强光）使目眩，使迷惑
scribble 潦草书写
trickle （泪水等）滴流，细流
3. adjective suffixes
(1) "-some"---being similiar to, having a certain quality
eg: burdensome 沉重的
quarrelsome 爱争吵的
wearisome 使人疲倦的，无聊的
(2) "-less"---not have
eg: bloodless 无血的，苍白的
cloudless 无云的，晴朗的
nameless 无名的，匿名的
blameless 无可指责的，无罪的
4. adverb suffixes
(1) "-ly"---mostly used in the end of the adjective
eg: roughly 粗鲁地，概略地
absolutely 绝对地，完全地
actually 真实地，实际地
shortly 不久，简略地
（2）"-ward(s)"---direction
eg:afterward(s) 以后
downward(s) 向下地
sunward(s) 向阳地
outward(s)向外地
3. Prefixation
Definition： A prefix is an affix which is placed before the root of a word.
Prefixation is the formation of new words by adding a prefix or
combining form to the base (an already existing word). Particularly in
the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it
alters the form of the words to which it is affixed. Examples
Prefix
General Meaning
Example
acr(o)-
high, up
Acropolis 城堡
agr(o)-
relating to farming
agriculture
an(a)-
out of
anachronism 不合潮流的人或物
andr-
man
androgen 男性荷尔蒙
bathy-
deep
Bathyscape 深海潜水器,
brady-
slow
bradycardia 慢脉
bronch(o)cry(o)-
relating to breathing
frost , icy cold
Bronchitis 支气管炎
Cryogenics 低温学
crypt(o)-
hidden
cyt(o)-
hollow, receptacle, cell
cryptography 密码学
cytoplasm 细胞质, cytology 细胞
学
encephal(o)- brain
enne(a)nine
encephalitis 脑炎
enneastyle 九柱式的
eu-
eulogy 颂词, euthanasia ,
good
eugenics 优生学 ,
ex(o)flor(i)hex(a)mega -,
megal-
outside
relating to flowers
six
exoskeleton 外骨骼
florist 鲜花种植者
hexapod 六足的节肢动物
million , very large
Megabyte 兆 , megaphone 扩音器
mon(o)-
one , single
monolith 独石柱 , monorail 单轨铁
路 ,
oct(o)-,
eight
oct(a)oo- (" oo -oh")egg, ovum
octane 辛烷, octagon 八角动物
oocyte 卵母细胞
4. Infixation
Definition:A word element (a type of affix) that can be inserted
within the base form of a word (rather than at its beginning or end) to
create a new word or intensify meaning. The process of inserting an
infix is called infixation.
English has almost no true infixes , English has no true infixes, but
the plural suffix -s behaves something like an infix in unusual plurals
like passer-by and passers-by , mother-in-law and mothers-in-law. And
those it does have are marginal. A few are heard in colloquial speech,
and a few more are found in technical terminology.
1)Chemistry: technical terminology such as “pe”, signifying complete
hydrogenation (from piperidine). Thus from the existing word picoline is
derived pipecoline, and from lutidine is derived lupetidine; from
phenidine and xanthoxylin are derived phenetidine and xanthoxyletin.
2)Colloquialisms:None of the following are recognized in standard
English.The infix “iz” or “izn”are characteristic of hip-hop slang, for
example hizouse for house and shiznit forshit.
3)Expletive infixation is a process by which an expletive or profanity is
inserted into a word, usually for intensification. It is similar to tmesis,
but not all instances are covered by the usual definition of tmesis
because the words are not necessarily compounds.
The most commonly inserted English expletives are adjectival:
either participles (fucking, mother-fucking, freaking, blooming,
bleeding, damned) or adjectives (bloody).
5 Circumfixation
Circumfixation is a word-forming process whereby an affix made
up of a prefix and a suffix surrounds and attached to a base. Such affix
consisting of parts that attach at the beginning and end of a base is
called a ciecumfix .
Exaples:
A .Simple words:
disagreement disabled ……
B . Complex words:
an-在词根前，表示"不，无"
anarchism 无政府主义（an+arch 统治+ism 构成形容词的后缀→无统治→无
政府主义）
dis 表示"分开，分离"
disseminate 散布，传播（dis+semin 种子＋ate 构成形容词的后缀→散布〔种
子〕）
discriminate 辨别；歧视（dis+crimin 分辨→ate 构成形容词的后缀→分辩开）
en 表示"使…进入状态"
encouragement 鼓励（en+courage 勇气 ment 名词后缀→使人进入勇气→鼓
励）
enlighten 启发，开导（en+ligh 光＋en→给人光明→启发）
表示“一再，重新”
resplendent 辉湟的（re+splend 光辉＋ent 构成形容词的后缀→再光辉→辉煌
的）
regenerate 改过自新的（re+gener 产生＋ate 构成动词的后缀→重新产生生命
→改过自新的）
6. Modification
Modification: is a morphological process which produces an
alteration within a root or base. It contains two subcategories:
subtraction and suppletion.
Common modification words:
Woman-women.
Englishman-Englishmen.
Child-children.
Mouse-mice.
Subtraction:
edit-editor
automate-automation.
Bulldoze-bulldozer.
Escalate-escalator. Baby-sit---bGermanaby-sitt
suppletion;
red-color small—size near---distance slow---speed