[英语学习]Word Formation IV.ppt

Word Formation (IV) Back-formation 1 A new word created by removing an affix from an already existing word, as vacuum clean from vacuum cleaner, or by removing what is mistakenly thought to be an affix, as pea from the earlier English plural pease. 2 a word invented (usually unwittingly by subtracting an affix) on the assumption that a familiar word derives from it Back-formation What is the difference between clipping and back-formation? Back-formation is different from clipping – back-formation changes the part of speech, whereas clipping also creates shortened words from longer words, but does not change the part of speech. Back-formation Routes of back-formation: 1 Verbs back-formed from deverbal nouns: swindler-swindle, burglar-burgle escalation-escalate, mass-produce resurrect, enthuse, audit, lase, peddle, negate, destruct euthanasia, destruction, cobbler, butler 1 He decided to bach it all his life? 2 Plural-singular: pease - pea, statistics—statistic, Syringes (syrinx)— syringe 3 adjective – verb: to laze, to cose, to drowse 4 adjective-noun: gloomy-gloom, greedy-greed, # puppy-pup back-formed from proper nouns: to bant: Sir Frederick Grant Banting, (November 14, 1891 – February 21, 1941) was a Canadian medical scientist, doctor and Nobel laureate noted as one of the co-discoverers of insulin. Bantings discovery is estimated to have saved over 16 million lives, worldwide. to maffick: The immense celebrations in Britain (May 17, 1900) at the news of the relief of the Siege of Mafeking briefly created the verb to maffick, meaning to celebrate both extravagantly and publicly. Maffick was a back-formation from Mafeking, a place-name in South Africa Advantages of back-formation: 1) __________ 2) _________ 3) ___________ 1 Science and technology has an apparent need for verbs changed from nouns by this process. transfect from transfection 2 Linguists: play of words: pensable The comedian George Gobel regularly used original back-form