Words Formation 

English is a dynamic language that is constantly evolving. Many of the words in the English language are derived from ancient Latin and Greek or other European languages such as German or French,  and recently, some Nigerian words have found their way into some English dictionaries.

In English, new ways words are formed are  blending, affixation, clipping, compounding, conversion etc.

The 20th century witnessed the advent of new technologies and cultural explosions that required the formation of new ways to describe new phenomena.

BLENDING

Blending is one of the many ways new words are made.

It refers to joining the beginning of one word and the end of another to make a new word resulting in a new meaning. For instance, as dining out became fashionable; many restaurants began serving a new weekend meal in the late morning. Since it was considered late for breakfast and too early for lunch, someone coined a new word that described a meal that was a little bit of both. Thus, “brunch” was born. New word blends are created all the time as cultural and technological trends emerge.

The word “camcorder,” for example,” combines parts of “camera” and “recorder.” Word blends can also be created by joining a full word with a portion of another word (called a splinter). For example, the word “motorcade” combines “motor” plus a portion of “cavalcade.”

As new inventions changed the way people lived and worked, the practice of combining parts of words to make new ones became popular. In the 1920s, as travelling by car became more common, a new kind of hotel that catered to drivers and their vehicles emerged, thus, we have “motor hotels” that became “motels.” 

When new inventions and changes enter our lives, we name and use them in communication.

Here are some examples of word blends and their roots:

.Like Comment Share