Woordensamenstelling

Woordensamenstelling, also known as compounding, is a linguistic process where two or more existing words are combined to form a new, single word with a meaning that is often, but not always, a combination of the meanings of its constituent parts. This is a productive way of forming new words in many languages, including Dutch and German, where it is particularly prevalent.

In Dutch, for instance, "tafelpoot" (table leg) is formed by combining "tafel" (table) and "poot" (leg). The meaning of "tafelpoot" is directly derived from the meanings of "tafel" and "poot". Similarly, "boekenwurm" (bookworm) combines "boek" (book) and "wurm" (worm). The resulting word refers to someone who reads a lot. The first word in a compound often modifies or specifies the second word.

The structure of a compound word can vary. It can be a noun followed by a noun, an adjective followed by a noun, or even a verb followed by a noun, though these are less common. The stress in compound words typically falls on the first element, which helps to distinguish them from phrases. For example, in "boekenwurm", the emphasis is on "boe-".

While most compound words have meanings that are transparently derived from their components, some can develop idiomatic meanings that are not immediately obvious. For example, "zonderling" (eccentric, odd) is a compound of "zon" (sun) and "ling" (a suffix indicating something), but its modern meaning is not directly related to the sun. Understanding the context and the historical development of words is often necessary to fully grasp the meaning of certain compounds.