nounformation

Nounformation refers to the set of processes by which nouns are created in a language. In linguistics, noun formation includes derivation, compounding, conversion (zero-derivation), back-formation, and nominalization, and it may also involve abbreviation or clipping in some languages. The resulting nouns can denote agents, objects, places, abstract concepts, or other kinds of entities, and their grammatical behavior—such as countability, plural formation, and determiner compatibility—often reflects their origin.

Derivation creates new nouns by adding affixes to existing words. Examples include -ness to happy to form happiness, -ment to govern to form government, -tion or -sion to inform to form information, -er or -or to teach to form teacher or actor, and -hood or -ship to child or relation. Compounding forms nouns by joining two words, as in blackboard, sunflower, or passport control, sometimes yielding new semantic or functional mixes.

Conversion, or zero-derivation, shifts the syntactic category without changing form. Verbs can become nouns without an overt change, as in a run from run, or a drive from drive, and adjectives can likewise yield nouns in certain contexts. Back-formation creates a new word by removing an apparent affix from an existing word, such as edit from editor; occasionally other examples appear in everyday use or historical change.

Nominalization is the broader process of turning a word, often a verb or adjective, into a noun, frequently via affixation (for example, movement from move, destruction from destroy, or reality from real). Noun formation interacts with morphology, syntax, and semantics, and its productivity varies across languages, contributing to the growth and adaptability of a language’s lexicon.