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wordforming

Word formation, or word-formation, refers to the processes by which new words are created from existing morphemes or words, so as to expand a language's lexicon. It is a component of morphology and is distinct from inflection, which adapts a word for grammatical purposes.

Major word-formation processes include derivation (adding affixes such as -ness in happiness or -able in readable),

Productivity varies: some processes readily generate new words that gain acceptance, while others produce only obscure

Cross-linguistic variation means word formation differs across languages: some rely heavily on affixation (as in many

compounding
(greenhouse,
bookshelf),
blending
(brunch
from
breakfast
+
lunch),
clipping
(fridge
from
refrigerator),
conversion
or
zero-derivation
(to
text
someone
from
text
as
a
noun),
back-formation
(edit
from
editor),
and
the
creation
of
acronyms
and
initialisms
(NASA,
FBI).
Some
languages
also
routinely
form
words
via
borrowing
and
reinterpretation
across
languages.
forms.
Over
time,
new
word-forms
may
become
lexicalized
and
listed
in
dictionaries.
Word
formation
interacts
with
semantics
and
phonology;
phonotactics
can
constrain
which
affixes
or
compounding
patterns
are
permitted.
Fashionable
or
technical
terms
often
rely
on
derivational
patterns
to
express
new
concepts.
agglutinative
languages),
others
on
compounding,
and
some
blend
multiple
strategies.
Studying
word
formation
helps
explain
how
languages
grow
and
how
meaning
shifts
with
new
words.