Theme: Word Formation Processes and the Viability of the Words Created in Your P

Theme: Word Formation Processes and the Viability of the Words Created in Your Project
Length: 3-4 pages
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Standard Margin
You are now all experts on the words that you created for the New Word Project, but how do these compare to other words that have been created by other groups or even the new words that enter a language every year? Which words are likely to survive? Which words will fade away? As we learned in class on Monday, December 6, the words you voted as the best were: “fudgile,” (Pretend to work when you are goofing off), “D-hell’ (nickname for our dining hall because it is terrible), and “worked” (weekend full of doing homework) Why did these words resonate among the members of the class and with other members of the student body? What makes a word durable? Are the word-formation processes that you used productive ones for speakers in general? Does ease of understanding or ease of pronunciation affect the adoption of new words? What about factors such as prestige, solidarity, humor? Do they affect how people adopt new words? You won’t be able to answer all questions in your essay, so you’ll need to find a focus.
Once you find the focus of your essay, you’ll need to read at least two academic papers dealing with word formation. I have listed several below that you are free to use. There is also an ebook entitled, English Lexicogenesis, that also has some helpful chapters. Of course, you are free to search for additional resources. Looking at articles on slang would also provide interesting insights.
Your essay should have an introduction in which you present your thesis, various arguments that provide evidence for your thesis, and a conclusion. You must incorporate information from your outside sources into the essay. Please include the resources used in a bibliography.
Possible Resources
Berg, K. (2020). https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ling-2020-0148/html. (Links to an external site.) Linguistics, 58(4), 1117-1150. https://doi.org/10.1515/ling-2020-0148 (Links to an external site.)
Hosseinzadeh, (2014). New Blends in English Language Download New Blends in English Language. International Journal of English Language and Linguistics Research, 2(2), 15-26. *SEE FILES FOR PDF*
Miller, D.G. English Lexicogenesis. Chapter 5, “Novel Word Crafting Download Novel Word Crafting.” OUP Oxford; 2014. *SEE FILES FOR PDF*
D. Gary Miller. English Lexicogenesis. OUP Oxford; 2014. (available from F&M library as ebook)
Mustafa, Kandasamy, Yasin. (2015). An Analysis of Word Formation Process in Everyday Communication on Facebook Download An Analysis of Word Formation Process in Everyday Communication on Facebook. International Journal of Education and Research, 261-274. *SEE FILES FOR PDF*
Ratih, E., & Gusdian, R. I. (2018). WORD FORMATION PROCESSES IN ENGLISH NEW WORDS OF OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY (OED) ONLINE. Download WORD FORMATION PROCESSES IN ENGLISH NEW WORDS OF OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY (OED) ONLINE. Celtic : A Journal of Culture, English Language Teaching, Literature and Linguistics, 5(2), 24-35. *SEE FILES FOR PDF*
Štekauer, P., Chapman, D., Tomaščíková, S., & Franko, Š. (2005). Word-formation as creativity within productivity constraints: sociolinguistic evidence Download Word-formation as creativity within productivity constraints: sociolinguistic evidence. Onomasiology Online, 6, 1-55. *SEE FILES FOR PDF*
How a Word Gets into the Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/how-does-a-word-get-into-the-dictionary
ten Hacken, P. (2020)Norms, New Words, and Empirical Reality (Links to an external site.), International Journal of Lexicography, Volume 33, Issue 2, Pages 135–149,
https://academic.oup.com/ijl/article/33/2/135/5809092?gclid=CjwKCAiAhreNBhAYEiwAFGGKPMimvyAs9Y6U7D2vT24siGqqaaklx3oN2llwcBt5KYhBDz0auXvCERoC-qQQAvD_BwE
New word project referenced:
We interviewed students from our school who spoke a variety of different languages (Chinese, Nepalese, Japanese, English, etc.) about what types of new words they would like added to the English language. We took these suggestions into account and then came up with our own words inspired by slang and sounds of other words. New words included (drid: sad, nom: mindlessly eat, and chalk: to dust off; to forget about something and move on). We then presented to the class.