Clipping (morphology)
- Clipping (morphology)
-
In linguistics, clipping is the word formation process which consists in the reduction of a word to one of its parts (Marchand:1969). Clipping is also known as "truncation" or "shortening."
According to Marchand (1969)[1], clippings are not coined as words belonging to the standard vocabulary of a language. They originate as terms of a special group like schools, army, police, the medical profession, etc., in the intimacy of a milieu where a hint is sufficient to indicate the whole. For example, exam(ination), math(ematics), and lab(oratory) originated in school slang; spec(ulation) and tick(et = credit) in stock-exchange slang; and vet(eran) and cap(tain) in army slang. While clipping terms of some influential groups can pass into common usage, becoming part of Standard English, clippings of a socially unimportant class or group will remain group slang. In the English language, a shortening that is missing the end of the full word is usually followed by a full stop ("period" in American English) (e.g. Hon.), unless the spoken form is correspondingly shortened, in which case it is written as a normal word (e.g. rhino).[2]
Clipping mainly consists of the following types:- Back clipping
- Fore-clipping
- Middle clipping
- Complex clipping
Contents
Back clipping
Back clipping or apocopation is the most common type, in which the beginning is retained. The unclipped original may be either a simple or a composite. Examples are: ad (advertisement), cable (cablegram), doc (doctor), exam (examination), fax (facsimile), gas (gasoline), gym (gymnastics, gymnasium), memo (memorandum), mutt (muttonhead), pub (public house), pop (popular music).
Fore-clipping
Fore-clipping or aphaeresis retains the final part. Examples: chute (parachute), coon (raccoon), gator (alligator), phone (telephone), pike (turnpike), varsity (university).
Middle clipping
In middle clipping or syncope, the middle of the word is retained. Examples are: flu (influenza), jams or jammies (pajamas/pyjamas), polly (apollinaris), shrink (head-shrinker), tec (detective).
Complex clipping
Clipped forms are also used in compounds. One part of the original compound most often remains intact. Examples are: cablegram (cable telegram), op art (optical art), org-man (organization man), linocut (linoleum cut). Sometimes both halves of a compound are clipped as in navicert (navigation certificate). In these cases it is difficult to know whether the resultant formation should be treated as a clipping or as a blend, for the border between the two types is not always clear. According to Bauer (1983)[3], the easiest way to draw the distinction is to say that those forms which retain compound stress are clipped compounds, whereas those that take simple word stress are not. By this criterion bodbiz, Chicom, Comsymp, Intelsat, midcult, pro-am, sci-fi, and sitcom are all compounds made of clippings.
See also
References
- ^ Marchand, Hans (1969). The Categories and Types of Present-Day English Word-formation. München: C.H.Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.
- ^ "Shortenings". Oxford Dictionaries Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. http://oxforddictionaries.com/page/270. Retrieved 23 November 20010.
- ^ Bauer, Laurie (1983). English Word-Formation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Categories:- Linguistic morphology
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Clipping (linguistics) — Clipping may refer to:*Clipping (phonetics) the process of shortening the articulation of a phonetic segment *Clipping (morphology) the word formation process in which a portion of a longer word is used to produce a clipped word … Wikipedia
Aneurysm — For other uses, see Aneurysm (disambiguation). This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia s quality standards. (Consider using more specific cleanup instructions.) Please help improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain… … Wikipedia
Rebracketing — For the process by which the elements of a word are given new meanings, see Folk etymology. Contents 1 Role in forming new words 2 Examples 3 … Wikipedia
Nova Iguaçu Volcano — This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from … Wikipedia
Product naming — This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the … Wikipedia
Blend — In linguistics, a blend is a word formed from parts of two other words. These parts are sometimes, but not always, morphemes.LinguisticsBlends deal with the action of abridging and then combining various lexemes to form a new word. However, the… … Wikipedia
Mertensia paniculata — Northern Bluebell originating from Clearwater National Forest, Idaho. Scientific classification Kingdom … Wikipedia
Sunda slow loris — Sunda slow loris[1] … Wikipedia
Classical compound — This article needs attention from an expert on the subject. See the talk page for details. WikiProject Combining form may be able to help recruit an expert. (May 2008) This article … Wikipedia
Back-formation — In etymology, back formation refers to the process of creating a new lexeme (less precisely, a new word ) by removing actual or supposed affixes. The resulting neologism is called a back formation , a term coined by James Murray [… … Wikipedia