engleski

Word-formation processes in new words in English computer terms

The paper analyzes and classifies the words that denote concepts in the field of computers and Internet and which are taken from the series Among the new words published regularly in American Speech. The basic aim was to find out which word-formation processes were involved in forming new words. Theoretical part of the paper focuses on morphology, more precisely on word-formation and the different word-formation processes. The analysis in the second part has shown that in most cases compounding and derivation were involved. 115 of 271 words were formed by compounding. But almost all of this compunds are nouns, and there are only a few verbs and adjectives. Several cases of derivation were also found, 92 words of 271, but here we also have a discrepancy between prefixation and suffixation. Prefixation is far more productive, 76 words of words derived are formed by prefixation. This may be the case because of the new prefix cyber-, meaning (of computers and the Internet), and e-, the clipped/abbreviated forms of electronic/information, serving as prefixes, which were involved in most prefixation processes. A surprising result was the number of blends. Blending belongs to the class of miner word-formation processes, but the analysis has shown that blending was used in 41 cases of forming new words. This may be because, especially in the field of computers, the technology tends to making everything smaller and more compact, and this can also be seen in those words, that are blends, and that denote two or more concepts at the same time, expressed in only one word.

morphological processes; neologism; derivation; prefixation; compounding; suffixation; blending; clipping; metaphorical extensions

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