Clipping and Word Formation: Types, History & Examples

Clipping and Clipped Forms

The functional can be divided into positive and negative. The causes of shortening sometimes stem from sympathy, familiarity, or affection. For example, when we say granny, we double the “n” (a pet suffix) — that comes from grandmother.

Positive and Negative Clippings

The positive are:

• Dinky — double income, no kids (DINKY).
• Cabbie — the cab driver.
• Cab — cabriolet.
• Hanky — handkerchief.
• Comfy — comfortable.
• Undies — underwear.
• Telly — television.

The negative are:

• Paks, pakkis, pakis — from pakistaní.
• Nig, nigger — from negro (offensive).
• Cops — copper.
• Feds — federales.
• Naks — narcotic.

History and Early Commentary

History. In 1710 Jonathan Swift said that it was a corruption of the English language.

He complained: Rep — representative. Mob — an interesting clipping that comes from ille vulgus (pueblo que se mueve).

Now we have “mobbing” — mobbing escolar, laboral, psicológico. That is a fairly modern term for a phenomenon that is actually old.

Names and Examples

If we consider, for example, Christian names — a very old phenomenon — we have Rodríguez → Rodrigo → Rodri. It can be old, it can be new.

Other clippings: exam — examination; math — mathematics.

Sometimes, in the case of negative forms you have a lot of humor involved. For example:

In student slang we have prof — an abbreviation of professor; doc — doctor.

Soap Operas and Cultural Terms

Soap (opera). “I’m going to see some soaps.” “I like soaps.” (TV series — because series used to be sponsored by detergents.) In Spanish we call them culebrones.

Clippings in Everyday Words

Clippings: shorts — short trousers; pants — pantaloons; mini shorts. Hols, vac — holidays, vacation. Poly — polytechnic college.

Connotation in Clippings

Sometimes we have a connotation in meaning: fun — (from) fanatic; darky — dark; lunch — luncheon.

Classes of Clip Words and Blending

According to morpheme retention (retention), we can talk about:

• Back-clippings → middle-clipping.
• Fore-clippings — Most clippings: the great majority are back-clippings.

Examples of Clippings

For example: lab (laboratory), mike (microphone, Michael), gym, pants (pantaloons), bus, phone (telephone), plane (airplane), chelo (violoncello), van (caravan), varsity (university), shoot (para shoot), dora (Teodora), Tec (hi-tech).

There is a famous middle-clipping:

Flu — from influenza — la gripe.

Fore-clipping: Betty (from Elizabeth).

Phonetic Spelling and Phonology

In clipping we also find a phonetic spelling: heavy, feviata, fevia. Biz — business. Tish — Letitia.

Fridge — refrigerator: we add a “d” to the pronunciation (fridge).

Also we have some changes in the phonology:

Lab, vac with a short “a”, but the full name should be laboratory and vacation with a schwa.

Semantic Changes and Conversion

Some changes in semantics: fan — fanatic.

An interesting issue about the word comic involves conversion (a functional shift) or clipping. It can be both. Sometimes when you have a conversion of an adjective to a noun, it is usually considered a conversion if the underlying concept is very generic (thing or person). If the underlying concept is more specific, that is considered a clipping. Another example is: empties.