Word Formation Analysis Templates: Morphology Deep Dive

Template for Compounding Analysis

The word [TARGET WORD] can be illustrated in the following context: "[EXAMPLE SENTENCE USING THE WORD]"

[TARGET WORD] is an example of compounding, a word-formation process in which the combination of [COMPONENT ELEMENTS] (e.g., two free morphemes, two roots) functions both semantically and grammatically as a single unit. This term, therefore, illustrates a major morphological process.

Detailed Morphological Structure

• Grammatical Class: [TARGET WORD] is a [GRAMMATICAL CLASS OF THE TERM] (e.g., nominal compound, adjectival compound).
• Composition: It is made up of [DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUCTURE] (e.g., two free forms: the noun X and the verb Y; or the adjective X and the noun Y).
• Structural Type: It follows a [TYPE OF STRUCTURE] structure (e.g., modifier-head, head-modifier). The left-hand member [LEFT MEMBER] modifies the right-hand member or head of the compound, [RIGHT MEMBER/HEAD].

Semantic and Orthographic Classification

• Semantic Type: The term is [SEMANTIC TYPE] (e.g., endocentric, exocentric, metaphorical). [EXPLAIN THE SEMANTIC MEANING] (e.g., the entity the compound refers to is found within the compound itself, or the meaning is metaphorical, as the literal meaning does not apply).
• Orthography: [TARGET WORD] is an [ORTHOGRAPHIC TYPE] compound (e.g., solid, open/separated, hyphenated). [ORTHOGRAPHIC DETAILS].
• Register: [TARGET WORD] belongs to [REGISTER] (e.g., Standard English, slang, technical language).

Template for Derivation Analysis

The word [TARGET WORD] can be illustrated in the following context: "[EXAMPLE SENTENCE USING THE WORD]"

[TARGET WORD] is an example of derivation, a word-formation process in which the addition of [COMPONENT ELEMENTS] (e.g., a prefix, a suffix) to an existing base changes its grammatical class or its meaning. This term illustrates a major morphological process.

Analyzing the Derivational Structure

• Grammatical Class: [TARGET WORD] is a [GRAMMATICAL CLASS OF THE TERM] (e.g., noun, adjective, verb).
• Formation: It is formed by [DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUCTURE] (e.g., the root X and the suffix Y; or the prefix X and the base Y).
• Base and Affix: The base element [BASE FORM] (the base word or root) combines with the affix [AFFIX] (e.g., the suffix -ness, the prefix un-) to form the new word.
• Effect of Affix: The addition of this affix results in [EFFECT OF AFFIX] (e.g., a change in grammatical class from adjective to noun, or the negation of the meaning).

Semantic Meaning and Productivity

• Semantic Type: The term has a [SEMANTIC MEANING TYPE] meaning (e.g., a state, a quality, a reverse action). [EXPLAIN THE SEMANTIC MEANING] (e.g., it means "the quality of being X," or "the action of doing the opposite of Y").
• Productivity: The affix used in [TARGET WORD] is [PRODUCTIVITY LEVEL] (e.g., highly productive, moderately productive, unproductive). [PRODUCTIVITY DETAILS].
• Register: [TARGET WORD] belongs to [REGISTER] (e.g., Standard English, formal, academic).

Template for Clipping Analysis

The word [TARGET WORD] can be illustrated in the following context: "[EXAMPLE SENTENCE USING THE WORD]"

[TARGET WORD] is an example of clipping, a word-formation process in which [COMPONENT ELEMENTS] (e.g., a part of a longer word) is removed from an existing word without changing its meaning or grammatical class. This term illustrates a morphological process.

Structural Details of Clipping

• Grammatical Class: [TARGET WORD] is a [GRAMMATICAL CLASS OF THE TERM] (e.g., noun).
• Source Word: It is shortened from the longer word [ORIGINAL WORD].
• Clipping Type: The process involved [TYPE OF CLIPPING] (e.g., fore-clipping, back-clipping, middle-clipping) of the original word.
• Parts Retained/Removed: [RETAINED PART] has been retained, and [ELIMINATED PART] has been removed. (E.g., in flu (influenza), the back part was clipped.)

Semantic Relation and Register

• Semantic Relation: [TARGET WORD] is [SEMANTIC RELATION] (e.g., a synonym, a shortened variant) of [ORIGINAL WORD]. [EXPLAIN THE SEMANTIC MEANING] (e.g., it retains the same meaning as the original word but is used more frequently in certain contexts).
• Register: [TARGET WORD] belongs to [REGISTER] (e.g., informal, Standard English). [REGISTER DETAILS] (e.g., it is a more relaxed way of referring to the concept).

Template for Acronymy and Initialism

The word [TARGET WORD] can be illustrated in the following context: "[EXAMPLE SENTENCE USING THE WORD]"

[TARGET WORD] is an example of acronymy/initialism, a word-formation process in which the combination of [COMPONENT ELEMENTS] (e.g., the initials of a phrase or name) is used as a single term. This term illustrates a morphological process.

Structure and Pronunciation

• Grammatical Class: [TARGET WORD] is a [GRAMMATICAL CLASS OF THE TERM] (e.g., noun).
• Source Phrase: It is formed from the full phrase [ORIGINAL PHRASE].
• Formation: [TARGET WORD] is formed from the [INITIAL LETTERS] of each key word in the phrase.
• Type and Pronunciation: It is an [TYPE OF ACRONYM/INITIALISM] (e.g., acronym—read as a word—, initialism—spelled out letter by letter) because [EXPLANATION OF PRONUNCIATION] (e.g., it is pronounced as a single word, or each letter is pronounced individually).

Semantics, Orthography, and Register

• Semantic Relation: [TARGET WORD] has a [SEMANTIC RELATION] meaning (e.g., identical, specialized) compared to its source phrase. [EXPLAIN THE SEMANTIC MEANING] (e.g., it denotes the same entity as the full phrase in a more concise way).
• Orthography: [TARGET WORD] is often written in [ORTHOGRAPHIC TYPE] (e.g., all caps with no periods, all caps with periods, lowercase). [ORTHOGRAPHIC DETAILS].
• Register: [TARGET WORD] belongs to [REGISTER] (e.g., technical language, governmental, general).

Template for Blending Analysis

The word [TARGET WORD] can be illustrated in the following context: "[EXAMPLE SENTENCE USING THE WORD]"

[TARGET WORD] is an example of blending, a word-formation process in which [COMPONENT ELEMENTS] (e.g., parts of two different words) are combined to form a new word that incorporates semantic aspects of both. This term illustrates a morphological process.

Structural Composition of Blends

• Grammatical Class: [TARGET WORD] is a [GRAMMATICAL CLASS OF THE TERM] (e.g., noun).
• Source Words: It is formed by taking parts of the words [FIRST ORIGINAL WORD] and [SECOND ORIGINAL WORD].
• Combination: [TARGET WORD] results from the combination of [FIRST PART OF BLEND] (usually the first part of the first word) and [SECOND PART OF BLEND] (usually the last part of the second word), or an overlap of both.

Semantic Meaning and Context

• Semantic Type: The term is [SEMANTIC TYPE] (e.g., additive, overlapping). [EXPLAIN THE SEMANTIC MEANING] (e.g., it combines the concepts of X and Y, creating a meaning that is the sum or fusion of both).
• Novelty and Context: Blends are often [NOVELTY LEVEL] (e.g., neologisms, established words) and reflect a [CULTURAL/TECHNICAL CONTEXT] (e.g., cultural trend, technological advance).
• Register: [TARGET WORD] belongs to [REGISTER] (e.g., Standard English, informal, journalistic). [REGISTER DETAILS].