English language Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Word-formation processes === English forms new words from existing words or roots in its vocabulary through a variety of processes. One of the most productive processes in English is conversion,{{sfn|Crystal|2003b|p=129}} using a word with a different grammatical role, for example using a noun as a verb or a verb as a noun. Another productive word-formation process is nominal compounding,{{sfn|Algeo|1999}}{{sfn|Kastovsky|2006}} producing compound words such as ''babysitter'' or ''ice cream'' or ''homesick''.{{sfn|Crystal|2003b|p=129}} A process more common in Old English than in Modern English, but still productive in Modern English, is the use of derivational suffixes (''-hood'', ''-ness'', ''-ing'', ''-ility'') to derive new words from existing words (especially those of Germanic origin) or stems (especially for words of [[list of Latin words with English derivatives|Latin]] or [[English words of Greek origin|Greek origin]]). Formation of new words, called [[neologism]]s, based on [[list of Greek and Latin roots in English|Greek and/or Latin roots]] (for example ''television'' or ''optometry'') is a highly productive process in English and in most modern European languages, so much so that it is often difficult to determine in which language a neologism originated. For this reason, American lexicographer [[Philip Gove]] attributed many such words to the "[[international scientific vocabulary]]" (ISV) when compiling ''[[Webster's Third New International Dictionary]]'' (1961). Another active word-formation process in English is the creation of [[acronym]]s,{{sfn|Crystal|2003b|pp=120β121}} words formed by pronouncing abbreviations of longer phrases as single words, e.g. ''[[NATO]]'', ''[[laser]]'', ''[[Scuba set|scuba]]''. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page