一个新词的诞生

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  Have you ever experienced textpectation? According to the Urban Dictionary注, that’s “the anticipation[预期] one feels when waiting for a response[响应] to a text message.” To a linguist[语言学家], textpectation is an example of a blend[缩合] or a portmanteau[混成词] word. Blending is just one of the many ways that new words enter the English language.
  In fact, most new words are actually old words in different forms or with fresh functions. This process of fashioning[造] new words out of old ones is called derivation[派生]—and here are six of the most common types of word formation[构词法].
  你经历过“textpectation(短信焦虑)”吗?根据“城市词典”的解释,那是指“人在等待短信回复时产生的焦虑感”。对于语言学家来说,textpectation就是一个缩合词或混成词的例子。缩合是新词汇加入英语大家庭的众多方式之一。
  大多数新词其实都是旧词,只是形式不同,或者产生了新的用法。这种由旧词造新词的过程称为“派生”。以下是六种最常见的构词法:
  1. Af f ixation 词缀法
  Over half the words in English have been formed by adding prefixes[前缀] and suffixes[后缀] to root words. Recent coinages[创造] of this type include semi-celebrity, subprime, awesomeness, and facebookable.
  英语中过半的词汇都是由词根加上前缀和后缀形成的。最近的这类新造词包括:semi-celebrity(半名流)、subprime(次贷)、awesomeness(极好),还有facebookable(可在“脸谱”上共享的)。
  小贴士:注意例子中的词缀:semi-(表示“半,不完全地”)、sub-(表示“在下,低于,副,次”)、-ness(附在形容词、分词后形成抽象名词,表示“性质、状态、程度”等)、-able(附在动词或名词后构成形容词,表示“能够……的,适于……的,有……趋向的”等)。
  2. Back Formation 逆构词法
  Reversing[倒转] the process of affixation, a back-formation creates a new word by removing an affix from an already existing word: for example, “liaise” from liaison and “enthuse” from enthusiasm.
  逆构词法就是把添加词缀的过程逆转过来,通过移除已有单词的词缀,从而创造新词,例如:从liaison(n. 联络)造出liaise(v. 保持联络),从enthusiasm(n. 热情)造出enthuse(v. 表示热心)。
  3. Blending 缩合法
  A blend or a portmanteau word is formed by merging[合并] the sounds and meanings of two or more other words, such as Frankenfood (a combination[结合] of Frankenstein and food), pixel(picture and element) , and staycation (stay and vacation).
  缩合词或混成词通过融合两个或以上单词的发音和含义,形成新词,例如Frankenfood(由Frankenstein和food融合,“转基因食品”)、pixel(由picture和element融合,“像素”)、staycation(由stay和vacation融合,“宅度假”)。
  4. Clipping 减缩法
  Clippings are shortened forms of words, such as blog (short for web log), zoo (from zoological[动物学的] garden), and flu (from influenza[流行性感冒]).
  减缩法就是将单词缩短,例如blog(web log的减缩,“博客”)、zoo(源自zoological garden,“动物园”)以及flu(来自influenza,“流感”)。
  5. Compounding 复合法
  A compound is a fresh word or expression made up of two or more independent words: office ghost, breakup buddy, backseat surfer.
  复合词是由两个或以上的独立词组成的新词或新的表达方式,如office ghost(本职工作被分配给别人做,神出鬼没、但仍然保有职位的公司员工)、breakup buddy(分手时给你客观意见、帮你做决定的好友)和backseat surfer(上网时在你身后指指点点的人)。
  6. Conversion 转化法
  By this process, new words are formed by changing the grammatical functions of old words, such as turning nouns into verbs: accessorize, party, gaslight.
  转化法通过改变旧词的语法功能来形成新词,比如把名词转化为动词:accessorize(给……附加装饰)、party(开派对)和gaslight(制造一系列假象,让某人以为自己疯了)。
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