You might have often wondered how certain small words occasionally appear in a lot of bigger words. The smaller words from which new words are formed are known as roots. In English Grammar, a root refers to a word or word element from which other words are formed, usually by adding prefixes and suffixes. Roots are also known by the name root words.
Root Words in English have their basic roots in Greek and Latin language. It is from root words that new words are shaped. This happens through the addition of a prefix or suffix. So what are prefixes and suffixes?
Affix refers to a string of letters that is added at the start or end of a word. Now let’s see how root words work in English. Have you ever heard of the word ‘Archy’ which means rule? The root word ‘archy’ forms new words with the addition of suffixes and prefixes. Examples include:
From the above example, it’s pretty clear that English root words can be a powerful method to learn multiple English Vocabulary Words at the same time.
1. Root Word: logy
Meaning: a study of something
Words: anthropology, zoology, theology
2. Root Word: cert
Words: certain, certainly, certified
3. Root Word: max
Words: maximum, maximise, maxima
4. Root Word: min
Words: minimal, minimize
5. Root Word: poly
Words: Polygamy, Polyglot
6. Root word: legal
Meaning: relating to the law
Words: Illegal, legalities
7. Root word: meter
Meaning: measure or quantity
Words: millimeter, thermometer, kilometers
8. Root word: norm
Meaning: typical or standard
Words: abnormal, normal, normality
9. Root word: phobia
Meaning: fear
Words: claustrophobia, hydrophobia
10. Root word: act
Meaning: To move or do
Words: acting, enacting
- How to Use Root Words to Form New Words?
- Why Learn Root Words?
- Are Root Words and Base Words the Same?
- Are Root Words Always Simple?
- FAQs on Root Words
- Conclusion
- List, Prefix And Suffix With Meaning and Examples
- What Are Root Words In English Language?
- Origin Of Words In English Language
- Root Words In English List
- Most Common Root Words In English Language
- Latin Origin Words In English Language
- Prefix Words In English List
- Prefix Words In English Grammar
- Suffix Words In English Grammar
- Root Words In English With Meaning
- Recent Posts
- Derivation and inflection
- Derivation and other types of word formation
- Effects on learning
- Morphological Derivation
- What is an Affix?
How to Use Root Words to Form New Words?
Now that you are already familiar with root words, let’s take a look at how root words combine with prefixes and suffixes to form new words.
Take a look at the root word “Act”. You can create a new word by adding the element “reen.” “Reen” is used as a prefix, a component placed in front of a root word thereby changing its meaning. Prefixes at times can create new words that belong to a different class. So, from the noun “act,” we form the verb, “to reenact,” which means to act or perform something a second time.
You can add elements to the end of a root word. For instance, take the word “acting.” The suffix “ing” changes the noun “act” into an adjective. Suffixes are placed after the root word i.e. at the last. Prefixes and suffixes are altogether known as affixes.
Why Learn Root Words?
Does understanding of root words matter? Absolutely yes! Given below are some of the benefits of knowing root words:
Root words help you identify the meaning of a bigger, multisyllabic word by breaking it down into smaller units. Example: The word “Disrespectfully” can be broken down to dis-respect-ful-ly. This means something like “not-respect-full-of + adverb,”. This understanding serves as a great starting point for analyzing the meaning.
When you can identify a root word, prefix and suffix, you will be better equipped to build new words and expand your vocabulary. For example: “port” is a root word that means “to carry” or “to move”. Many new words are formed by adding prefixes and suffixes to the root word. Such words include transport, portable, teleportation, deport or export etc.
Expanding your vocabulary in turn helps you develop your comprehension, reading and writing skills. Root words, particularly those from other languages, help you learn about how a language evolved, how it is connected to other languages, and what important historical impacts resulted in its changes.
Are Root Words and Base Words the Same?
Base words are identical to root words, but they are not the same. A base word can be considered a standalone English word. A base word can also form other words by using prefixes and suffixes. However, root words cannot always be used as independent words.
Are Root Words Always Simple?
Most of the root words have a meaning of their own. That meaning conforms to the new word made from it. However, be cautious as this is not always the case. Some root word varieties make less sense.
If you were to infer the meaning of apology based on root words alone, you might get the impression that it means “away from speech.” However, that is not a very apt description for a word that expresses regret or remorse. Hence understanding the meaning of the roots never ensures that you always have the most appropriate or clear definition.
FAQs on Root Words
1) What are some of the common root words?
A root word refers to a word or word element from which other words are formed, usually by adding prefixes and suffixes. Some of the common root words include act, friend, semi, max, min etc.
2) Do all words have roots?
In most cases, a word will have at least one root. It is from the root word that new words are coined. However, words can also be made up of more than one root. Example: geology- the root words are geo and logy.
3) What are prefixes and suffixes?
A root refers to a word or word element from which other words are formed, usually by adding prefixes and suffixes. Prefix refers to a word that is added before the root word.
Example: befriend- root word- friend and prefix added is “be”
On the other hand, suffixes are added after the root word. Example: friendly- root word- friend and suffix- “ly”.
Conclusion
Mastering the concept of root words can be helpful to you in numerous ways. If you take some time to learn root words and the most common affixes, you’ll enhance your vocabulary more than you can imagine. Learning root words will help you create new words by the addition of affixes.
You can also deconstruct a bigger word to learn its meaning if you are well versed in root words. On the whole, root words serve as an important lesson that helps you understand how words are formed. Check out our articles on How to Improve your Vocabulary and never struggle while speaking the language in search of words.
Viewed structurally words appear to be divisible into smaller units which are called morphemes. Morphemes do not occur as free forms but only as constituents of words. The morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit of form. Morphemes cannot be segmented into smaller units without losing their constitutive essence, i.e. association of a certain meaning with a certain sound pattern. Morphemes can have different phonetic shapes, e.g. in such words as ‘please, pleasure, pleasant’ the same morpheme ‘pleas-‘ has different phonetic shapes and these various representations of the morpheme are called allomorphs, or morphemic variants.
Classification of morphemes (semantic and structural). Free and bound morphemes.
Structurally morphemes fall into three types: 1) free morphemes; 2) bound morphemes; 3) semi-bound, or semi-free, morphemes.
Free morphemes are those that coincide with the stem or a word-form. For example, the root-morpheme youth- of the adjective youthful is a free morpheme as it coincides with one of the forms of the word youth.
A bound morpheme occurs only as a constituent part of a word. Affixes are bound morphemes for they always make part of a word, e.g. the suffixes –ment, -ness in the words government, kindness, or the prefixes un-, il- in the words unreal, illegal.
Some root morphemes also belong to the class of bound morphemes. They are as a rule roots which can be found in a small number of words such as goose- in gooseberry or –ceive in conceive, or for example, the word telephone consists of two bound roots of Greek origin – tele- and –phone.
Semi-bound morphemes can function in a morphemic sequence both as an affix and as a free morpheme, e.g. the morphemes well, half, proof are free morphemes coinciding with the stem and the word-form in the word utterances to sing well, half a loaf, the proof of the pudding, on the other hand they occur as bound morphemes in the words well-educated, half-known, waterproof.
Types of words: simple, derived, compound and compound-derived.
According to the number of morphemes words are classified into monomorphic and polymorphic ones. Monomorphic, or root-words, consist only of one root-morpheme (little, doll, baby, make).
Root words mostly belong to the original English stock or to earlier borrowings, such as house, room, book, work, port, street, pen. Modern English has been greatly enlarged by the type of word-building called conversion, e.g. to hand< a hand, to can< a can, to pale < pale (adj.), a go< to go etc.
Polymorphic words according to the number of root-morphemes are classified into a) monoradical, containing one root-morpheme and b) polyradical, consisting of two or more roots.
Monoradical words fall into:
1) radical-suffixal words, such as acceptable, acceptability;
2) radical-prefixal words, such as unbutton, reread;
3) prefixo-radical-suffixal words, such as disagreeable, misinterpretation.
Words which consist of a root and an affix (or several affixes) are called derived words, or derivatives, and are produced by the process of word-building known as affixation or derivation.
Derived words are numerous in the English language successfully competing with root words.
Polyradical words fall into:
1) polyradical words consisting of two or more roots with no affixational morphemes, such as bookstall, lampshade;
2) polyradical words containing at least two roots and one or more affixational morphemes, such as safety-pin, handwriting.
This wide-spread word structure is a compound word consisting of two or more stems, i.e. part of the word formed by a root and an affix /affixes. In English words roots and stems can often coincide, e.g. dining-room, bluebell, mother-in-law etc. words of this type are produced by the word-building process called composition.
Such words as ‘pram, flu, doc, M.P., H-bomb’ are called shortenings, contractions or curtailed words and are produced by the way of word-building called shortening, or contraction.
Root-words, derivatives, compounds and shortenings represent the main structural types of modern English words and conversion, derivation and composition are the most productive ways of word-building.
Classification of compounds.
According to the relations between the ICs compound words fall into two classes: 1) coordinative compounds and 2) subordinative compounds.
In coordinative compounds the two ICs are semantically equally important. There are three groups in coordinative compounds:
a) reduplicative compounds which are made up by the repetition of the same base, e.g. pooh-pooh, fifty-fifty;
b) compounds formed by joining the phonetically variated rhythmic twin forms, e.g. chit-chat, zig-zag, walkie-talkie, dilly-dally, riff-raff, ping-pong;
c) additive compounds which are built on stems of the independently functioning words of the same part of speech, e.g. actor-manager, queen-bee.
In subordinative compounds the components are neither structurally nor semantically equal in importance but are based on the domination of the head member which is as a rule the second IC, e.g. stone-deaf, age-long. The second IC preconditions the part-of-speech meaning of the whole compound.
According to the part of speech compounds represent, they fall into: 1) compound nouns, e.g. sunrise, housemaid; 2) compound adjectives, e.g. care-free, far-going; 3) compound pronouns, e.g. somebody, anybody; 4) compound adverbs, e.g. nowhere, inside; 5) compound verbs, e.g. to bypass, to mass-produce.
However synchronically compound verbs correspond to the definition of a compound as a word consisting of two free stems and functioning in the sentence as a separate lexical unit.
According to the means of composition compound words are classified into: 1) compounds composed without connecting elements, e.g. backache, school girl; 2) compounds composed with the help of a linking vowel or consonant, e.g. salesgirl, handicraft; 3) compounds composed with the help of linking elements represented by preposition or conjunction stems, e.g. son-in-law, pepper-and-salt.
According to the type of bases that form compounds two classes can be singled out: 1) compounds proper that are formed by joining together bases built on the stems or on the word-forms with or without a linking element, e.g. door-step, street-fighting; 2) derivational compounds that are formed by joining affixes to the bases built on the word-groups or by converting the bases built on the word-groups into other parts of speech, e.g. blue-eyed < (blue eyes) + -ed, a turnkey< (to turn key) + conversion. Thus derivational compounds fall into two groups: a) derivational compounds mainly formed with the help of suffixes –ed and –er applied to bases built on attributive phrases, e.g. doll-faced, left-hander; b) derivational compounds formed by conversion applied to bases built on three types of phrases – verbal-adverbial (a breakdown), verbal-nominal (a kill-joy) and attributive (a sweet-tooth).
Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!
To begin with, it should be pointed out that Morphology as a branch
of Lx deals with word formation but not with word change.
Words consisting of a root and an affix (or several affixes) are called DERIVED words or DERIVATIVES and are produced in the process of word-building known as AFFIXATION (DERIVATION).
Another frequent structural type is the ROOT word. Many of these words belong to the original English stock or to earlier borrowings. In Modern English this class of words has been enlarged by the type of word-building known as CONVERSION. e.g. hand – to hand, can – to can, pale – to pale, to find – a find.
Another widely spread word-structure is a COMPOUND word consisting of two or more stems (roots): dining-room, cell phone, mother-in-law. Words of this structural type are produced in the word-building process called COMPOSITION.
This process consists in coining a new word by adding an affix or several affixes to some root morpheme. From the etymological point of view affixes are classified into native and borrowed. Consider examples of some native affixes. Noun-forming a.: -er, -ness, -ing, -dom, -hood, -ship, — th; adjective-forming a.: -ful, -less, -y, -ish, —ly, -en, -some; adverb/verb-forming: en, -ly. Cf. borrowed affixes: -um, -us, -ct – Latin; ism/ist – Greek; -ous, -able – French, etc.
Affixes can be also classified into productive and non-productive. We find productive affixes in NEOLOGISMS and NONCE-WORD: a lookER, a bed-sittER, a worriER, carpetING, partyING, comfY, boyISH, youngISH, stylISH, promotABLE, spreadABLE, achievABLE, strollABLE, activIST, situationIST, readerSHIP, etc.
Productive affixes should not be mixed up with frequents affixes, like –ful (beautiful).
It should be noted that NEGATIVE AFFIXES, PREFIXES, in particular, play a special role in English word-building. Some of them are native productive: -less, un-, in-(-il, -im,-ir), mis; others are borrowed: dis-, de-, anti-, counter-, etc.
UN- and IN- and how not to mix them up: un- is added to adjectives and adjectivised verbs ending in -able (unreadable), -ed (unabridged), -ing (unwilling, unpaying), -like (unmanlike), etc. While IN- will be typically added to words of foreign origin: curable — incurable, justice, injustice (but unjust), correct — incorrect, credible — incredible, etc.
The most productive SEMI-AFFIXES are: -proof, -wise-, -like (desert-like, prison-like), -man, man- (barman, computer-man; man-destroying, man-devised), conscious, mania (Obama-mania), phobia (technophobia), etc.
Minor types of word-building .
Although considered to be a minor type of word-building, SHORTENING/ABBREVIATING is very productive in modern English.
Morphological shortening (clipping) — new words are produced from words by omitting part of their phonemic framing: story (history), fence (defence), fancy (fantasy). They are marked as colloquial and slangy .: lab, exam, prep, group rep, lino, prof, lit, specs, teach, info, hi-fi (high fidelity), pro (professional), etc.
Abbreviating of words: bldg. for building, doz. for dozen, govt. for government;
Abbreviating of phrases/sentences: the UNO, WTO, GMT, the EU, DST, C.O.D. — cash on delivery, etc.
Acronymy (resulting in abbreviations of phrases/sentences functioning as
List, Prefix And Suffix With Meaning and Examples
Root Words In English Language PDF: The majority of English words are created by starting with simple words and embellishing them with various prefixes and suffixes. Learning the root words in English with meaning and examples PDF will help you remember things easily. These root words in English examples will help you score well in the verbal ability section of all competitive exams. Learn this list of root words in English for bank exams, SSC, RRB, and UPSC exams. Also, aspirants who want to ace their verbal ability section and those who aspire to improve their English vocabulary skills and those who are in search of root words in English grammar, root words in English PDF download, root words in English with Hindi meaning, English root words list PDF, prefix and suffix words in English PDF, list of all root words in English PDF, root word PDF in Hindi, root word meaning in English grammar, total root words in English language, greek root words in English language, the example of root word in English grammar, most common root words in English language, the origin of words in English language, Latin origin words in English language, french origin words in English language, greek origin words in English list can proceed through this article for complete details on root words for vocabulary PDF, prefix and suffix words in English list.
Moreover, it is possible to define root words in English vocabulary as whole words that cannot be divided further. It can develop its meaning without using the English language’s suffixes and prefixes. Learn root words for English vocabulary PDF and enhance your vocab skills by understanding the meaning of the root words in English grammar definition. In order to create several English words, basic words are combined with various prefixes and suffixes. Given the depth and Comprehensive nature of the English language, it is challenging to learn every word’s definition. Hence, root words in English vocabulary PDF can make it simple for you to comprehend what all of the words mean with this root words in English pdf. As a result, the root words in English list provided in this article will include root words in English with meaning. For easy preparation, candidates will also be able to download the root words pdf. Get to know the root words in English prefix and suffix lists with meaning and examples in this article. Also, root words in English with Hindi meaning given helps you understand the concept at your convenience.
English Language Free PDF
What Are Root Words In English Language?
Check the root words in English pdf along with the origin of root words in English vocabulary below.
Origin Of Words In English Language
Each word’s background must be understood in order to comprehend language. Because it is a synthesis of all widely spoken languages, including Spanish, Latin, Greek, and others, English is regarded as a world language. The aspirants’ ability to decipher the meaning of new terms as they are encountered will be made easier by having knowledge of the fundamental words. Check out the list of prefixes suffixes root words and their meanings with Latin origin words in English language, french origin words in English language, greek origin words in English, etc., by referring to the details provided below.
A root word is a word that, when combined with other words, creates new words (prefixes or suffixes). It is the word’s most fundamental component. The fundamental components of roots are either added or removed to create new words. Knowing the common root terms will let you to make educated guesses about the meaning of unfamiliar words, which will improve your vocabulary. The root meaning in English word is a word in its own right.
English Root Words PDF: A list of root words in English PDF is provided with prefix words in English list. Candidates can get to know the English root words prefixes and suffixes and root words in English with Hindi meaning through the root words in English with meaning and examples PDF given below. Utilize these root words in English for SSC CGL, CHSL, bank exams, and other competitive exams. Also, get to know the root words in English with meaning and examples in this PDF. Aspirants preparing for competitive exams can improve their vocabulary by learning the most common root words in English language given here in this list of root words of English PDF. Candidates in search of English root words list PDF, prefix and suffix words in English PDF, root words of English PDF, list of all root words in English PDF, root words for vocabulary PDF, how to learn root words for English vocabulary PDF, root words in English with meaning and examples PDF can utilize this root words in English PDF given below.
List Of Root Words In English PDF Download
Root Words In English List
Here we have added the prefix and suffix words in English list for understanding the root words in English in detail. The root word for English words can be found by keeping in mind the basic Root Words In English and their meanings. Also, download the root words in English pdf provided above for effective preparation. Refer to the example of root word in English grammar with the list of words and their meanings tabulated below.
Root Words In English With Meaning:
Root Words In English With Meaning: «Bad or evil»
Root Words In English With Meaning: «Fear or dislike»
Root Words In English With Meaning: «Opposite or against»
Root Words In English With Meaning: «to study something»
Root Words List: Here we have added a list of other root words in English with meanings and sample words.
Most Common Root Words In English Language
Root Words List: Here we have added the words with prefix suffix and root for your reference. Aspirants in search of greek origin words in English list, Latin origin words in English language, french origin words in English language.
Latin Origin Words In English Language
Affixes are morphemes that are added to a base word to change its meaning. They consist of prefixes and suffixes. Prefixes are placed at the beginning of a word, while suffixes are placed at the end. The majority of prefixes and suffixes in English are one or two syllables long, with the exception of the three-syllable suffix -ology. The -s and -‘s suffixes only add the ess sound to the end of a word; they are not even full syllables. Prefixes and suffixes both aid in vocabulary growth and writing proficiency, but only suffixes are employed for grammatical operations like verb conjugation and noun pluralization.
Prefix Words In English List
A prefix is a one- to three-syllable affix that is used to modify the meaning of a base word. For instance, the word impossible, which signifies «not possible,» is created by prefixing the basic word possible with the im- prefix. Understanding prefixes can significantly increase your vocabulary and reading comprehension because they are a common component of English.
Prefix Words In English Grammar
Suffixes are letters that are appended to a base word to alter its word type, conjugation, or other grammatical characteristics like plurality. In English, suffixes are important for writing and reading comprehension in addition to grammar.
Suffix Words In English Grammar
Candidates in search of 20 root words with prefixes and suffixes and are looking for additional root words in English grammar can refer to the root words in English prefixes and suffixes with meaning and examples provided here in this article.
Root Words In English With Meaning
Q. What are the examples of root words?
Q. What are root words in English / Define root word in English grammar?
Q. How many English root words are there / How many root words in English language?
In the English language, there are almost 100+ root words that have been identified, which are commonly originated from Greek and Latin.
Q. How to find prefixes suffixes and root words?
Prefixes function as modifiers and occur before root words. A word’s root determines its primary meaning and can be joined to other roots, prefixes, and suffixes. After the root word, suffixes function as modifiers.
Q. Where can I download the list of prefixes suffixes and root words PDF?
Candidates can download the root words in English vocabulary PDF, English root words list PDF, prefix and suffix words in English PDF, root words of English pdf, list of root words in English pdf, root word pdf in Hindi and list of prefixes suffixes and root words PDF can refer to the article given here.
Recent Posts
SSC MTS Eligibility Criteria 2023: Check Educational Qualification & Age LimitJul 05 2023SSC MTS Books 2023: Check SSC MTS Book PDF Free DownloadJul 05 2023RBI Grade B Shift Timings 2023: Time Duration, Reporting Time and General InstructionsJul 05 2023
Morphological derivation, in linguistics, is the process of forming a new word from an existing word, often by adding a prefix or suffix, such as un- or -ness. For example, unhappy and happiness derive from the root word happy.
Here are examples of English derivational patterns and their suffixes:
When derivation occurs without any change to the word, such as in the conversion of the noun breakfast into the verb to breakfast, it’s known as conversion, or zero derivation.
Derivation and inflection
Derivation can be contrasted with inflection, in that derivation produces a new word (a distinct lexeme), whereas inflection produces grammatical variants (or forms) of the same word.
A derivation can produce a lexeme with a different part of speech but does not necessarily. For example, the derivation of the word «uncommon» from «common» + un- (a derivational morpheme) does not change its part of speech (both are adjectives).
A non-exhaustive list of derivational morphemes in English: -ful, -able, im-, un-, -ing, -er
A non-exhaustive list of inflectional morphemes in English: -er, -est, -ing, -en, -ed, -s
Derivation and other types of word formation
Derivation can be contrasted with other types of word formation such as compounding. For full details see Word formation.
Derivational patterns differ in the degree to which they can be called productive. A productive pattern or affix is one that is commonly used to produce novel forms. For example, the negating prefix un- is more productive in English than the alternative in-; both of them occur in established words (such as unusual and inaccessible), but faced with a new word which does not have an established negation, a native speaker is more likely to create a novel form with un- than with in-. The same thing happens with suffixes. For example, if comparing two words Thatcherite and Thatcherist, the analysis shows that both suffixes -ite and -ist are productive and can be added to proper names, moreover, both derived adjectives are established and have the same meaning. But the suffix -ist is more productive and, thus, can be found more often in word formation not only from proper names.
The root is conventionally indicated using the mathematical symbol √; for instance, the Sanskrit root «» means the root «».
The root of a word is a unit of meaning (morpheme) and, as such, it is an abstraction, though it can usually be represented alphabetically as a word. For example, it can be said that the root of the English verb form running is run, or the root of the Spanish superlative adjective amplísimo is ampli-, since those words are derived from the root forms by simple suffixes that do not alter the roots in any way. In particular, English has very little inflection and a tendency to have words that are identical to their roots. But more complicated inflection, as well as other processes, can obscure the root; for example, the root of mice is mouse (still a valid word), and the root of interrupt is, arguably, rupt, which is not a word in English and only appears in derivational forms (such as disrupt, corrupt, rupture, etc.). The root rupt can be written as if it were a word, but it is not.
This distinction between the word as a unit of speech and the root as a unit of meaning is even more important in the case of languages where roots have many different forms when used in actual words, as is the case in Semitic languages. In these, roots (semitic roots) are formed by consonants alone, and speakers elaborate different words (belonging potentially to different parts of speech) from the root by inserting different vowels. For example, in Hebrew, the root ג-ד-ל g-d-l represents the idea of largeness, and from it we have gadol and gdola (masculine and feminine forms of the adjective «big»), gadal «he grew», higdil «he magnified» and magdelet «magnifier», along with many other words such as godel «size» and migdal «tower».
Secondary roots are roots with changes in them, producing a new word with a slightly different meaning. In English, a rough equivalent would be to see conductor as a secondary root formed from the root to conduct. In abjad languages, the most familiar of which are Arabic and Hebrew, in which families of secondary roots are fundamental to the language, secondary roots are created by changes in the roots’ vowels, by adding or removing the long vowels a, i, u, e and o. (Notice that Arabic does not have the vowels e and o.) In addition, secondary roots can be created by prefixing (m−, t−), infixing (−t−), or suffixing (−i, and several others). There is no rule in these languages on how many secondary roots can be derived from a single root; some roots have few, but other roots have many, not all of which are necessarily in current use.
Consider the Arabic language:
According to Ghil’ad Zuckermann, «this process is morphologically similar to the production of frequentative (iterative) verbs in Latin, for example:
Consider the root √š-m-n (ש-מ-נ).
Although all words vary semantically, the general meaning of a greasy, fatty material can be attributed to the root.
- «Root». Glossary of Linguistic Terms. 3 December 2015.
- Kemmer, Suzanne. «Words in English: Structure». Words in English. Retrieved 2018.
Effects on learning
Derivatives are extremely useful. They’re one of the most powerful tools we can use to build our vocabulary quickly and easily. Derivatives are the product, extension, or object taken from a separate root origin. The word derivative comes from the verb “derive”, which means the action of having or taking something from an underlying source.
Here are a few examples of derivatives in daily life:
In language, derivatives are words formed from other “root” words. They’re often used to transform their root word into a different grammatical category. For example, making a verb into a noun.
Or an adjective into an adverb. But there are many more things Derivatives do too. There three main types of linguistic derivatives, which we’ll discuss in this post, namely: Morphological Derivation, Inflection, and Etymological Derivation
Morphological Derivation
Morphological Derivation is when we change a root (base) word using letter structures called affixes. There are always at least two parts to a derivative word. For example: childish = child (root) + -ish (affix).
What is an Affix?
Affixes are groups of letters stuck to a word which changes its meaning. When we place them in front of the word, they’re called a prefix. When placed at the back, they’re known as a suffix.
Here are a few examples:
Honest = a root word meaning to speak the truth.
Dis- = a prefix used to create a negative.
Dis+ Honest = dishonest = a derivative of honest that means not to speak the truth.
Honor = a root word meaning high respect.
-able = a suffix meaning that something is possible or can be done.
Honor + able = honorable = a derivative of honor meaning something or someone that is respected.
Pre – before
Inter – between
Ir-,Im-,In- negative/not
Uni – one
Trans – Across or beyond
Tri – three
-dom a place or state of being
-ity, -ty quality of
-ment condition of
-fy, -ify to make or become
-ful notable for
Inflection is when we change a root word to adhere to grammatical rules to illustrate tenses, gender, number, person, and mood. Similarly to derivatives, inflection makes uses of affixes to alter each word.
The difference between derivation and inflection is that inflection doesn’t change the word’s category, whereas derivation does. Here are a few examples of inflection:
Jump – jumped. Inflection for past tense.
Swim – swimming. Inflection for progressive tense.
Pencil – pencils Inflection for number of objects
Etymology is the study of word origins. English is a melting pot of various languages, predominately Old German, Latin, Greek, and French. (visited a café, lately?) Etymological Derivation is when a modern English word originates from a different root word. In truth, all modern English language could be considered Etymological derivation.
Physics: derived from the Greek word Phusis, meaning nature.
Happy: derived from the Viking word Hap, meaning luck.
Tree: derived from the old English word Treo.
How well do you know Derivatives?
Now that you’ve learned all about Derivatives, can you tell us how many derivatives are in the first two sentences? List them in the comment section below.
P.s. Did you know?
The word “derivative” is used in a negative way in the art world where is means to copy someone else’s work.
