Knowing the relationships of sound and meaning of each word, we will be able to understand how new words are created in English.

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        Knowing the relationships of sound and meaning of each word, we will be able to understand how new words are created in English. Basically, there are several ways that new words can be created: by inventing a new sound sequence and referring it to a meaning, by altering the meaning of an existing word without altering the pronunciation, or by modify or expanding the sound sequence of an existing word.

        The first way refers to acronyms, which are words formed from the initial letters of a phrase. For instance, IPA is the abbreviation of International Phonetic Alphabet, whereas others, such as NASA from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, are pronounced like words instead of a succession of letter names. Some acronyms are written lowercase, causing people to forget their origins and becoming entire new independent words. For instance, ‘radar’ derives from radio detecting and ranging. Also, parts of words are clipped to become shorter; for example, examination was shortened as ‘exam’, ‘phone’ from telephone, and ‘flu’ from influenza. Last, there are blends which are words made by combining syllables from different words. Examples are ‘motel’ from the first syllable of motor plus the second syllable of hotel, ‘infotainment’ from the first two syllables of information plus the last two syllables of entertainment.

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        Second, the meaning of a word may be generalized, for example, ‘Kleenex’ is originally a brand name for facial tissue. But now it refers to facial tissue in general. ‘Silhouette’, now means dark outline being seen against light, was taken from the name of Etienne de Silhouette. Also, we can change the category of words, such as ‘people’, which is a noun mostly meaning the plural of person, can also be a verb meaning populate a place. Finally, there is the metaphorical extension of existing words, like to ‘chew’ on an idea meaning to ponder on it.

        Another way ...

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