Neoclassical Word Formation

Abstract

Abstract This is a survey entry on neoclassical word formation, which is the creation of new lexemes with Ancient Greek or Latin elements. Neoclassical word formation does not only combine formatives of classical origin (e.g. hydrophobic ) but may also involve native words (e.g. hydrofoil, webology ). Despite being borrowings from the classical languages, neoclassical formatives (e.g. hydr ‐, ‐(o)logy , etc.) are productively deployed across modern European languages for the formation of new words, returning a shared vocabulary stock composed of so‐called ‘internationalisms’. They typically occur in technical and scientific registers, but many are words of common use (e.g. homicide , thermometer , telephone , philosophy , etc.). Since it combines stems with a lexemic value, neoclassical word formation is usually identified as a type of compounding, with exogenous properties that may differ radically from native compounds. Moreover, several other phenomena like shortening, clipping, blends and forms of derivation are attested in languages, like English, where neoclassical word formation is productive. The entry is organized as follows: after the introduction, Section 2 illustrates some historical facts of neoclassical lexemes, showing how borrowings from the classical languages have evolved into creative patterns across European languages; Section 3 overviews the heated debate that neoclassical formatives have provoked, especially because of their mixed properties and the heterogenous character of the class; Section 4 delves into word‐formation phenomena characterized as neoclassical, ranging from compounding to derivation, including shortening, clipping and secretion; Section 5 deals with theoretical issues of productivity and language‐specific morphological trends in the domain of neoclassical word formation; Section 6 summarizes and discusses relevant theoretical threads revolving around the notion of prototype, and the usefulness of prototype theory in neoclassical word formation.

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