Where do new words come from? (新出単語はどうやって生まれる？)
これまでのEnglish is Interestingでは、英単語のほとんどが他の言語から来たものであることを見てきました。しかし、英単語ができる方法は他にもあります。それは単語を作ることです。今回はその方法をいくつか見ていきましょう。
One way new words are created is called blending. Parts of two words are put together to make one new word. The sounds and meaning overlap or are combined in some way. For example, smoke and fog combine to make smog, this used to mean a mix of smoke and fog but now also means polluted air; breakfast plus lunch to make brunch; spoon and fork combine to make spork; and frappe and cappuccino combine to make frappuccino.
Another way new words are made is from letters. A word may be made up of the first letter or letters in a string of words. For example, scuba comes from Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus; laser from Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation; radar from RAdio Detecting And Ranging; sonar from SOund NAvigation and Ranging; modem from MOdulator and DEModulator. Some words are said as letters or the separate words are said, for example, USA could be said as U. S. A. or United States of America; CIA as C. I. A. or Central Intelligence Agency; UFO can be pronounced as U. F. O. or Unidentified Flying Object; and USJ can be said as U. S. J. or Universal Studios Japan. Some words are pronounced as regular words or letters or separate words, for example, asap can be pronounced as asap or A. S. A. P. or As Soon As Possible; vat can be said as a word vat or V. A. T. or Value Added Tax; FAQ can be pronounced as a regular word or F. A. Q. or Frequently Asked Questions. Some words from letters may be used as different parts of speech and if you think about the original meaning there is a funny repetition. For example, when used as an adjectives: ATM machine would mean Automated Teller Machine machine; PIN number is Personal Identification Number number; KFC chicken would be Kentucky Fried Chicken chicken. You might ask your friend, “Do you have a computer disc?” and they might say, “Do you want a cd disc or a dvd disc?”, that would be like saying, Do you want a compact disc disc or a digital video disc disc?
New words can be made by shortening longer words. Especially in speaking people use these shorter words. Sometimes the front part of the word is kept and the end cut off. Examples include, zoo comes from zoological garden; ad from advertisement; exam from examination; and memo from memorandum. Sometimes the front is cut off and the end kept, for example, phone from telephone; gator from alligator; and copter from helicopter. Another interesting example is taxicab from taximeter cabriolet, this can be further shortened to taxi or cab. It is also possible to cut from both the front and the end with the middle kept, for example, flu from influenza; fridge from refrigerator.
Some words come from names. For example, the word might come the name of a person or what they are called, for example, boycott from Charles Boycott; cardigan from the Earl of Cardigan; sandwich from the Earl of Sandwich. Some words came from place names, for example, cheddar from a village named Cheddar where the cheese first came from; china from porcelain that at first came from China; and japan from lacquerware that at first came from Japan. Some words come from commercial products, in America for example, some people say kleenex for tissue; coke for cola; xerox for photocopier or to photocopy.
The most common way new words are created in modern English is through putting two or more words together to make a new word. These words are called compound words. For example, putting earth and quake together to make earthquake, candle and light together to get candlelight; bird and cage to make birdcage; and adding gold and fish together to make goldfish.
Words from other languages and new words from old words, English has words from many sources. This is one reason English is interesting. Another reason is that spoken language is sometimes different from written language and this is important for communication. The history and culture of English helps us to understand the language and make it interesting. There are many ways that English is interesting and fun to study. We hope you have enjoyed these blog posts and continue to discover how interesting English is.
