英语词汇学 lexic Major Process of Word Formation补充Conversion.ppt

Word Formation
Conversion
(转化法)
What is conversion?
Don’t trouble troubles until trouble troubles you.
Can you can a can as a canner can a can?
FATHER JAILED FOR MURDER OF DAUGHTER
to plan a table, or to table a plan;
to book a place, or to place a book.
Conversion vs. derivation
GIRL OF 18 RAPED AFTER THREAT WITH BREAD KNIFE
…after being threatened with bread knife
Conversion is a word-formation process whereby a word of a certain word-class is shifted into a word of another word-class without the addition of an affix.
Also called "functional shift" or “derivation by zero suffix."
., mushroom
– n. a fast-growing fungus (菌类) of which
some kinds can be eaten.
v. to gather mushrooms;
now to spread or grow rapidly.
Conversion
Definition
Noun to Verb conversion
Verb to Noun conversion
Adjective to Verb conversion
Adjective to Noun conversion
Other types
Conversion is a result of the almost entire loss of inflection in Modern English
conversion is extremely productive.
The percentage of converted words in the vocabulary of contemporary English is about %.
Sometimes a word may be under multiple conversion, which enables it to function as a member of several word-classes, but the actual grammatical classification of any word depends upon its use in a sentence. .,
The second round was exciting. n.
Any round plate will do. adj.
Some drivers round corners too rapidly. v.
The sound goes round and round (旋转不息). adv.
He lives round the corner. adv.
Conversion may result in different pronunciation or stress. For example?
:
Types of conversion (1): Noun to Verb conversion
Conversion
. radio n.--to radio a message
Xerox n.-- to Xerox a book
tape n. --to tape a lecture
x-ray n.--to x-ray sb's chest
videotape n. ---- to videotape the conference
Other sources of verb:
Suffixation: a few verb-forming affixes in English. be-, en-, -ify, -ize and –en
Back-formation
Ways of conversion:
a. To put in/on N:
. can The workers canned