Re: [OT] Ability to coin new words

Don Phillipson wrote:
"Knight" <knighttof3@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1185218292.499307.153930@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


why is it that the older languages (Latin, Greek, Sanskrit) have
explicit prefixes, roots and suffixes provided in the language to coin
new words, but the newer/derived languages (English, French, Hindi)
don't? It's the main reasons why these languages have to resort to
using older languages to generate new words esp in science/medicine.
Occasionally, English will generate new words or meanings out of a
combination of two words, e.g. "break-through". But I don't know of
any English words or partial words used primarily as prefixes/
suffixes.


If you look more closely, you can identify several patterns
in which English coins new phrases from old words, e.g.
1: suffix -ER for comparative, as greener (= more green).
2: suffix -WISE often turns a noun into an adjective, e.g.
price-wise (= concerning prices).
3: prefix -UN to negate an adjective e.g. ungenerous.
4: prefix NON- to negate a noun e.g. non-starter;
5; (Latin) prefix POST- to add lateness in time e.g.
post-adolescent;
6' (Latin) prefix EX- to add priority in time e.g. ex-convict;
and I am sure there are plenty more.

If we want to generalize that "the older languages . . . have
explicit prefixes, roots and suffixes provided in the language to coin
new words, but the newer . . . don't" we are under at least
a moral obligation to count instances, to make the basis
of generalization as factual as possible.


I wouldn't have thought the comparative -er was very productive, but the same suffix for indicating a "doer" or agent certainly is.

I would also add the Latin prefix pre- to your list. However, it does seem that, apart from "un-", the older English affixes have lost out to Latin, French or, to a lesser extent Greek ones. We are unlikely to see new words formed from for-, with-, be-. Others like fore-, out-, up- may possibly still live on, but after- is much more likely to be beaten to the line by post- or even après-. Perhaps the most popular suffix from Latinate roots is -(tat)ion.

Perhaps Latin affixes sound posher.

--
Rob Bannister
.

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