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Derivation

Chapter III

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CHAPTER III

DERIVATION

3.1. Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to present the amount of vocabulary grasped by the

students, their knowledge in derivation, the problems in this concept, the factors

considered as hindrance in their acquiring the knowledge of derivation. The factors

studied are gender, board of the study, medium of instruction in school, location of

school, boarding status in school, parents‘ education and their involvement with their

wards. All these factors and their relationship with students‘ is discussed in this chapter

followed by the chapter summary.

3.2. Derivation

Definition

The formation of a word from an earlier word or base (as by the addition of an

affix).

Derivative is a word or thing that has been developed or produced from another

word or thing : ‗Happiness‘ is a derivative of ‗happy‘.

(OXFORD Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary of Current English)

In linguistics, derivation is the process of forming a new word on the basis of an

existing word, e.g. happi-ness and un-happy from happy, or determination from

determine. Derivation stands in contrast to the process of inflection, which uses another

kind of affix in order to form grammatical variants of the same word, as with determine/

determine-s/determin-ing/determin-ed. Generally speaking, inflection applies to all

members of a part of speech (e.g., every English verb has a past-tense form), while derivation

applies only to some members of a part of speech (e.g., the nominalizing suffix -ity can be

used with the adjectives modern and dense, but not with open or strong).

3.3. Derivational Affixes

The knowledge of affixes should be made clear to the learners. The rules for the

usage of proper suffix / prefix is to be elaborately discussed before teaching the concept


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of derivation. Also the meaning and the form of the new word after the addition of any

suffix / prefix should be understood by the students. For this the meaning of any affix

must be understood first.

Derivation is the word formation process in which a derivational affix attaches to

the base form of a word to create a new word. Although derivational affixes do not

necessarily alter the syntactic category, they do change the meaning of the base. In many

cases, derivational affixes change both the syntactic category and the meaning: modern

→ modernize ("to make modern"). The change of meaning is sometimes predictable:

Adjective + ness → the state of being (Adjective); (white→ whiteness).

Affixes, which include prefixes and suffixes, are bound morphemes. Morphemes

are the smallest linguistic unit of a language with semantic meaning. Bound morphemes,

unlike free morphemes, cannot stand alone but must attach to another morpheme such as

a word. For example, the following two lists provide examples of some common prefixes

and suffixes with definitions in English:

A prefix- is a group of letters added before a word or base to alter its meaning and

form a new word. In contrast, a suffix is a group of letters added after a word or base.

3.3.1. Prefixes:

a- – without, not

co- – together

de- – opposite, negative, removal, separation

dis- –opposite, negative

en- – cause to be

ex- – former, previous, from

in- – negative, not

non- – absence, not

re- – again, repeatedly

un- – negative, not, opposite, reversal


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A prefix (write → re-write; lord → over-lord) will rarely change syntactic

category in English. The inflectional prefix un- applies to adjectives (healthy → unhealthy)

and some verbs (do → undo), but rarely to nouns. A few exceptions are the derivational

prefixes en- and be-. En- (em- before labials) is usually used as a transitive marker on

verbs, but can also be applied to adjectives and nouns to form transitive verbs: circle

(verb) → encircle (verb); but rich (adj) → enrich (verb), large (adj) → enlarge (verb),

rapture (noun) → enrapture (verb), slave (noun) → enslave (verb).

3.3.2. Suffixes:

A derivational suffix usually applies to words of one syntactic category and

changes them into words of another syntactic category. For example, the English

derivational suffix -ly changes adjectives into adverbs (slow → slowly).

-able – sense of being

-er – agent

-ful – characterized by

-fy – make, become, cause to be

-ism – action or practice, state or condition

-less – lack of

-ly – -like

-ology – study, science

-ship – condition, character, skill

-y – characterized by, inclination, condition

Examples of English derivational patterns and their suffixes:

adjective-to-noun: -ness (slow → slowness)

adjective-to-verb: -ise (modern → modernise)

adjective-to-adjective: -ish (red → reddish)

adjective-to-adverb: -ly (personal → personally)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affix

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntactic_category

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noun-to-adjective: -al (recreation → recreational)

noun-to-verb: -fy (glory → glorify)

verb-to-adjective: -able (drink → drinkable)

verb-to-noun (abstract): -ance (deliver → deliverance)

verb-to-noun (concrete): -er (write → writer)

3.4. Zero derivation

Some derivations can occur without any change of form, for example telephone

(noun) and to telephone. This is known as conversion or zero derivation.

Some verbs and adjectives in English can be used directly as nouns without the

addition of a derivational suffix. Some examples include:

Change:

I need a change. (change = noun)

I will change. (change = verb)

Murder:

The murder of the man was tragic. (murder = noun)

He will murder the man. (murder = verb)

In addition to true zero-derivation, English also has a number of words which,

depending on subtle changes in pronunciation, are either nouns or verbs. One such type,

which is rather pervasive, is the change in stress placement from the final syllable of the

word to the first syllable.

Progress:

Progress is important. (progress = noun)

Our plan must progress nicely. (progress = verb)

An additional case is seen with the verb use, which has a different pronunciation

when used as a noun.


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Use:

The use of drugs is dangerous. (use = noun)

Use your fork! (use = verb)

3.5. Various kinds of derivatives

The derivative can be grouped into two, namely:

3.5.1.The establishment of a verb

Example :

beauty (noun) + -fy : beautify

justice (noun) + - fy : justify

quick (adj ) + -en : quicken

wide (adj) + -en : widen

deep (adj) + -en : deepen

broad (adj) + -en : broaden

3.5.2. The establishment of a noun

Verb + -ion ; -ment ; -er ; -or ; -ace ; -ist

Adjective + -ness ; -ity ; -nce ; -th

Derivation may result in new words of the same grammatical form, e.g., noun to

noun, or of different grammatical forms, e.g., verb to noun. For example:

3.5.3. Grammatical Form Retaining Derivation

verb to verb: appear → disappear

noun to noun: friend → friendship

adjective to adjective: practical → impractical

3.5.4. Grammatical Form Changing Derivation

verb to noun: preserve → preservation

verb to adjective: bore → boring

noun to verb: code → codify


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noun to adjective: nature → natural

adjective to noun: ugly → ugliness

adjective to verb: sweet → sweeten

adjective to adverb: quick → quickly

Although both processes involve the affixation of suffixes, derivation differs from

inflection in that inflection results in the creation of a new form of the same word rather

than a new word. For example, the addition of the third person singular -s inflectional

suffix to verbs creates the third person singular form of verbs, e.g., eat and eats, and the

addition of the plural -s inflectional suffix to nouns creates the plural form of nouns, e.g.,

dog and dogs. Both eats and dogs are new forms of the same word, eat and dog, rather

than new words.

3.6. Noun derivation

New nouns can be derived from other nouns, from adjectives and from verbs:

Adjective to noun

With derivational morphology

This is a process by which a grammatical expression is turned into a noun phrase.

For example, in the sentence "Combine the two chemicals," combine acts as a verb. This

can be turned into a noun via the addition of -ation, as in "The experiment involved the

combination of the two chemicals."

Examples of nouns formed from adjectives:

applicability (from applicable)

carelessness (from careless)

difficulty (from difficult)

intensity (from intense)

Suffixes – ness – is used to form Noun

Suffix – ness is usually put after adjective


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For example :

1. bitter - bitterness

2. bright - brightness

3. conscious – consciousness

4. happy – happiness

EXERCISE-VII

The following exercises were given to the students in order to identify the problems

faced by them in noun derivatives. The informants were asked to give the appropriate

noun derivative for the adjective used in each sentence and rewrite the sentence.

1. The scene was so beautiful that it took his breath away.

2. They measured how wide the pitch was.

3. The fact that he was fit impressed the selectors.

4. My sister was cheerful. This made me forget my bad luck.

5. The temple‘s foundations are strong. This stopped it from collapsing in the earthquake.

6. The box is heavy. It slowed my progress.

Expected answers for the above mentioned sentences are:

1. The beauty of the scene took his breath away.

2. They measured the width of the pitch.

3. His fitness impressed the selectors.

4. My sister‘s cheerfulness made me forget my bad luck.

5. The strength of the temple‘s foundation stopped it from collapsing in the earthquake.

6. The heaviness of the box slowed my progress.

In all the above sentences the informants were asked to use the appropriate noun

derivative for the adjective used.

The answers obtained from the informants are:

1. The beautiful scene took his breath away.

1. The scene‘s beautiness which took his breath away.

2. They measured the wideness of the pitch.

2. They measured how wide the pitch should be?


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3. The fact of he fit impressed the selectors.

3. The fact that he is fit impress the selectors.

4. My sister was cheerful which made me forget my bad luck.

4. My sisters‘ cheerful made me forget my bad luck.

5. The temple‘s strong foundations stopped it from collapsing in the earthquake.

5. The temple‘s foundations are strong which stopped it from collapsing in the

earthquake.

6. The box is heavy which slowed my progress.

6. The heavy box slowed my progress.

Error analysis

By the answers obtained by the informants it is clear that the students are

confused with the concept of derivation. The informants were asked to give the noun

form of the adjective used in the sentence. Whereas 38% of the informants used the same

adjective given in the sentence and the sentence was rewritten.

Instead of using the noun form the informants have given the same adjectives, like;

Table XII

Expected noun form Adjective reproduced

Beauty Beautiful, Beautiness

Width Wide

Fitness Fit

Cheerfulness Cheerful

Strength Strong

Heaviness Heavy

The table above shows that the informants have considered adjective words as

noun, they don‘t know the noun form of the adjective word and moreover they don‘t

know the parts of speech. Further it indicates that the topic ‗derivation‘ is not clearly

grasped by the informants. All these made them give incorrect answers.

This also gives us the idea that not only the concept but the basics of grammar is

not at all clear to the informants.


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The errors in derivations are mainly intralingual. The influence of vernacularism

is seen in the pattern used by the informants in the answering of the exercise given to

them. For instance, in Tamil the word ‗strong‘ is ‗balam‘, which is used as the verb form

as well as the adjective form.

3.7. Verb-Noun Derivation

In English, the affixation of the suffixes -er, -or, and -ar to verbs creates nouns.

The -er, -or, and -ar are referred to as agentive suffixes because their affixation to action

verbs produces agent nouns, or nouns that identify the person or other entity performing

the action. In other words, agent nouns are usually names for people. For example,

affixing -er to the base form of the verb learn results in the noun learner, meaning

someone who learns, and affixing -or to the base form of the verb interrogate results in

the noun interrogator, meaning someone who interrogates.

A derivative noun derives from a verb form. Certain suffixes (-tion, -sion,

-ence, -ance, and others), when added to verbs, produce derivative nouns. Examples

include conclusion, statement, pertinence, and scores of others.

Derivation may result in new words of the same grammatical form, e.g., noun to

noun, or of different grammatical forms, e.g., verb to noun. For example:

Derivative noun -Verb form

acceptance-accept, application-apply, approval-approve, assumption-assume, calculation-

calculate, certification-certify, complaint-complain, conservation-conserve, consideration-

consider, contribution-contribute, decision-decide, deduction-deduct, delivery-deliver,

disclosure-disclose, discovery-discover, disposal/ disposition-dispose, distribution-

distribute, education-educate, enforcement-enforce, filing-file, inclusion-include,

investigation-investigate, movement-move, objection-object, prevention-prevent,

qualification-qualify, reaction-react, reliance-rely, specification-specific, statement-state,

submission-submit.

Examples of verb to noun

bake – baker, clean – cleaner, dance – dancer, employ – employer, farm – farmer, garden

– gardener, lead – leader, listen – listener, manage – manager, mourn – mourner, observe


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– observer, paint – painter, publish – publisher, read – reader, research – researcher, sell –

seller, teach – teacher, travel – traveler, use – user, write – writer, act – actor,

administrate – administrator, advise – advisor, animate – animator, audit – auditor,

conduct – conductor, decorate – decorator, direct – director, edit – editor, educate –

educator, govern – governor, instruct – instructor, invent – inventor, investigate –

investigator, negotiate – negotiator, operate – operator, possess – possessor, sail – sailor,

supervise – supervisor, visit – visitor.

EXERCISE – VII

Study the cartoons below:


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The informants were asked to look at the pictures and perceive what are the

people trying to say? Further they were asked to study the first example and then

complete the rest of the sentences using the same pattern with appropriate derivative).

1. They are protesting against cutting down of trees.

2. They are demanding………………………………….

3. The boss insists on everyone………………………………….

4. They are worried about………………………………….

5. The women are demanding ………………………………….

6. They want the government to put a ban on………………………………….

Expected answer for the pictures:

2. They are demanding for the reduction in working hours.

3. The boss insists on everyone‘s punctuality.

4. They are worried about losing their job.

5. The women are demanding safer work environment.

6. They want the government to put a ban on poaching of animals.

Answers given by the informants were-

2. They are demanding to reduce the working hours.

3. The boss insists on everybody to be punctual.

4. They are worried about loosing their jobs.

5. Women are demanding for their safety at work.

6. They want the government to put a ban on poach of animals.

Observation

Table XIII

Expected derivative Incorrect words given

Reduction Reduce

Punctuality Punctual


Losing Loosing

Safer Safety

Poaching Poach


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In sentence (4), the informants have given a word with wrong spelling ―loosing‖

instead of ―losing‖.

The above errors clearly state that the informants lack knowledge in not only

derivation but also in spellings.

This is because of the habit of selective reading as the informants skip hard words

which appear in their text. Because of the above stated reasons the informants don‘t know

the different forms of words.

3.8. Agent Nouns

Agent nouns are the root words (nouns) which is added with affixes (either suffix

or prefix) to form a new word of either the same form or the different form.

For verbs spelled with a final consonant preceded by either two vowels or additional

consonants or with a vowel preceded by a consonant, simply add the agent suffix:

act – actor

design – designer

ski – skier

teach – teacher

For verbs spelled with a final w, x, or y preceded by a vowel, simply add the

agent suffix:

box – boxer

brew – brewer

play – player

survey – surveyor

For verbs spelled with a final "silent" e preceded by a consonant, remove the e

and then add the agent suffix:

drive – driver

love – lover

observe – observer

supervise – supervisor


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For verbs spelled with a final y preceded by a consonant, change the y to i and

then add the agent suffix:

cry – crier

fly – flier

supply – supplier

worry – worrier

For two-syllable verbs spelled with a final le, remove the e and then add the agent

suffix:

cobble – cobbler

handle – handler

meddle – meddler

tumble – tumbler

For two-syllable verbs spelled with a final er, simply add the agent suffix:

discover – discoverer

gather – gatherer

murder – murderer

suffer – sufferer

For one-syllable verbs that end in a single vowel followed by a single consonant

other than w, x, or y, double the final consonant and then add the agent suffix:

beg – beggar

drum – drummer

jog – jogger

plan – planner

For two-syllable verbs that end in a single vowel followed by a single consonant

other than w, x, or y, double the final consonant and then add the agent suffix:


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begin – beginner

format – formatter

For verbs that end with the letter c, add the letter k after the c and then add the

agent suffix:

frolic – frolicker

mimic - mimicker

picnic – picnicker

traffic – trafficker

The following exercises were given to the students in order to identify the

problems faced by them in noun derivatives. The informants were asked to combine the

given pair of sentences giving appropriate noun derivative for the verb used in each

sentence and rewrite the sentence.

Exercise IX

The informants were asked to combine the following sentences by nominalizing

the first verb into its noun derivative:

1. There has been a rise in the crime rate in the last two years. The police are very

concerned.

2. Thousands of people participated in the charity walk. This helped Cancer Aid

Society to raise funds for treatment of cancer patients.

3. The number of young people consuming drugs are growing. This has become an

issue of social concern.

4. Vinod presented his project very effectively. He was able to bag the multimillion

dollar order.

5. He committed a series of cold blooded murders. He was awarded the death penalty.

Expected answer –

1. The very concern of the police is the rise in crime rate in the last two years.

2. The participation of the people in the charity walk helped Cancer Aid Society

raise funds for treatment of cancer patients.


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3. The consumption of drugs by growing number of young people has become an


4. Vinod‘s effective presentation of his project helped him to bag the multimillion

dollar order.

5. He was awarded the death penalty for his commitment in a series of cold blooded

murders.

Answer obtained from the informants-

1. The police are concerned in the rise in crime rate in the last two years.

2. The participating of the people in the charity walk helped Cancer Aid Society

raise funds for treatment of cancer patients.

3. The consuming of drugs by growing number of young people has become an


4. Vinod presented his project effectively which helped him to bag the multimillion

dollar order.

5. He was awarded the death penalty because he committed a series of cold blooded

murders.

Error analysis

Table XIV

Expected noun form verb reproduced

Concern Concerned

Participation Participating


Consumption Consuming

Presentation Presented

Commitment Committed

The table given above clearly states that instead of noun derivatives the

informants have used the same verb form given in the sentences. In sentence (3) although

the purpose of derivative is defeated here, the sentence is correct grammatically.


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The knowledge of the informants in basics of English language is not very strong

at all, as they are unable to differentiate noun and a verb or adjective and a noun or verb

and a gerund in any sentence.

3.9. Adjective derivation:

New adjectives can be derived from nouns, from other adjectives, from verbs and

from adverbs:

A noun that becomes an adjective by adding a suffix is called an adjective

derivative.

Adjective Noun

Beautiful Beauty

Clean Cleanliness

Neat Neatness

Arrogant Arrogance

Intelligent Intelligence

Fit Fitness

High Height

Frequent Frequency

Proud Pride

Anxious Anxiety

Some examples of adjectives derived from nouns are:

3.10. Adjective - Noun

child: childish

comfort: comfortable

weight: weighty

joy: joyful or joyous

care: careful or careless.

Example of Adjective Derivative:

subject- subjective

addict- addictive

react- reactive

success- successive

care- careless


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ugly- ugliness

hope- hopeless

steel- steely

accept- acceptable

obey – obedient

EXERCISE X

The informants were asked to read the following examples, notice how the

adjective in the first sentence is changed to its noun form and combine the sentences

accordingly.

1. Cindrella‘s beautiful looks so charmed the Prince that he could not take his eyes of her.

1. Cindrella‘s beauty so charmed the prince that he could not take his eyes of her.

2. They were asked to guess how high the building was.

2. They were asked to guess the height of the building.

3. The news that he was fit to play the match brought immense relief to his teammates.

3. The news about his fitness to play the match brought immense relief to his teammates.

Combine the following pairs of sentences by changing the adjective to a noun:

1. He was honest. The Principal commended him at the assembly.

2. Rajesh is a very amiable person. It has endeared him to his colleagues.

3. The actor was famous. It got him many endorsements.

4. The young businessman was extravagant. It led to his downfall.

5. James was silent during the enquiry. It did not help the police in bringing the culprit to book.

Expected answer:

1. The Principal commended him at the assembly for his honesty.

2. Rajesh has endeared him to his colleagues because of his amiability.

3. The actor‘s fame got him many endorsements.

4. The young businessman‘s extravagance led to his downfall.

5. James‘s silence during the enquiry did not help the police bringing the culprit to book.


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Answers obtained from informants

1. The Principal commended him at the assembly for being honest.

2. Rajesh has endeared him to his colleagues because of his amiable personality.

3. The famous actor got many endorsements.

4. The extravaganza of the young businessman led to his downfall.

5. James‘s silent during the enquiry did not help the police bringing the culprit to

book.

Error analysis

Table XV

Expected noun form Adjective reproduced

Honesty being honest

Fame Famous

Extravagant Extravaganza

Silence Silent

In sentence (2) the informants instead of using the noun form of ‗amiable‘ have

given the noun form of the word ‗person‘.

Since the students do not read nowadays and their reading habit has totally

declined because of the impact of Mass media. Students spend a lot of time sitting in

front of television not to learn new words but to watch their favourite cartoon channel,

which does not help them learn English or retain their existing English vocabulary

By the above they neither learn new words nor retain the spelling of the words

which they have already acquired. This further damages their spelling and sentence

making skill. They lack knowledge of various forms of words like verb, noun, pronoun,

adjective, adverb, etc.

The knowledge of any language depends on two important factors namely –

1. Perception of spelling

2. Structure of sentence


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3.11. Verb derivation

Verbs can be derived from nouns, from adjectives, from other verbs and from

adverbs:

Noun to verb

Adjective to verb

Verb to verb

3.12. Adverb derivation

There is only one way to derive adverbs from adjectives:

The function of an adverb in a sentence is significant because of its impact on the

verb it qualifies. The effectiveness and vitality of the action reflected by the sentences is

denoted by the use of the adverb. Sometimes adverbs qualify the adjectives also.

Nowadays it is commonly noticed that students over generalize the ‗ly‘ with

words to make them adverbs.

Errors found in this regard are analyzed and classified in the following way-

Exercise

Analogical creation wrongly created words with ‘ly’ endings-

I. Adjective to adverb

1. He is working hardly but he failed.

2. Indian children live dependently on parents.

3. He smokes non stoppingly.

4. His statement was affirmatively.

5. The teacher clarified his doubts enoughly.

Intended answers:

1. He is working hard but he failed.

2. Indian children live depending on parents.

3. He smokes continuously.

4. His statement was affirmative.

5. The teacher clarified his doubts enough.


http://www.canoo.net/services/WordformationRules/Derivation/To-V/N-To-V/N-To-V-Intro.html

http://www.canoo.net/services/WordformationRules/Derivation/To-V/A-To-V/A-To-V-Intro.html

http://www.canoo.net/services/WordformationRules/Derivation/To-V/V-To-V/V-To-V-Intro.html

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Error analysis

The informants got confused and added ‗ly‘ with all the words filled in the blanks.

The informants do not have the knowledge of modifiers and their classifications.

3.13. Grammar and Spelling Tips for derivatives

There is a need to learn some grammar and spelling tips to avoid common

mistakes made in day to day usage of English language.

The learners of English need

Words that are formed from existing words can also be confusing - sometimes the

original spelling stays the same and sometimes it changes. Some to remember are:

Words ending in -our:

Examples : honour, favour, labour, humour.

Keep the u when you add -able or -er.

Examples : honourable, favourable, labourer; favourite

But u is very often lost before -ous.

Examples : humorous, glamorous, rigorous, honorary and honorific

Occur and occurrence but refer and reference.

In verbs ending in -ur, double the r when you add -ence.

Leave it single if the verb ends in -er or -ear.

Examples : appear and apparent

Drop the o if you add -iation to a verb ending in -ounce.

Examples : pronunciation from pronounce.

suffix – or – is used to form Noun

actor, collector, demonstrator, director , editor, imitator, inspector, instructor, operator,

translator, inventor

suffix – ful is used to form Adjective

beautiful, careful, doubtful, peaceful, powerful, skillful, useful, forgetful

suffix – y – is used to form adjective


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bloody, cloudy, dusty, funny, grassy, handy, hilly, muddy, rainy, salty, stony, sunny,

windy, windy, wordy

Prefixes – :mis

miscount, misinform, misuse, mislead, mismanage, misplace, misprint , mispronounce,

misread, misspell , misstate, misunderstand, misuse

Prefixes : dis

Disagree, disarm, disclose, disconnect , dishonest , dislike , disobey, disorder, distrust,

discontinue

Suffixes : en – is used to form Verbs

Brighten, broaden, darken, fatten, harden, lessen, redden, sadden, shorten , soften,

sweeten, thicken, weaken, whiten, widen

Suffixes – ment – is used to form Noun

Suffix – ment is usually put after verbs

agreement, arrangement, development, enjoyment, disappointment, improvement,

management, movement, requirement, treatment , appointment, assignment, government ,

measurement, payment, statement, announcement.

Suffixes – ity – is used to form Noun

Suffix – ity is usually put after adjective

1. Certain – certainty

2. Electric – electricity

3. Irregular – irregularity

4. National – nationality

5. Uncertain – uncertainty

6. Possible – possibility

7. Probable – probability


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8. Rapid – rapidity

9. Real – reality

10. Able = ability

3.14. Some, Any and their derivatives

ONE / BODY THING WHERE

+

SOME

SOMEONE/SOMEBODY

I met someone I knew.

SOMETHING

He bought

something

cheap.

SOMEWHERE

They went

somewhere on

holiday.

-

ANY

ANYONE/ANYBODY

We didn't speak with

anyone.

ANYTHING

I can't see

anything nice.

ANYWHERE

I'm not going

anywhere tonight.

?

ANY

ANYONE/ ANYBODY

Do you know anyone here?

ANYTHING

Did you answer

anything?

ANYWHERE

Did you hide it

anywhere?

3.15. Nouns transferred as adjectives

1. India develops technically.

2. Youngster develop revolutional attitude.

3. Karl Marxs‘ views are quite revolutional.

4. Actresses in the past were treated as respectably.

5. Appreciation of a person is quite appreciably.

Expected answers from the informants:

1. India develops technologically.

2. Youngster develop revolutionary attitude.

3. Karl Marxs‘ views are quite revolutionary.

4. Actresses in the past were treated as respectable.

5. Appreciation of a person is quite appreciative.

3.16. Verbs used as adjectives

1. In India the women education is not satisfy.(satisfactory)

2. Terrorism seems to be a continue threat to mankind. (continuous)

3. No product is cheapened nowadays. (cheaper)


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4. There are thousands of fans for a specify group. (specific)

5. The disease Swine flu is infect. (infectious)

Expected answers from the informants

1. In India the women education is not satisfactory.

2. Terrorism seems to be a continuous threat to mankind.

3. No product is cheaper nowadays.

4. There are thousands of fans for a specific group.

5. The disease Swine flu is infectious.

3.17. Adjectives used as nouns

1. Many people migrate to Tiruppur to work in industrials .

2. Due to inflation the productive is not high in industries.

3. India has a rich cultural .

4. World cultural has developed after independence.

5. Productive is not high in any part of the world due to the economic slowdown.

Expected answers from the informants

1. Many people migrate to Tiruppur to work in industries .

2. Due to inflation the production is not high in industries.

3. India has a rich culture .

4. World culture has developed after independence.

5. Production is not high in any part of the world due to the economic slowdown.

Interpretation

The above mentioned errors are due to the following factors:

Mother tongue plays an important role in the acquisition of vocabulary by pushing

the learner of English into dark.

In Tamil the word ‗thodarandhu‘ implies continue or continuous, this confuses the

informants and hence results in their giving wrong answer to sentence (2).

Terrorism seems to be a continue threat to mankind.

In Tamil the words ending with ‗al‘ sound marks the word plural.

So the learner whose mother tongue is Tamil assumes the same with English.

Hence he / she tends to make mistakes in English sentences. For example:


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In sentence (4) of adjectives used as nouns the informants have given the

incorrect answer:

World cultural has developed after independence. This is because they got

confused with the ‗al‘ rule of Tamil.

The impact of language spoken in surrounding is seen commonly amongst the

first generation learners, whether of rural background or urban.

The place where people live plays an important role in the acquisition of English

vocabulary. The people of a particular area tend to make common mistakes whether in

pronunciation of a word or in written form, as it is wrongly used by majority of the same

locality. For instance:

Informants have given the incorrect answer for sentence (1) as

Many people migrate to Tirupur to work in industrials.

The reason behind this incorrectness is because they might have associated

Tirupur with industrials.

3.18. Conclusion

From the viewpoint of linguistic prescriptivism, derivations are considered to

make sentences more difficult to follow and to promote wordiness. For these reasons,

derivations are usually discouraged in writing. However, they can be warranted when it is

necessary to use the derived verb or adjective as the head of a noun phrase. Very

common derivations (like the noun "changes") are usually not discouraged.

The very concept of derivatives is new and confusing for the informants.

Although there is a chapter in CBSE schools having NCERT books for their curriculam.

Their English book titled ―Interact with English‖ has a chapter named Nominalization.

As far as the children are concerned, the concept is not easily understood. As it includes

conversion adding the affixes either suffix or prefix to any word form.

Further there is no hard and fast rule that describes which word will have a suffix

and which will have prefix. In most of the cases which suffix / prefix to be added and

which should not be is not so clear.

To overcome the problems faced by the informants, they must master in English

vocabulary, even if it is a foreign language. This will come only by sheer hard work and


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practice. ‗A new English word a day‘ will also help any individual to a great extent. Acquiring

a new word is not enough, one must know which form of the word that is, say verb, noun,

adverb or adjective. What part of speech etymology the word belongs to. The same word exists

in how many different forms, like- rise, is used in verb as well as noun form.

This is another major area of concern that the informants do not have the clear

knowledge of the various forms of words in English grammar and hence they must enrich

their knowledge in that.

Further to confuse the informants there are many new words added into English

language every day all over the world.

There are few examples of the words added in English language recently. These

words are derivatives or not, is not very clear. Further these words are in which form is

also not very clear.


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