Our comparative study focuses on examining the word formation processes of English
and Spanish neologisms collected from Among The New Words in American Speech (English
data) and El Banco de Neologismos from Centro Virtual Cervantes (Spanish data) between
2005 and 2015. By analyzing lexicological characteristics and lexicographic representation,
our objective is to uncover both similarities and differences between these two languages and
these two approaches to neology.
To analyze English neologisms, ...
Our comparative study focuses on examining the word formation processes of English
and Spanish neologisms collected from Among The New Words in American Speech (English
data) and El Banco de Neologismos from Centro Virtual Cervantes (Spanish data) between
2005 and 2015. By analyzing lexicological characteristics and lexicographic representation,
our objective is to uncover both similarities and differences between these two languages and
these two approaches to neology.
To analyze English neologisms, we draw upon Bauer's (1983) influential work English
Word-formation and the collaborative contribution of Bauer and Huddleston (2002). For
Spanish neologisms, we incorporate the comprehensive reference Nueva gramática de la
lengua española by Real Academia Española (2009), along with Cabré's (2006) theory on La
clasificación de neologismos: una tarea compleja, which guides the Observatori de Neologia
(OBNEO) project.
Our findings reveal distinct differences in the productivity of word formation processes
between English and Spanish. For instance, English neologisms primarily manifest as
compounds and phrases, while Spanish exhibits significant productivity in suffixation and
neoclassical compounds. Additionally, borrowing words in Spanish demonstrate a prominent
presence, as opposed to the low amount of loanwords in English. These disparities can be
attributed to various factors, including the differing nature and purpose of the projects, the
inherent characteristics of the languages, and their historical origins. Furthermore, the
utilization of different classification criteria contributes to the observed results. To address the
challenges encountered during our study, we suggest revising English compound definitions
and conducting comprehensive re-evaluations of word formation process information in Banco
de Cervantes to ensure improved accuracy.
Moreover, our study emphasizes the importance of exploring unconventional
neologisms that challenge traditional morphological theories. It highlights the significant role
of word elements in generating new words and calls for future research to further investigate
their implications.
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