Neology in English and Spanish. 2005-2015. Lexicological characteristics and lexicographic representation

Abstract

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.