Semi-Affixes

(13) "... The Great Glass Elevator is shockproof, waterproof, bombproof, bulletproof, and Knidproof¹ ..."

(From Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by R. Dahl)

1Knids — fantastic monsters supposed to inhabit the Cosmos and invented by the author of this book for children.

Lady Malvern tried to freeze him with a look, but you can't do that sort of thing to Jeeves. He is look-proof.

(From Carry on, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse)

(14) kissproof (lipstick)

compounds fireproof (building materials) derived words

foolproof (technical devices)

↑

bear all the features of a stem & preserves certain semantic associations with the free form proof; but has generalised meaning = suffix => semi-affix

↓

productive; creates nonce-words: look-proof, Knidproof

↑

non-existent stem

(15) semi-affix –man: sportsman, gentleman, nobleman, salesman, seaman, fisherman, countryman, statesman, policeman, chairman, etc.

–man = -er, -or, -ist (e. g. artist), -ite (e. g. hypocrite)

(16) other semi-affixes:

–land: Ire land, Scotland, fatherland, wonderland

-like: ladylike, unladylike, businesslike, unbusiness like, starlike, flowerlike, etc.

-worthy: seaworthy, trustworthy, praiseworthy

Shortening (Contraction)

Comparatively new, nowadays highly productive, esp. in American English.

(17) Produced in 2 different ways:

1) new word ← a syllable (rarer, two) of the original word

↑

looses its beginning

(phone ← telephone, fence ← defence)

its ending

(hols ← holidays, vac ← vacation, props ← properties, ad ← advertisement)

or both the beginning and ending

(flu ← influenza, fridge ← refrigerator)

2) new word ← the initial letters of a word group (= initial shortenings):

U.N.O. ['ju:neu] ← the United Nations Organisation,

B.B.C. ← the British Broadcasting Corporation,

M.P. ← Member of Parliament

g. f. (slang) ← girl-friend:

(18) - Who's the letter from?

- My g. f.

- Didn't know you had girl-friends. A nice girl?

- Idiot! It's from my grandfather!

(19) Both types → informal speech (esp. uncultivated).

e.g.: okay (Amer.) ← O.K. (= all correct) → AC. → aysee.

(20) Movie ← moving-picture,

gent ← gentleman,

specs ← spectacles,

circs ←circumstances (under the circs),

I. O. Y. (a written acknowledgement of debt) ← I owe you,

lib ← liberty (May I take the lib of saying something to you?),

cert ← certainty (This enterprise is a cert if you have a bit of capital),

metrop ← metropoly (Paris is a gay metrop),

exhibish ← exhibition,

posish ← position.

exam, lab, prof, vac, hol, co-ed (a girl student at a coeducational school or college).