Talk:Back-formation
From Academic Kids
The examples donation and execution run counter to the defintion of back-formation that is given in the first paragraph. The affix -tion was NOT "spuriously supposed" in these examples. The article needs to explain the difference between spuriously supposed affixes (like the holic in alcoholic) and legitimately supposed affixes (like the tion in donation and execution).
Fowler says both came from French "orienter", short in C18, long in C19.
- Sometimes there is a forward-formation (Note: That is an example of a back-formation from "back-formation.") and then a back-formation: The verb "orient" produced the noun "orientation" that produced the verb "orientate" as a back-formation that means the same thing as "orient" and is now considered acceptable in British English (though it is still considered a mistake
in American English).
For real?
I once read a memo that contained the word "bonafiably". How many steps does it take to get there from "bona fide"?
Burgle
So, someone who...
- burgles is a burglar...
- thieves is a thief...
- robs is a robber...
What about he who steals? :o) Zoney 10:03, 5 Aug 2004 (UTC)
Lousy article, folks.
Many of the "back-formations" listed here are not true back formations at all. I shall add a few of my own to the list at the bottom....
