CLIPPING (MORPHOLGY)

In linguistic, clipping is the word formation process which consists in the reduction of a word to one of its parts (Marhad 1969).Clipping is also know as “truncation” or “shortening.”

According to Marchand (1969), clippings are not coined as words belonging to the standard vocabulary of a language. They originate as term of a special group like schools, army, police, the medical profession, etc. In the intimacy of a milieu where a hint is sufficient to indicate the whole.

For example : exam(ination), math(ematic), and lab(oratory) originated in school slang, spec(ulation), and tick(et = credit) in stock exchange slang, and vet(eran), and cap(tain) in army slang. While clipping terms of some influential groups can pass into common usage, becoming part of standard English, clippings of asocially unimportant class or group will remain group slang.

Clipping mainly consists of the following types:

1. Back clipping

Back clipping or apocopation is the most common type, in wich the beginning is retained. The unclipped original may be either a simple or a compsite.

For example :

· ad (advertisement)

· cable (cablegram)

· doc (doctor)

· exam (examination)

· fax (facsimile)

· gas (gasoline)

· syn (syndrome)

· ham (hamburger)

· lux (luxuriant)

· syn (synonym)

· pho (phonology)

· ox (oxygen)

· trad ( trademant)

· trac (tractor)

· op (optional)

· fair (fairway)

· sym (symbol)

· ex (excavation)

· zoo (zoology)

· tem (terminology)

· deb (debutante)

· gym (gymnastic, gymnasium)

· math (mathematics)

· memo (memorandum)

· mutt (mutthnhead)

· pub (public house)

· pop (popular concert)

· eye (eyebrow)

· trad (traditional jazz)

2. Fore-clipping

Fore-clipping or aphaeresis retains the final part.

For example :

· chute (parachute)

· coon (raccoon)

· gator (alligator)

· copter (helicopter)

· vise (improvise)

· quet (sobriquet)

· rity (sonority)

· son (grandson)

· date (validate)

· ly (friendly)

· pin (hairpin)

· lust (wonderlust)

· phone (telephone)

· stone (gallstone)

· pose (interpose)

· bag (feedbag)

· board (keyboard)

· chief (kerchief)

· wrote (underwrote)

· down (facedown)

· tion (valuation)

· pike (turnpike)

· card (timecard)

· box (tinderbox)

· berry (blackberry)

· place (birthplace)

· bard (blackboard)

· versally (universally)

· cloth (sackcloth)

· varsity (university)

· ration (corporation)

3. Middle clipping

In middle clipping or syncope, the middleof the word is retained.

For example :

· flu (influenza)

· carbon (bicarbonate)

· figure (configuration)

· fec (defective)

· fla (deflation)

· mention (aforementioned)

· limit (unlimited)

· jams or jammies (pajamas/pyjamas)

· polly (apollinaris)

· shirnk (head-shrinker)

· grap (telegraphy)

· tion (affexctionately)

· tec (detective)

4. Complex clipping

Clipped forms are also used in compounds. One part of the original compound most often remains intact.

For example :

· cablegram (cable telegram)

· op art (optical art)

· org-man (organization man)

· linocut (linoleum cut)

Sometimes both halves of a compound are clipped as in navicert (navigation certificate). In these cases it is difficult to know wheter the resultans formation should be treated as a clipping or as a blend, for the border between the two types is not always clear. According to bauer (1983), the easiest way to draw the distinction is to say that those forms which retain compound stress are clliped compounds, whereas those that take simple word stress are not. By this criterion bodbiz, chicom, comsymp, intelsat, midcult, pro-am, sci-fi, and sitcm are all cmpounds made of clipping.