Re: Adding New Words

Michael Adams wrote:

| Question is, how to add new words to a language like Hebrew?

See below.

| Arabic is less harsh, while Hebrew has alot of harsh sounds.

You are joking, man, aren't you?

| But the question is, how does one add to a language new terms?

Several techniques are used:

1) Changing or expanding the meanings of ancient words:
|segen| in Biblical Hebrew "deputy", in MnH "lieutenant"
|kovetz| - BH "heap", MnH "file"

2) Derivation by models:
maCCeC like in BH |mazleg| "fork" gives MnH |machshev| "computer"

2a) Derivation with affixes:
|ma`asi| "practical" from |ma`ase| "action"

3) Using "smichut" (possessive construction):
|gan chayot| "zoo", lit. 'garden of animals'
|nemal te`ufa| "airport", lit. 'harbour of flying'

4) Abbreviations:
|tapuz| "orange (fruit)" from |tapuach zahav| lit. 'golden apple'

5) Borrowings: |telefon|, |otobus|, |universita|.

-- Yitzik

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