Conversion

CONVERSION

Conversion is the process in which a word of one grammatical form becomes a word of another grammatical form without any changes to spelling or pronunciation. Conversion is also referred to as zero derivation or null derivation with the assumption that the formal change between words results in the addition of an invisible morpheme. However, linguistics argue for a clear distinction between the word formation processes of derivation and conversion.

Noun to verb conversion

access – to access

bottle – to bottle

can – to can

closet – to closet

email – to email

eye – to eye

fiddle – to fiddle

fool – to fool

Google – to google

host – to host

knife – to knife

microwave – to microwave

name – to name

pocket – to pocket

salt – to salt

shape – to shape

ship – to ship

spear – to spear

torch – to torch

verb – to verb

For example:

My grandmother bottled (verb) the juice and canned (verb) the pickles.

My grandmother put the juice in a bottle (noun) and the pickles in a can (noun).

She microwaved (verb) her lunch.

She heated her lunch in the microwave (noun).

The doctor eyed (verb) my swollen eye (noun).

Verb to noun conversion

to alert – alert

to attack – attack

to call – call

to clone – clone

to command – command

to cover – cover

to cry – cry

to experience – experience

to fear – fear

to feel – feel

to hope – hope

to increase – increase

to judge – judge

to laugh – laugh

to rise – rise

to run – run

to sleep – sleep

to start – start

to turn – turn

to visit – visit

For example:

The guard alerted (verb) the general to the attack (noun).

The enemy attacked (verb) before an alert (noun) could be sounded.

Sometimes one just needs a good cry (noun).

The baby cried (verb) all night.

We need to increase (verb) our productivity to see an increase (noun) in profits.

Other Conversions

Conversion also occurs, although less frequently, to and from other grammatical forms. For examples:

adjective to verb: green → to green (to make environmentally friendly)

preposition to noun: up, down → the ups and downs of life

conjunction to noun: if, and, but → no ifs, ands, or buts

interjection to noun: ho ho ho → I love the ho ho hos of Christmastime.

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/esl-lesson-plans/59339-teaching-word-formation-conversion/#sthash.pF1QvkRd.dpuf

Antonomasia

ANTONOMASIA

Antonomasia (pronounced an-tuh-nuh–mey-zhuh) is a literary term in which a descriptive phrase replaces a person’s name.  Antonomasia can range from lighthearted nicknames to epic names.

The phrase antonomasia is derived from the Greek phrase antonomazein meaning “to name differently.” Oftentimes, antonomasia is used to call attention to a certain characteristic. There are some examples of Antonomasia:

Example 1

Imagine that you have a friend who is a fantastic chef, and you want to say hello.

Normal sentence:

“Oh, look! Sam’s arrived!”

Sentence with Antonomasia:

“Oh, look! The great chef has arrived!”

Here, the use of antonomasia allows you to greet your friend with a nickname which also reveals something about his character: he’s a great chef. 

Example 2

For another example, consider that you have a grumpy teacher:

Normal sentence:

“He’s grumpy, boring, doesn’t want to listen to anyone, and definitely doesn’t want to help anyone.”

Sentence with Antonomasia:

“Mr. Grumps doesn’t want to listen to anyone, and definitely doesn’t want to help anyone.”

Replacing the teacher’s actual name with his defining characteristic, grumpiness, serves to highlight just how much the mood is associated with the man.

The importance of using Antonomasia

Antonomasia can provide someone with a strong epithet which further celebrates and memorializes their great deeds. In advertising and pop culture, such wording can also further celebrate the famous, such as The Beatles as “The Fab Four.”

Uses for antonomasia vary slightly depending on the time period. In the past, antonomasia would be used to designate class members, as oftentimes people’s names were linked to their professions. Antonomasia was also used in the past to give positive names to strong warriors and negative names to weak or nasty people.

Here are a few examples of antonomasia in the past:

• Aristotle as “The Philosopher”
• Winston Churchill as “The Great Commoner”
• William Shakespeare as “The Bard”

In this way, the past is similar to the present, as we tend to use antonomasia purely for enjoyment and fun with nicknames.

Example of Antonomasia in literature

Antonomasia is important in literature, as it can tell more about characters just by their titles. Consider a few examples:

Another example of antonomasia is in Mary Shelley’s Victor Frankenstein’s inability to give the monster a true name is apparent in his constant use of antonomasia:

• “I beheld the wretch—the miserable monster whom I had created”
• “the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life”
• “Devil, do you dare approach me?”
• “Begone, vile insect!”

Frankenstein’s creation is never given a name, and instead is given countless instances of antonomasia which show Frankenstein’s inability to accept his creation.

(http://literaryterms.net/antonomasia/)

Onomatopoeia

ONOMATOPOEIA

In languages, there are words that imitate or echo sounds. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting.

There are some examples of onomatopoeia:

• The buzzing bee flew away.
• The sack fell into the river with a splash.
• The books fell on the table with a loud thump.
• He looked at the roaring sky.
• The rustling leaves kept me awake.

The different sounds of animals are also considered as examples of onomatopoeia:

·         Meow

·         Moo

·         Neigh

·         Tweet

·         Oink

·         Baa

Onomatopoeic words come in combinations as they reflect different sounds of a single object. For example, a group of words reflecting different sounds of water are; plop, splash, gush, sprinkle, drizzle, drip etc.

Similarly, words like growl, giggle, grunt, murmur, blurt, chatter etc. denote different kinds of human voice sounds.

Moreover, we can identify a group of words related to different sounds of wind, such as; swish, swoosh, whiff, whoosh, whizz, whisper etc.

Examples of onomatopoeia in literature:

1.       Ariel in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Act One, scene 2

“Hark, hark!

Bow-wow.
The watch-dogs bark!

Bow-wow.
Hark, hark! I hear

The strain of strutting chanticleer

Cry, ‘cock-a-diddle-dow!'”

2.       “The Marvelous Toy” by Tom Paxton

“It went zip when it moved and bop when it stopped,

And whirr when it stood still.

I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will.”

(http://literarydevices.net/onomatopoeia/)