Page 54 - 4805

5. Shortening (Contraction)
This comparatively new way of word-building has achieved
a high degree of productivity nowadays, especially in American
English. Shortenings are produced in two different ways. The first
is to make a new word from a syllable of the original word: англ.
phone — telephone, flu — influenza; укр. міськрада — міська
рада, генпрокуратура — генеральна прокуратура. More often
we can use contraction in oral speech or in slang: комп —
комп’ютер, універ — університет.
The second way of shortening is to make a new word from
the initial letters of a word group: англ. Interpol (International
Criminal Police Organisation), modem (modulator-demodulator);
укр. Мінфін (Міністерство фінансів), нардеп (народний
депутат).
Abbreviation. As a word-forming means it represents a
generally common type of word-formation in the contrasted
languages, though it is not devoid of some national divergences
either. Common and equally productive in both contrasted
languages are the following types:
1) The so-called initial abbreviation: англ. USA,
UNESCO, AIDS, CNN; укр. США, ЮНЕСКО, СНД, МВФ; англ.
H-bag (handbag), U-language (upper-class English); cnd. (for
commander), ft. (foot); укр. га (гектар), м (метри), с.
(сторінка);
2) Partial abbreviation is generally rare in English, in
Ukrainian it is rather productive: англ. Colo (Colorado), Okla
(Oklahoma); укр. начмед, Донбас, ботсад, Кривбас;
3) Combined abbreviation is also less productive in
English that in Ukrainian: англ. COSPAR (Committee on Space
Reseach), Cf. CONUS (Continental US); укр. облсу, облвно.

6. Other ways of replenishing the vocabulary
Blending. Blends or “telescoped” words are formed by
confrontation (поєднання) of two or even more truncated

53