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4. Compounding
The formation of compound words in English and Ukrainian
is characterised both by isomorphic and allomorphic features as
well. Common are two ways of forming compounds in English and
Ukrainian:
a) by the juxtaposition of the determing and the determined
parts;
b) with the help of the linking/interfixal o, e, s in English and
o, e/є, у in Ukrainian.
The largest group of compounds formed through the
juxtaposition of free root/stem words in English: mankind, peace-
loving, take-off, nowadays, everything, two-third.
Pertaining mostly to English are compounds with
prepositions and conjunctions used as connectors of different
roots/stems often referred to as whole phrases: англ. commander-
in-chief, out-of-date, never-to-be- forgotten, kiss-in-the-ring, pen-
in-ink, one hundred and ten, can’t-we-all- get-along;
Ukrainian has only a few compound adverbs of its own and
some nouns of foreign origin of this type: де-не-де, як-не-як,
Ростов-на- Дону, Франкфукт-на-Майні.
Ukrainian has many composite words, which are formed
with help of the linking elements (-и, -й): крутиголовка (bird),
перекотиполе, мати-й-мачуха. Compare in English: Anglo-
Saxon, tradesfolk, electro-therapy.
Several Ukrainian family names and geographical names
have been formed from word-groups or sentences as well:
Панібудьласка, До-бривечір, Вишгород, Крутояри.
Compounding by juxtaposition of free word is considerably
less productive in Ukrainian: вагон-ресторан, медик-хірург,
казна-хто, хто-небудь, казна-як. Close to the above-mentioned
compounds in Ukrainian are also some compound nouns and verbs
of coordinate nature: хліб-сіль, нібито, говорити-балакати.
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