Postings on 2-p b-f verbs

Back-formations come in several flavors. Recently I’ve been posting on two-part back-formed (2-p b-f) verbs; a list of these postings is given below, for your reference. But there are also:

simple back-formed verbs (like incent);

nouns back-formed from nouns in -s, with the -s interpreted, ahistorically, as the mark of the plural (kudo);

other back-formed nouns (taxon, from taxonomy);

adjectives back-formed from negative adjectives by eliminating a negative prefix (couth);

other back-formed adjectives (gullible).

Back-formed verbs are hugely more numerous than the other types.

The list:

AZ, 8/22/08: To gay marry:
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=519

AZ, 11/2/08: Early/absentee vote (the verbs):
 http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=795

AZ, 4/5/09: scuba dove?:
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1296

http://arnoldzwicky.org/2009/06/08/child-rear/

http://arnoldzwicky.org/2009/06/08/todays-two-part-back-formed-verb-inventory/

http://arnoldzwicky.org/2009/06/09/back-formings/

One Response to “Postings on 2-p b-f verbs”

  1. xkcd back-formation « Arnold Zwicky's Blog Says:

    […] back-formed verbs are incredibly common (see here and here). Some sightings just since September: speed-date, carbon-date, catwalk ‘perform the […]

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