Top Highlights

• In back-formation, instead of being added, an affix (or that part of the source word which is supposed to be an affix) is subtracted, which thus results in a shorter or morphologically less complex item of vocabulary
• The truth is that some back-formations appear only as nonce words, sometimes deliberately coined by a speak- er for humorous, ironic, or otherwise idiosyncratic, purposes and do not have a long life.
• The general tendency of speakers for easiness, transparency and comfort resulting in convenient but unpredictable shortcuts may be a decisive factor which will probably always keep back-formation in the category of less usual and minor word-formation processes.
• the productivity of back-formation has remained on the same level and that it can be considered to be a modern, analysable and productive, even if minor, word-formation process which has considerable potential as a source of new words.
• Since the process of back-formation still continues producing new items of vocabulary at present, it must be seen as productive and so deserving greater attention

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