CONVERSION

 

Conversion (also called zero derivation) is a word formation process whereby a lexeme changes its word-class without the addition of an affix, i.e. word form remains the same. 

Conversion is a process where aword cahanges its morpemic status without over addition to its form.. The conversion is ussually a class changing process where it some cases it is very obvious with morphemic funtion started first and which is after the conversion too place How ever in some cases it is not very apperent.

Example:

The lexeme comb functions both as a noun and as a verb:

She ran a comb through her tangled hair. (n.)

I didn’t even have time to comb my hair.  (v.)

Verbs to nouns: (doubt, love, laugh, walk, cheat, wrap, throw, turn, get-away, etc.)

e.g. We decided to wrap the dogs up in blankets. (v.)

Cover each dish with plastic wrap. (n.)

Nouns to verbs: (to referee, to bottle, to nurse, to mail, to bridge, to veto, to queue etc.

e.g. The mail arrived early that morning. (n.)

Information is mailed regularly to all our members. (v.)

Adjectives to nouns: (daily, comic, native, newly-weds, whites and blacks, savages, Liberals; the rich the poor, the mute, the blind, etc.)

e.g. Monique returns to her native France every summer. (adj.)

He’s a native of Edinburgh, but now lives in London. (n.)

N.B. There are a number of adjectives turned into nouns denoting peoples of different countries, e.g. English, British, French, Irish, Welsh, Dutch.

Adjectives to verbs: (to calm, to empty, to clean, to mellow, to warm, to dry, to bald, etc.)

e.g. After a few drinks, he became very mellow. (adj.)

She has mellowed over the years. (v.)

Adverbs to verbs: (up, out, forward, etc.)

e.g. I stepped forward to greet him. (adv.)

Your enquiry has been forwarded to our head office. (v.) 

Conversion from closed class words to nouns: e.g. a must, ups and downs, etc.

Conversion from phrases to nouns: e.g. a know-how, a don’t-know, etc.

Conversion from affixes to nouns: e.g. Patriotism, and any other ism you’d like to name.

Approximate conversion

Refers to the fact that a word in the course of conversion may undergo a change of pronunciation or spelling. It can be realized in three ways: 

a) change of the voicing of the final consonant:

e.g. relief (n.) - relieve(v.); grief – grieve;  house – house; advice – advise;  half – halve; 

b) vowel modification, e.g. blood - bleed, breath - breathe, food - feed,

c) shift of the stress; the stress is shifted from one syllable another, and with stress shift comes a change in category: e.g. protest   /’prәtest/ (n.) – /prә’test/ (v.)

transport /’trænspo:t/ (n.) - /trәns’po:t/  (v.)

cf. ‘defeat – ‘defeat, ‘support – ‘support, 'dispute - 'dispute