Conversion in the English Language

Abstract

This paper studies English words and phrases formed by means of conversion. The authors provide a definition of the term and dwell on the history of this phenomenon in the English language. Types of conversion (full and partial, classical and non-classical) and its directions (verbification, nominalization, and adjectivization) are considered. The authors focus on such interesting phenomena as ellipsis, abbreviation and others. Typical stems (simple and complex – affixal and portmanteau) are analysed, as well as two types of acronyms (using individual initial letters and syllables) that are utilized in word formation by means of conversion. Further, difficulties translating sentences with words formed through conversion are pointed out. Two main criteria for determining the direction of conversion are named: 1) the meaning of the source stem is wider than that of the derived word; 2) the source member of the pair has a more extensive derivational family. The authors introduce their own examples based on the information from Russian-English, English-Russian and English-English dictionaries to demonstrate the use of conversion in various spheres (scientific and technical, journalistic, nonfiction, and literary texts). As a result, the authors come to the conclusion that conversion, being an advanced way of word formation in English, helps to significantly expand the vocabulary and achieve the most adequate translation of different parts of speech in a certain context. This article can be of use to scholars dealing with translation problems, practicing translators and university teachers of English.