MORPHOLOGY
Genuine fakes... creative constructions "made up" of old parts...
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Mishomonymized - 5 morphemes [root: nym (bound*) + prefix homo- (bound) + suffix -ize (bound) + prefix -mis (bound) + inflectional suffix -ed (bound)]
Etymology: *"Nym" is bound in modern usage, as in the words homonym, synonym, and antonym. While nym is not an English word, it is derived from the Greek "onuma," meaning "name," and "homo" comes from the Greek word homos, meaning “same.” So in its origin, "homonym" is a neoclassical compound word made up of two free morphemes. In this case, "homonym" acts as the base for the rest of the affixes. Addition of the derivational suffix "-ize" changes the noun to a verb. Addition of the derivational prefix "mis-" creates the antonym of the verb. Addition of the inflectional affix -ed creates the past tense of the verb.
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Nemesister - 2 morphemes blended/clipped [roots: nemesis (free) + sister (free)]
Etymology: This clever blended word sounds like it could be the root word "sister" with a prefix "neme-," however it is instead derived from classical mythology: Nemesis is the goddess of retribution or vengeance, hence its meaning now as a person who brings about one's downfall. It is then compounded with the word "sister," to form "nemesissister"; then by clipping one of the middle "sis" syllables, it becomes the blended "nemesister."
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Illicitabetical - 6 morphemes blended/clipped [bases: illicit (Latin root licitus (free) + prefix il- (bound) + alphabet (neoclassical compound of Greek alpha (free) + beta (free)) + suffixes -ic (bound) and -al (bound)]
Etymology: This is blended word formed by combining "illicit" and "alphabetical." Alphabetical is originally 4 morphemes: first, it is a neoclassical compound from the Greek words "alpha" and "beta," with the suffix "-ic" to create an adjective, then the addition of the suffix "-al" which forms the complete adjective. It is here blended with the word "illicit," which originally derives from the Latin "licitus" past participle of "licēre," meaning to be allowed, plus the prefix "il-," an allopmorphic variation of in- meaning "not." After compounding the words "illicit" and "alphabetical," then clipping alpha- (except for its ending /ə/ sound kept to allow the transition between stops /t/ and /b/, where /t/ can become flapped /ɾ/), resulting in the blended word "illicitabetical."
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Comfixed - 3 morphemes [root: fix (free) + prefix com- (bound) + suffix -ed (bound)]
Etymology: The root "fix" is used here as the verb meaning "to set," then combined with the prefix "com-," meaning together, to form the verb "comfix," and then the suffix "-ed," which here acts derivationally to change the verb "comfix" to the adjective "comfixed."
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Unilearnity - 4 morphemes blended/clipped [root: vers (bound*) + prefix uni- (bound) + suffix -ity (bound) + learn (free - alternate root)]
Etymology: This is a creative substitute for the word "university," which derives from the early French word "univers," meaning whole of creation, which goes back to the Latin "unus," meaning single or one, combined with "vertĕre," meaning to turn, hence the once-free root morpheme "vers" now only expressed bound. "University" was formed by combining the French base "univers" with the suffix "-ity" to create the noun "university" meaning a place for total learning. In this usage, because the letter "v" is outlawed, the ancient root "vers" has been replaced with the word "learn" in an effort to achieve the same meaning with the blended "unilearnity."
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Invisiblinguista - 6 morphemes blended [root: vis (bound*) + suffix -able (bound) + prefix in- + root: lingua (bound*) + suffix -ist (bound) + suffix -a (bound)]
Etymology: This blend of the two words "invisible" and "linguista" actually combines six morphemes. The root of "invisible" is the Latin word "vidēre," meaning "to see," in its participial stem form "vis*." The suffix "-able" (allomorphic variation "-ible") is added to change the verb into an adjective, and then the prefix "in-" is added to indicate the opposite, i.e. something that is not seen. The Italian-sounding word "linguista" come from the Latin root "lingua" meaning tongue or language (which now only appears as bound in English*), plus the suffix "-ist," to indicate one who practices the act of doing such a thing, plus the suffix "-a" to create a pseudo-feminine version, based on grammatical gender rules in Italian. The two words are then blended as "invisiblinguista" to mean a woman who cannot be seen using language.
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Postnoon - 2 morphemes [root: noon (free) + prefix post- (bound)]
Etymology: This substitute for compound word "afternoon" follows the same premise as the original word by replacing the free morpheme "after" with the prefix "post-," which carries the same meaning.
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Detachation - 3 morphemes [root: attach (free) + prefix de- (bound) + suffix -ation (bound)]
Etymology: This word is created by taking the verb "attach" and adding the prefix "de-" to indicate the opposite action, then adding the suffix "-ation" to change the verb into a noun.
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Pureplicity - 3 morphemes blended/clipped [root: pure (free) + root: simple (free) + suffix -ity (bound)]
Etymology: This is a blend of the words "pure" and "simplicity" to mean a state of both purity and simplicity. "Simplicity" is the root "simple" (as the Latin root "simplic-") with the suffix "-ity" added to change the adjective into a noun.
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Heavipendence - 5 morphemes blended/clipped [root: pend (bound*) + prefix de- (bound) + suffix -ence (bound) + root: heave (free) + suffix -y (bound)]
Etymology: This is a blend of the words "heavy" and "dependence" used here to mean a heavy, or strong, dependence on something. "Heavy" comes from the root "heave" with the suffix "-y" added to change the verb into an adjective. "Dependence" is constructed from the base "depend" with the suffix "-ence" (an allomorphic variation of "-ance") added to change the verb into a noun meaning "a state of." Additionally, "depend" itself is derived from the Latin root "pend" (bound in modern English usage) from "pendĕre," meaning to hang, plus the Latin prepositional prefix "de-" meaning "down." In the finished blended word, the syllable "de-" has been clipped.
Reflections on Morphology
Ella Minnow Pea becomes an exercise in morphology as the characters lose their accustomed building blocks of language, one letter at a time, and they are forced to reinvent how they speak in more and more constrained circumstances. While their initial strategy is to use more advanced vocabulary, as their obscure options run thin, they are soon needing to invent their own words. As they manufacture words using letters they all allowed to use, they go on an interesting journey of phonetics, etymology, and childlike regression.
First, they simple replace phonemes with the nearest sounding phoneme – as in closing a letter with “cloze,” which is actually a more appropriate phonetic spelling of the word in this context (Dunn, 2001, p. 11). A second strategy used increasingly as the novel unfolds is the invention of compounded and blended words using mixed morphemes from all of history and all of the world, including Greek, Latin, and French. This is not unlike the way our language actually evolves. Therefore, as the novel frequently mixes the most obscure of accepted English words with realistic fakes – Dunn’s cleverly morphed inventions – it is hard to tell which is which because his neologisms are formed in much the same way many English words are. The result is a lesson in etymology as the reader dissects words morpheme by morpheme in order to understand their new meanings.
In the later sections of the novel, when letters become scarce, the language regresses to a childlike state of very basic word construction and combination. Phonetically-based spelling errors and the use of shorter and shorter words and sentences, something perceived as charming and predictable in children, instead reads as encroaching insanity when coming from adults.