Compound (linguistics) - Examples From Different Languages

Examples From Different Languages

Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwe:

• mashkikiwaaboo 'tonic': mashkiki 'medicine' + waaboo 'liquid'
• miskomin 'raspberry': misko 'red' + miin 'berry'
• dibik-giizis 'moon': dibik 'night' + giizis 'sun'
• gichi-mookomaan 'white person/American': gichi 'big' + mookomaan 'knife'

Chinese (Cantonese Jyutping):

• 學生 'student': 學 hok6 learn + 生 sang1 grow
• 太空 'universe': 太 taai3 great + 空 hung1 emptiness
• 摩天樓 'skyscraper': 摩 mo1 touch + 天 tin1 sky + 樓 lau2 building (with more than 1 storey)
• 打印機 'printer': 打 daa2 strike + 印 yan3 stamp/print + 機 gei1 machine
• 百科全書 'encyclopaedia': 百 baak3 100 + 科 fo1 (branch of) study + 全 cyun4 entire/complete + 書 syu1 book

Dutch:

• Arbeidsongeschiktheidsverzekering 'disability insurance': arbeid 'labour', + ongeschiktheid 'inaptitude', + verzekering 'insurance'.
• Rioolwaterzuiveringsinstallatie 'wastewater treatment plant': riool 'sewer', + water 'water', + zuivering 'cleaning', + installatie 'installation'.
• Verjaardagskalender 'birthday calendar': verjaardag 'birthday', + kalender 'calendar'.
• Klantenservicemedewerker 'customer service representative': klanten 'customers', + service 'service', + medewerker 'worker'.
• Universiteitsbibliotheek 'university library': universiteit 'university', + bibliotheek 'library'.
• Doorgroeimogelijkheden 'possibilities for advancement': door 'through', + groei 'grow', + mogelijkheden 'possibilities'.

Finnish:

• sanakirja 'dictionary': sana 'word', + kirja 'book'
• tietokone 'computer': tieto 'knowledge, data', + kone 'machine'
• keskiviikko 'Wednesday': keski 'middle', + viikko 'week'
• maailma 'world': maa 'land', + ilma 'air'
• rautatieasema 'railway station': rauta 'iron' + tie 'road' + asema 'station'
• kolmivaihekilowattituntimittari 'electricity meter': 'three-phase kilowatt hour meter'
• suihkuturbiiniapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas: 'Jet engine assistant mechanic NCO student'
• atomiydinenergiareaktorigeneraattorilauhduttajaturbiiniratasvaihde: some part of a nuclear plant

German:

• Wolkenkratzer 'skyscraper': wolken 'clouds', + kratzer 'scraper'
• Eisenbahn 'railway': Eisen 'iron', + bahn 'track'
• Kraftfahrzeug 'automobile': Kraft 'power', + fahren/fahr 'drive', + zeug 'machinery'
• Stacheldraht 'barbed wire': stachel 'barb/barbed', + draht 'wire'
• Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz: literally, Cattle marking and beef labeling supervision duties delegation law

Icelandic:

• járnbraut 'railway': járn 'iron', + braut 'path' or 'way'
• farartæki 'vehicle': farar 'journey', + tæki 'apparatus'
• alfræðiorðabók 'encyclopædia': al 'everything', + fræði 'study' or 'knowledge', + orða 'words', + bók 'book'
• símtal 'telephone conversation': sím 'telephone', + tal 'dialogue'

Italian:

• Millepiedi 'centipede': mille 'thousand', + piedi 'feet'
• Ferrovia 'railway': ferro 'iron', + via 'way'
• Tergicristallo 'windscreen wiper': tergere 'to wash', + cristallo 'crystal, (pane of) glass'

Japanese:

• 目覚まし（時計） mezamashi(dokei) 'alarm clock': 目 me 'eye' + 覚まし samashi (-zamashi) 'awakening (someone)' (+ 時計 tokei (-dokei) clock)
• お好み焼き okonomiyaki: お好み okonomi 'preference' + 焼き yaki 'cooking'
• 日帰り higaeri 'day trip': 日 hi 'day' + 帰り kaeri (-gaeri) 'returning (home)'
• 国会議事堂 kokkaigijidō 'national diet building': 国会 kokkai 'national diet' + 議事 giji 'proceedings' + 堂 dō 'hall'

Korean:

• 안팎 anpak 'inside and outside': 안 an 'inside' + 밖 bak 'outside' (As two nouns compound, the consonant sound 'b' fortifies into 'p,' becoming 안팎 anpak rather than 안밖 anbak)

Spanish:

• Ciencia-ficción 'science fiction': ciencia, 'science', + ficción, 'fiction' (This word is a calque from the English expression science fiction. In English, the head of a compound word is the last morpheme: science fiction. Conversely, the Spanish head is located at the front, so ciencia ficción sounds like a kind of fictional science rather than scientific fiction.)
• Ciempiés 'centipede': cien 'hundred', + pies 'feet'
• Ferrocarril 'railway': ferro 'iron', + carril 'lane'
• Paraguas 'umbrella': para 'to stop, stops' + aguas '(the) water'
• Cabizbajo 'keeping the head low, in a bad mood'
• Subibaja 'seesaw'