Maulidia, H.R. & Kusumah, C.M. An Analysis of English Compound Words in An Article
of Life and Style Column
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Chart 8. The Analysis of Compound Word
The word rainbow is formed by the words rain which is a noun, and bow is a
noun. Thus, a rainbow is categorized into a compound noun in English. In this case, the
rainbow is an example of an exocentric compound. This view
is in line with Delahunty
& Garvey (2010) and Booij (2005) state that the exocentric compound is the compound
with no head inside. Therefore, rainbow here doesn’t mean rain for bow, but an arch of
colors formed in the sky in certain circumstances, caused by the refraction and
dispersion of the sun’s light by rain. The last is the word highlighted will be analyzed
in the following evidence below.
Chart 9. The Analysis of Compound Word
The word highlighted above is formed from the words high (Adjective) and
lighted (V). It is formed by combining two free morphemes as a nominal head and high
as a modifier. In this stage, highlighted means pick out and emphasized something.
Based on the analysis above, there are two types of compound words according
to the differences of semantic relations between the head and modifier.
The compound
nouns of chairwoman,
chief executive, fashion week,
showroom, trade event, and
highlighted as compound verb were categorized as an endocentric compound. It was
because those kinds of words have a head that usually presents in the right position.
This view is suggested by
Booij (2005)
and
Delahunty & Garvey, (2010)
. They state that
the endocentric compound provides a subtype of whatever the head represents. It
consists of ahead. Two words were identified as a type of exocentric compounds such
as vivacity and rainbow. Those types of words have not represented the head. This view
is also in
line with
Booij (2005)
and
Delahunty & Garvey (2010)
state that an exocentric
compound is a compound that names a subtype. Meanwhile, the type is not represented
by the head or the modifier in the compound. Therefore, an exocentric compound is a
type of compound with no head inside.