COMPOUND NOUNS AND THEIR USE IN THE MEDIA

Abstract

Abstract: This research paper analyses the use of compound words, in particular, compound nouns, also known as compound nominals, in a news article from the official BBC website entitled “Luna Luna: Artist funfair revealed in New York City”. The analysis is based on a theoretical framework of compounds, focusing on their semantic structure, meaning, spelling and usage in the context of a BBC article, with the objective of gaining a better understanding of the types of compounds and their practical application. Limiting the scope of the data, the focus lies on compound nouns as different combinations of elements which lead to the formation of a compound word. The research conducted in this paper demonstrates the predominance of compound nouns in the English language, specifically, the high frequency of endocentric compound nouns and how the use of compound nouns contributes to an efficient, convenient and creative use of language.
Keywords: compounding, compounds, compound noun, compound nominal, word formation, morphology