Understand spoken language

Compound Words

Submitted by admin on 26 November 2015

Compound words

A compound word is one which forms a single irreducible concept, but in one language is expressed in multiple words. In this case, the words are are kept together as a single group, and then broken down at the lowest level. For example:

  • please is kept together as one group and broken down there, and wherever used this group is used, e.g. 2 beers pleasethe bill please
  • goodbye. Look at the breakdowns of the examples of "goodbye" in use, such as "do you know how to say goodbye in mandarin?" and "Good-bye, Miss" and you will hopefully see that the breakdown makes more sense keeping "goodbye" together as one unit, and breaking it down only within the word "goodbye"
  • chambermaid is kept together so that a phrase like The chambermaid will take you there breaks down as "the" + "chambermaid" + "will" + "take" + "you" + "there" rather than the unnatural and difficult to understand "the" + "woman" + "of" + "room" + "will" + "take" + "you" + "there".
  • country names, e.g. Belgium compared to Belgium (short form). This took a little while to get the breakdown structure correct. Normally if there is "the" in front of a word, like "the dog", "the face", we just break it down fully and normally. With the names of the countries however, French says literally "the Belgium" for what English says "Belgium".

Notice that the compound word is broken down on its own page, but whenever it is used, it is used in the compound form. This makes it easier for the student to learn a particular compound word from its breakdown parts, but then, whenever it is used, to concentrate on the bigger picture.