Discussion reveals unanswered questions about language formation in English, suggesting complex linguistic dynamics.
Some of the major questions about back-formation are considered, using data mainly from English, with many examples taken from the Oxford English Dictionary, though some are new. The discussion, therefore, is not necessarily generalizable to other languages. The evidence is not always unequivocal, and one of the most fundamental questions remains unanswered: How is normal formation possible in cases where the base has no independent existence?
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Laurie Bauer (2025) studied this question.
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