COMPOUNDING IN ENGLISH AND ALBANIAN: DIACHRONIC OVERVIEW

In this paper we aim to provide a diachronic overview on word-compounding in English and Albanian. Compounding has been defined as the formation of a new lexeme by adjoining two or more lexemes. Compounding is considered to be an important means of extending the lexicon in a certain language. There are probably no languages without compounding. The debate on what exactly is a compound and how to define it has been going on for a long time. There are also theories which draw parallels between derivation and compounding. English encompasses different phonological, semantic and syntactic criteria to distinguish compounds. When considering the relationship between syntax and morphology, compounds are the morphological constructions that are closest to syntactic constructions. Compounds in English also include a category which exists under a separate heading in Albanian.Keywords: diachronic, language, compounding, English, Albanian