Lexical creativity in Dutch: word formation, neologisms and loan words

Teacher(s)

Van Goethem Kristel;

Language

Dutch

Prerequisites

Students have successfully completed a basic grammar course of Dutch.   

Main themes

This course deals with the lexical creativity of Dutch through three main themes: 

1. the various lexical morphological processes in Dutch (in particular, composition and derivation) 
2. the formation of neologisms in Dutch 
3. the enrichment of Dutch language by borrowings (mainly anglicisms) 

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Analyse complex Dutch words and name their morphological process
2	Explain morphological terminology and apply it correctly
3	Apply correct word formation in Dutch
4	Identify neologisms and loanwords and classify them according to their formation and type
5	Understand and be able to explain a scientific article on word formation in Dutch
This learning unit contributes to the development and command of the following skills and learning outcomes of the ELAL programmes: 1.4, 1.6, 2.6, 6.6.

Content

The course is an introduction to morphological and lexical creativity in Dutch.  This topic is approached through three main themes: 

1. the different processes of Dutch lexical morphology (in particular, composition and derivation)  
2. the formation of neologisms in Dutch  
3. the enrichment of Dutch by borrowings (mainly anglicisms) 

Teaching methods

Mixed approach of lectures, reading of scientific articles, oral presentations, and exercises 

Evaluation methods

Oral exam in the June and August/September session 
The final grade for the course will be the sum of the following three grades: 

• written assignment and discussion of the assignment during the oral examination (30%) 
• oral examination of the course content (40%) 
• oral competence of the Dutch language (30%) 

With regard to the written assignment, it should be emphasized that generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools, if used, must be employed responsibly and in accordance with the principles of academic and scientific integrity. Since scientific integrity requires that sources be properly cited, any use of a GAI tool must always be clearly and thoroughly disclosed. Uses of GAI that comply with academic standards are defined in the following documents:
• The course descriptions for ELAL programs refer to the document prepared by the School: Guidelines for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) Tools in ELAL.
• The course descriptions for all other faculty programs managed by EHAC, LSTI, TRAD, and EFIL refer to the institutional document updated in 2026: Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence. Guidance Note for UCLouvain Students.
Whether disclosed or not, the use of GAI tools will be considered inconsistent with academic standards when it leads to:
• citing bibliographic sources to support claims without having consulted those sources and/or where there is no close connection between those claims and the ideas developed in the cited sources;
• including references in the bibliography whose validity has not been verified or which are entirely non-existent.
In the event of suspected inappropriate use of GAI, the course instructor(s) may verify compliance with the principle of authenticity of the work submitted by the student and, pursuant to Article 148 of the RGEE, with the jury’s approval, require an additional assessment. Any unauthorized use of GAI may be considered an academic irregularity within the meaning of Article 107 of the UCLouvain RGEE.

Rules Concerning Plagiarism

As part of their work, students must demonstrate a thorough mastery of bibliographic referencing practices. To avoid any suspicion of plagiarism, they must:
• NOT copy text without quotation marks and/or without citing the source;
• NOT reproduce graphs, data, illustrations, etc. without citing the source;
• NOT paraphrase or summarize an author's original idea without citing the source;
• NOT translate, wholly or partially, a source without providing a reference;
• NOT use someone else's work and present it as their own (even if the original author has given permission);
• NOT purchase academic work.
See: https://www.uclouvain.be/fr/uss/lutter-contre-le-plagiat
This definition supplements that provided in Article 107 §2 of the RGEE and constitutes a specific provision within the meaning of §3 of the same article. Any student who fails to comply with the scientific referencing standards set out above may, in the event of an irregularity or plagiarism established by the jury, be subject to academic sanctions as detailed in Section 7 of the RGEE.

Online resources

Course documents and literature available on the Moodle platform

Faculty or entity

> ELAL