Affix
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(New page: An '''affix''' is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word. Affixes may be derivational, like English -ness and pre-, or inflectional, like English plural -s and past...) |
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| − | + | '''Affixes''' are divided into several categories, depending on their position and their role with reference to the root. The most important positional categories are: | |
| + | |||
| + | *prefix (PFX) - Appears at the front of the root (such as "un-" in "undo", or "re-" in "rewrite") | ||
| + | *suffix (SFX) - Appears at the back of the root (such "-s" in "tables", or "-er" in "writer") | ||
| + | *infix (IFX) - Appears within the root (very rare in English, such as "-ma-" in "sophistimacated") | ||
| + | *circumfix (CCX) - Appears at the front and at the back of the root (very rare in English, such as "a-" + "-ed" in "ascattered") | ||
| + | |||
| + | As for their roles, there are two main different types of affixes: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * inflectional affix - assign grammatical properties (such as number, gender, tense, person) to the root in order to form the different word forms of the same lexeme ("-s" in "tables", "-ed" in "loved") | ||
| + | * derivational affix - form a new lexeme by modifying the meaning (and sometimes the category) of the root ("un-" in "unhappy", "-ness" in "happiness"). | ||
Revision as of 14:33, 20 May 2010
Affixes are divided into several categories, depending on their position and their role with reference to the root. The most important positional categories are:
- prefix (PFX) - Appears at the front of the root (such as "un-" in "undo", or "re-" in "rewrite")
- suffix (SFX) - Appears at the back of the root (such "-s" in "tables", or "-er" in "writer")
- infix (IFX) - Appears within the root (very rare in English, such as "-ma-" in "sophistimacated")
- circumfix (CCX) - Appears at the front and at the back of the root (very rare in English, such as "a-" + "-ed" in "ascattered")
As for their roles, there are two main different types of affixes:
- inflectional affix - assign grammatical properties (such as number, gender, tense, person) to the root in order to form the different word forms of the same lexeme ("-s" in "tables", "-ed" in "loved")
- derivational affix - form a new lexeme by modifying the meaning (and sometimes the category) of the root ("un-" in "unhappy", "-ness" in "happiness").
