Affix: Difference between revisions

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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 tense -ed. They are bound morphemes by definition, and are further classified according to their position: beginning (prefixation), the middle (infixation) or the end (suffixation).
'''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 13:33, 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").
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