Definition
Affixes
are our “workhorse” morphemes – the tools we use again and again to assemble
new words.
The Kinds of Affixes
There
are several kinds of affixes:
a)
Prefix
Prefix is an element placed at the beginning of a word to adjust or
qualify its meaning.
For examples: re – in redo
un –
in unhappy
b)
Suffix
Suffix is an element placed at the end of a word to form a derivative,
frequently one that coverts the stem into another part of speech.
For examples: - ion in motion
- ness in happiness
- ate in investigate
Suffix is written with an initial hyphen, as above.
c)
Infix
Infix is an element placed within a word; these are rare in English,
though cupful can be made plural as cupsful by inserting the plural “s”
as an infix. Infixes sometimes occur in facetious creations like absobloodylutely
(which some grammarians would rather describe as tmesis).
Infixes often appear as linking vowels between prefixes and stems. For
example the final letters of narco- and calci-.
They are also found between a stem ending in a consonant and a suffix
beginning with one, as with –ferous, which frequently appears as –iferous,
or –logy, which is commonly seen as –ology.
d)
Circumfix
Circumfix is affix that “surround” the word, attaching to the beginning
and end of the word. Although English has few examples of this type of affix, other
language use it. The circumfix is probably most widely know from the German
past participle (ge- - t for regular verbs). Probably the only circumfixes in
English are:
En - - en in enlighten
Em - - en in embolden
Inn older usage, however, the present participle could be formed using
the circumfix a- -ing:
a- -ing in a-flying
a- -ing in a-caroling
e)
Simulfix
Simulfix is replace one or more phonemes in the root or stem.
For example: man + plural
> men
f)
Suprafix
Suprafix is superimpose on one or more syllables in the root or stem as a
suprasegmental.
For example: stress in the
words ‘produce, n. and pro’duce, v.
