Affix

{{wiktionarypar|affix}}

An '''affix''' is a [[morpheme]] that is attached to a base morpheme such as a [[root (linguistics)|root]] or to a [[stem (linguistics)|stem]], to form a word. Affixes may be [[derivation (linguistics)|derivational]], like English ''-ness'' and ''pre-'', or [[inflection]]al, like English plural ''-s'' and past tense ''-ed''.

==Types of affixes==
Affixes are divided into several types, depending on their position with reference to the root:

{| class="wikitable"
! affix !! example
|- align="center"
| [[prefix]] || ''un''do ''prefix''-root
|- align="center"
| [[suffix]] || look''ing'' root-''suffix''
|- align="center"
| [[infix]] 1 || ([[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] Root: '''dugo''' ''blood'') d''in''ugo ro<''infix''>ot
|- align="center"
| [[circumfix]] || [[Kabyle language|Kabyle]]: {{IPA|''θ''issli''θ''}} "bride" (compare to {{IPA|issli}} "groom") ''circumfix''>root<''circumfix''
|- align="center"
| [[suprafix]] || '''pro'''duce (noun) pro'''duce''' (verb) (changing [[lexical stress|stress]])
|}
1 [[English language|English]] [[tmesis|tmeses]], as in this example, are by some considered infixes. See [[Expletive infixation]].
 

* '''Prefixes''' (attached before another morpheme)
* '''[[Suffix|Suffixes]]''' (attached after another morpheme)
* '''[[Infix]]es''' (inserted within another morpheme) -- very much used in [[Borneo-Philippines languages]]
* '''[[Circumfix]]es''' (attached before and after another morpheme or set of morphemes)
* '''[[Interfix]]es''' (semantically empty linking elements in compounds)
* '''[[Suprafix]]es''' (also ''superfix'', attached [[suprasegmental]]ly to another morpheme)
* '''[[Simulfix]]es''' (also ''transfix'' or ''root-and-pattern morphology'', discontinuous affix interwoven throughout a discontinuous base)
* '''Duplifix''' (little-used term referring to affix composed of both a reduplicated and non-reduplicated element, see [[Reduplication#Reduplication and other processes|Reduplication and other processes]])

Affixes are [[bound morpheme]]s by definition. Prefixes and suffixes may be [[separable affix]]es.

There also has been a proposal of a somewhat different type of affix, a ''[[disfix]]'' or ''subtractive morpheme'', which subtracts phonological segments from bases.

==Lexical affixes==
''Lexical affixes'' (or ''semantic affixes'') are bound elements that appear as affixes, but function as [[incorporated noun]]s within verbs and as elements of [[compound noun]]s. In other words, they are similar to word roots/stems in function but similar to affixes in form. Although similar to incorporated nouns, lexical affixes differ in that they never occur as freestanding nouns, i.e. they always appear as affixes.

Lexical affixes are relatively rare. The [[Wakashan languages|Wakashan]], [[Salishan languages|Salishan]], and [[Chimakuan languages|Chimakuan]] languages all have lexical suffixes — the presence of these is an [[areal feature]] of the Pacific Northwest of the [[North America]].

The lexical suffixes of these languages often show little to no resemblance to free nouns with similar meanings. Compare the lexical suffixes and free nouns of [[Saanich language|Northern Straits Saanich]] written in the Saanich orthography and in [[Americanist phonetic notation|Americanist notation]]:

{| border="1" cellpadding="4" style="border-collapse: collapse; background: #f9f9f9; margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; vertical-align: top; border: 1px solid #ccc; line-height: 1.2em; font-family: Chrysanthi Unicode, Doulos SIL, Gentium, GentiumAlt, Code2000, TITUS Cyberbit Basic, DejaVu Sans, Bitstream Vera Sans, Bitstream Cyberbit, Arial Unicode MS, Lucida Sans Unicode, Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro, Matrix Unicode;"
|- style="font-size: 85%; background: #efefef;"
! colspan="3" | Lexical Suffix
! colspan="3" | Noun
|-
| -O,
| -aʔ
| "person"
| ,EL̶TÁLṈEW̱
| ʔəɬtelŋəxʷ
| "person"
|-
| -NÁT
| -net
| "day"
| SC̸IĆEL
| skʷičəl
| "day"
|-
| -SEN
| -sən
| "foot, lower leg"
| SXENE,
| sx̣ənəʔ
| "foot, lower leg"
|-
| -ÁWTW̱
| -ew̕txʷ
| "building, house, campsite"
| ,Á,LEṈ
| ʔeʔləŋ
| "house"
|}

Lexical suffixes when compared with free nouns often have a more generic or general meaning. For instance, one of these languages may have a lexical suffix that means water in a general sense, but it may not have any noun equivalent referring to water in general and instead have several nouns with a more specific meaning (such "saltwater", "whitewater", etc.). In other cases, the lexical suffixes have become [[grammaticalization|grammaticalized]] to various degrees.

Some linguists have claimed that these lexical suffixes provide only adverbial or adjectival notions to verbs. Other linguists disagree arguing that they may additionally be syntactic [[Verb argument|arguments]] just as free nouns are and thus equating lexical suffixes with incorporated nouns. Gerdts (2003) gives examples of lexical suffixes in the [[Halkomelem language]] (the [[word order]] here is [[Verb Subject Object]]):

:{| cellpadding="5" vertical-align: top; border: 1px solid #ccc; line-height: 1.2em; text-align: center; font-family: Chrysanthi Unicode, Doulos SIL, Gentium, GentiumAlt, Code2000, TITUS Cyberbit Basic, DejaVu Sans, Bitstream Vera Sans, Bitstream Cyberbit, Arial Unicode MS, Lucida Sans Unicode, Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro, Matrix Unicode;"
|- style="line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 75%"
|
|
| style="background: #bbbbff" | VERB
| style="background: #ffebad" | SUBJ
| style="background: #ffbbbb" | OBJ
|-
| (1)
| {{Unicode|niʔ}}
| {{Unicode|šak’ʷ-ət-əs}}
| {{Unicode|łə słeniʔ}}
| łə qeq
|-
|
| colspan="3" | "the woman bathed the baby"
|- style="line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 75%"
|  
|- style="line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 75%"
|
|
| style="background: #bbbbff" | VERB+LEX.SUFF
| style="background: #ffebad" | SUBJ
|
|-
| (2)
| {{Unicode|niʔ}}
| {{Unicode|šk’ʷ}}{{Unicode|-əyəł}}
| {{Unicode|łə słeniʔ}}
|
|-
|
| colspan="3" | "the woman bathed the/a baby"
|}

In sentence (1), the verb "bathe" is {{unicode|'''šak’ʷətəs'''}} where {{unicode|'''šak’ʷ-'''}} is the root and {{unicode|'''-ət'''}} and {{unicode|'''-əs'''}} are inflectional suffixes. The subject "the woman" is {{unicode|'''łə słeniʔ'''}} and the object "the baby" is {{unicode|'''łə qeq'''}}. In this sentence, "the baby" is a free noun. (The {{unicode|'''niʔ'''}} here is an [[auxiliary_verb|auxiliary]], which can be ignored for explanatory purposes.)

In sentence (2), "the/a baby" does not appear as a free noun. Instead it appears as the lexical suffix {{unicode|'''-əyəł'''}} which is affixed to the verb root {{unicode|'''šk’ʷ-'''}} (which has changed slightly in pronunciation, but this can also be ignored here). Note how the lexical suffix may be translated as either "the baby" (definite) or "a baby" (indefinite): this change in [[definiteness]] is a common change in meaning that happens with incorporated nouns.

==See also==
{{wiktionarypar|Appendix:Prefixes|Appendix:Suffixes}}
* [[Agglutination]]
* [[Augmentative]]
* [[Binary prefix]]
* [[Clitic]]
* [[Concatenation]]
* [[Derivation (linguistics)|Derivation]]
* [[Diminutive]]
* [[English prefixes]]
* [[Family name affixes]]
* [[Internet-related prefixes]]
* [[Marker (linguistics)]]
* [[Numerical prefix]]
* [[Pre-nominal letters]]
* [[Separable affix]]
* [[SI prefix]]
* [[Stemming]] - affix removal using computer software
* [[Unpaired word]]
* [[Word formation]]

==Bibliography==
* Gerdts, Donna B. (2003). The morphosyntax of Halkomelem lexical suffixes. ''International Journal of American Linguistics'', ''69'' (4), 345-356.
* Montler, Timothy. (1986). ''An outline of the morphology and phonology of Saanich, North Straits Salish''. Occasional Papers in Linguistics (No. 4). Missoula, MT: University of Montana Linguistics Laboratory.
* Montler, Timothy. (1991). ''Saanich, North Straits Salish classified word list''. Canadian Ethnology service paper (No. 119); Mercury series. Hull, Quebec: Canadian Museum of Civilization.'''

[[Category:Affixes|*]]

[[br:Kenger]]
[[cv:Аффикс]]
[[cs:Afix]]
[[cy:Dodiad]]
[[de:Affix]]
[[es:Afijo]]
[[eo:Afikso]]
[[fr:Affixe]]
[[gl:Afixo]]
[[ia:Affixo]]
[[is:Aðskeyti]]
[[it:Affisso]]
[[he:מוספית]]
[[la:Affixum]]
[[jbo:rafsi]]
[[hu:Toldalék]]
[[mt:Affiss]]
[[nl:Affix]]
[[ja:接辞]]
[[nn:Affiks]]
[[nds:Affix]]
[[pl:Zrostek]]
[[pt:Afixo]]
[[fi:Affiksi]]
[[sv:Affix]]
[[vi:Phụ tố]]
[[uk:Афікс]]
[[yi:פרעפיקס]]
[[zh:詞綴]]