suffixing
Attaching word tails
Suffixing is the act of adding a suffix—a word element attached to the end of a root word to modify its meaning or grammatical function.
English creates new words constantly through suffixing: adding -ness to adjectives makes nouns (kind → kindness), adding -ly makes adverbs (quick → quickly).
The teacher explained that suffixing -ed to verbs forms the past tense.
Smallest meaningful language unit
- boundSecured or destined
- freeWithout payment or restriction
- rootUnderground absorbing structure
- stemPlant's central axis
base · agglutinative · segmentation · parsing · syncretism · phonological · conditioning · alternation
Forming the plural
- tenseStrained or nervous
- conjugationVerb form variation system
- declensionNoun form variation
- agreementShared position between parties
case · number · gender · person · mood · voice · aspect · comparison
Converting words to nouns
- verbificationConverting words to verbs
- adjectivalOf describing words
- adverbialFunctioning as manner-marker
- agentiveDenoting one who acts
diminutive · augmentative · pejoration · amelioration · transitive · intransitive · causative · denominalization
Joining units into wholes
- fusionJoining into unity
- isolationComplete separation from others
- TurkishOf Anatolia's republic
- FinnishLanguage of Finland
Japanese · Swahili · Hungarian · Korean · Quechua · concatenation · transparency · regularity
morpheme
Smallest meaningful language unit
stem · base · agglutinative · segmentation · parsing · syncretism · phonological · conditioning · alternation · attachment
pluralization
Forming the plural
- tenseStrained or nervous
- conjugationVerb form variation system
- declensionNoun form variation
agreement · case · number · gender · person · mood · voice · aspect · comparison · negation
nominalization
Converting words to nouns
- verbificationConverting words to verbs
- adjectivalOf describing words
- adverbialFunctioning as manner-marker
agentive · diminutive · augmentative · pejoration · amelioration · transitive · intransitive · causative · denominalization · postfix
agglutination
Joining units into wholes
Finnish · Japanese · Swahili · Hungarian · Korean · Quechua · concatenation · transparency · regularity · productivity
- word formationaffixes, affixation, roots, morphemes, derivation
- word changesconjugating, declining, pluralizing, prefixing, verb forms
suffixingtruncation
Cutting something shorter
clipping · subtraction · deletion · ablaut · zero derivation
fix, fixation, fixture, prefix, affix, suffix, crucifix, suffixes, transfix