- According to the class of words they preferably form prefixes are divided into:
- verb-forming prefixes: en-/em- (enclose, embed); be- (befriend); de- (dethrone);
- noun-forming prefixes: non- (non-smoker); sub- (sub-committee); ex- (ex-husband)
- adjective-forming prefixes: un- (unfair); il- (illiterate); ir- (irregular);
- adverb-forming prefixes: un- (unfortunately); up- (uphill).
Semantically prefixes fall into: - Semantically prefixes fall into:
- Monosemantic: the prefix ex- has only one meaning ‘former’ – ex-boxer;
- Polysemantic; the prefix dis- has four meanings:
- ‘not’ (disadvantage);
- ‘reversal or absence of an action or state’ (diseconomy, disaffirm);
- ‘removal of’ (to disbranch);
- ‘completeness or intensification of an unpleasant action’ (disgruntled).
According to their generalizing denotational meaning prefixes fall into: - According to their generalizing denotational meaning prefixes fall into:
- negative prefixes: un- (ungrateful); non- (non-political); in- (incorrect); dis- (disloyal); a- (amoral);
- reversative prefixes: un2- (untie); de- (decentralize); dis2- (disconnect);
- pejorative prefixes: mis- (mispronounce); mal- (maltreat); pseudo- (pseudo-scientific);
- prefixes of time and order: fore- (foretell); pre- (pre-war); post- (post-war), ex- (ex-president);
- prefix of repetition: re- (rebuild, rewrite);
- locative prefixes: super- (superstructure), sub- (subway), inter- (inter-continental), trans- (transatlantic).
According to their stylistic reference prefixes fall into: - According to their stylistic reference prefixes fall into:
- those characterized by neutral stylistic reference: over- (oversee); under- (underestimate); un-(unknown);
- those possessing quite a definite stylistic value: pseudo- (pseudo-classical); super- (superstructure); ultra- (ultraviolet); uni- (unilateral); bi- (bifocal).
These prefixes are of a literary-bookish character. - The word-forming activity of affixes may change in the course of time. This raises the question of productivity of derivational affixes, i.e. the ability of being used to form new, occasional or potential words, which can be readily understood by the language-speakers.
- Thus, productive affixes are those used to form new words in this particular period of language development.
Some productive affixes
Noun-forming suffixes
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-er (manager), -ing (playing), -ness (darkness), -ism (materialism), -ist (parachutist), -ism (realism), -ation (automation), (impressionist),
-ancy (redundancy), -ry (gimmickry), -or (reactor), -ics (cybernetics).
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Adjective-forming suffixes
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-y (tweedy), -ish (smartish), -ed (learned), -able (tolerable), -less (jobless), -ic (electronic).
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Adverb-forming suffixes
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-ly (equally)
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Verb-forming suffixes
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-ize/-ise (realise), -ate (oxidate), -ify (qualify).
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Prefixes
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un- (unhappy), re- (reconstruct), dis- (disappoint)
| Some non-productive suffixes:
Noun-forming suffixes
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-th (truth),
-hood (sisterhood),
-ship (scholarship).
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Adjective-forming
suffixes
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-ly (sickly),
-some (tiresome),
-en (golden),
-ous (courageous),
-ful (careful)
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Verb-forming suffix
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-en (strengthen)
| The productivity of an affix should not be confused with its frequency of occurrence that is understood as the existence in the vocabulary of a great number of words containing the affix in question. - The productivity of an affix should not be confused with its frequency of occurrence that is understood as the existence in the vocabulary of a great number of words containing the affix in question.
- An affix may occur in hundreds of words, but if it is not used to form new words, it is not productive, for instance, the adjective suffix –ful.
Etymology of Derivational Affixes: Native affixes are those in the Old English period or were formed from Old English words. The change a morpheme undergoes in the course of time may be of different kinds. A bound morpheme, e.g. may be developed from a free one. Such are the suffixes – dom (‘fate, power’); - hood ‘state’;
- -lock ‘actions or proceedings, practice’;
- -ship ‘state, conduct’, and the prefixes;
- over- ‘in excess, extra, upper’;
- out- ‘foreign, external’, ect.
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