affix (n.) (AFF)

The collective term for the types of FORMATIVE that can be used only when added to another MORPHEME (the ROOT or STEM), i.e. affixes are a type of ‘bound’ morpheme. Affixes are limited in number in a language, and are generally classified into three types, depending on their position with reference to the root or stem of the WORD: those which are added to the beginning of a root/stem (PREFIXES), e.g. unhappy; those which follow (SUFFIXES), e.g. happiness; and those which occur within a root/stem (INFIXES). Less common terms include circumfix or ambifix, for a combination of prefix and suffix (as in en-light-en). The morphological process whereby GRAMMATICAL or LEXICAL information is added to a stem is known as affixation (‘prefixation’, ‘suffixation’, ‘infixation’). From an alternative point of view, affixes may be divided into INFLECTIONAL and DERIVATIONAL types.

The number of affixes in a word has been suggested as one of the criteria for classifying languages into types (the affix(ing) index). Languages which express grammatical relationships primarily through the use of affixes are known as affixing languages, e.g. a ‘prefixing’ language (as in Bantu), or a ‘suffixing’ language (as in Latin or Greek).

In GENERATIVE grammar, the term ‘affix’ applies to such notions as ‘present’ and ‘past’, as well as -ing, be, have, etc., in the formulation of RULES. Affix hopping, in this approach, is an OBLIGATORY TRANSFORMATIONAL rule which attaches an affix to the appropriate formative in a STRING: the affix ‘hops’ over the VERB, which is adjacent to it, e.g. -ing+go becoming go+-ing.

In the DEMISYLLABIC analysis of SYLLABLES, the affix is an optional element attached to the syllabic CORE. Two types of affix are recognized: prefix (p-fix) and suffix (s-fix), the abbreviated forms being preferred in order to avoid terminological confusion with the corresponding notions in MORPHOLOGY. The point of division between core and affix is shown notationally by a dot.

affixal morphology An approach to MORPHOLOGY which claims that the only permissible morphological operation is the combining of AFFIXES and STEMS (other ALTERNATIONS, such as GRADATION or DELETION, are part of the PHONOLOGY). This restriction is absent in non-affixal morphology.