2. Affixation

Affixation is the formation of words by adding derivational affixes to different types of bases.

Affixation

(according to the last stage of derivation)

suffixation prefixation

(dis- + -courage) + -ment un + (reason- + -able)

But from the point of view of morphemic analysis these words are specified as prefixal-suffixal derivatives.

Suffixation.

Suffixation is the formation of words with the help of suffixes.

Suffixes usually modify the lexical meaning of the base and transfer words to a different part of speech.

There are suffixes, however, which do not shift words from one part of speech into another. They can transfer a word into a different semantic group.

friend – friendship (a concrete noun becomes an abstract one)

Classification:

I. According to the lexico-grammatical character of the base suffixes are usually added to:

1) deverbal suffixes (those added to the verbal base);

-er (speaker); -ing (reading); -ment (agreement); -able (suitable).

2) denominal suffixes (those added to the nominal base);

- less (endless); -ful (armful); -ist (novelist); -some (troublesome).

3) deadjectival suffixes (those added to the adjectival base)

-en (widen); -ly (rapidly); -ish (whitish); -ness (brightness).

II. According to the part of speech formed:

1) noun-forming suffixes:

-age (breakage, bondage);

-ance/-ence (assistance, reference);

-dom (freedom, kingdom);

-er (teacher, baker);

-ess (lioness, actress);

- ing (building, washing);

-hood (manhood, childhood);

-ness (tenderness, prettiness);

-ship (relationship, partnership).

2) adjective-forming suffixes

-able/-ible/-uble (unbearable, audible, soluble);

-al (formal, official);

-ic (poetic);

-ant/-ent (repentant, dependent);

-ed (wooded, shaped);

- ful (delightful, doubtful);

-ish (reddish, bookish);

-ive (active);

-ous (courageous, curious).

3) numeral-forming suffixes:

-fold (twofold);

-teen (fourteen);

-th (seventh);

-ty (sixty).

4) verb-forming suffixes:

-ate (facilitate);

-er (glimmer);

-fy/-ify (terrify, speechify);

-ize (equalize, harmonize);

-ish (establish).

5) adverb-forming:

-ly (quickly, coldly);

-ward/-wards (upward, northwards);

-wise (likewise).

III. Semantically suffixes fall into:

1) monosemantic

“-ess” has only one meaning – “female” – tigress, tailoress.

2) polysemantic

“-hood” has 2 meanings:

1 - “condition or quality” – falsehood, womanhood;

2 - “collection or group” – brotherhood.

IV. According to their generalizing denotational meaning.

Ex: noun-suffixes fall into those denoting:

1) the agent of the action: -er (baker), -ant (assistant);

2) appurtenance: -an/-ian (Victorian, Russian), -ese (Chinese);

3) collectivity: -dom (officialdom), -ry (peasantry);

4) diminutiveness: -ie (birdie), -let (cloudlet), -ling (wolfling).

V. According to their stylistic reference: