1) Neutral

-able (agreeable), -er (writer), -ing (meeting);

2) With a certain stylistic value:

-oid (asteroid), -tron (cyclotron).

These suffixes occur usually in terms and are bookish.

Prefixation

Prefixation is the formation of words with the help of prefixes.

Prefixes are derivational morphemes affixed before the derivational base.

Prefixes modify the lexical meaning of the base. They seldom shift words from one part of speech into another and therefore both of the source word and its prefixed derivative mostly belong to the same part of speech.

to write – to rewrite

Classification:

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

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

re- (rewrite); over- (overdo); out- (outstay)

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

un- (unbutton), de- (detrain), ex- (ex-president)

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

en- (eneasy); bi- (biannual).

II. According to the class of words they preferably form:

1) verb-forming

en-/em- (embed, enclose); be- (befriend); de- (dethrone).

2) noun-forming

non- (non-smoker); sub- (sub-committee); ex- (ex-husband).

3) adjective-forming

un- (unfair); il- (illiterate); ir- (irregular).

4) adverb-forming:

un- (unfortunately); up- (uphill).

!!! The majority of prefixes function in more than one part of speech.

III. Semantically:

1) monosemantic

“ex-“ has only one meaning – “former” – ex-boxer.

2) polysemantic

“dis-“ has 4 meanings:

- “not” (disadvantage);

- “reversal or absence of an action or state” (diseconomy, disaffirm);

- “removal of” (to disbranch);

- “completeness of intensification of an unpleasant action” (disgruntled).

IV. According to their generalizing denotational meaning:

1) negative

un- (ungrateful);

non- (nonpolitical)

in- (incorrect)

dis- (disloyal)

a- (amoral)

2) pejorative

mis- (mispronounce)

mal- (maltreat)

pseudo- (pseudo-scientific)

3) prefixes of time and order

fore- (foretell)

pre- (pre-war)

post- (post-war)

ex- (ex-president)

4) prefix of repetition

re- (rebuilt, rewrite)

5) locative prefixes

super- (superstructure)

sub- (subway)

inter- (inter-continental)

trans- (transatlantic)

V. According to their stylistic reference:

1) neutral

over- (oversee)

under- (underestimate)

un- (unknown)

2) with quite a definite stylistic value

pseudo- (pseudo-classical)

super- (superstructure)

ultra- (ultraviolet)

uni- (unilateral)

bi- (bifocal).

These prefixes are of a literary-bookish character.

Social Variation of the English Language

Social language variation deals with different identities a person acquires participating in social structure. Hence social language variation provides an answer to the questions “Who are you?” and “What are you?” People belong to different social groups and perform different social roles. A person might be identified as “a women”, “a parent”, “a doctor”, “a political activist” or in many other ways. Any of these identities can have consequences for the kind of language people use. Indeed, it is usually language – much more than clothing, furnishing, or other externals – which is the chief signal of both permanent and transparent aspects of a person’s social identity.

Certain aspects of social variation seem to be of particular linguistic consequence. Age, sex, and socioeconomic class have been repeatedly shown to be of importance when it comes to explaining the way sounds, grammatical constructions, and vocabulary vary. Adopting a social role invariably involves a choice of appropriate linguistic forms.