Difference between revisions of "Infix"

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An '''infix''' is an [[affix]] which occurs inside its [[base]].
 
An '''infix''' is an [[affix]] which occurs inside its [[base]].
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===Examples===
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[[Tagalog]], a language spoken at the Philippines, has a number of infixes. From the monomorphemic root ''sulat'' 'writing' the derived verb ''sumulat'' 'to write' is formed by infixing -''um''- after the initial consonant. The existence of infixes is not uncontroversial. Broselow & McCarthy (1983) and McCarthy (1986) argue that infixation is just a special kind of [[prefix]]ation or [[suffix]]ation.
  
 
===Comment===
 
===Comment===
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:::"Now, shouldn’t we analyze ''-al'' in ''decolonialization'' also as an infix (after all, it occurs inside a word)? The answer is ‘no.’ True, ''-al'' occurs inside a complex word, but crucially it does not occur inside another morpheme." (Plag 2003:11)
 
:::"Now, shouldn’t we analyze ''-al'' in ''decolonialization'' also as an infix (after all, it occurs inside a word)? The answer is ‘no.’ True, ''-al'' occurs inside a complex word, but crucially it does not occur inside another morpheme." (Plag 2003:11)
  
Arabic infixes are vocalic patterns within so-called 'discontinuous morphemes', traditionally called 'roots'. For example, the triconsonantal root {k..t..b} is the discontinuous morpheme, which carries the meaning of 'writing', into which a vocalic pattern such as {..a..a} can be infixed to give you /katab/ (a pausal form), meaning 'wrote'. In fact, the morphemic analysis of past verb forms in Arabic is more complex than it might overtly seem were we to add gender as yet a third morpheme. (D T Gorgis,2007, Jordan).
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Arabic infixes, sometimes also called ''transfixes'' are vocalic patterns within so-called [[discontinuous morpheme]]s, traditionally called [[root]]s. For example, the triconsonantal root ''{k..t..b}'' is the discontinuous morpheme, which carries the meaning of 'writing', into which a vocalic pattern such as {..a..a} can be '''infix'''ed to give you /katab/ (a [[pausal form]]), meaning 'wrote'. In fact, the morphemic analysis of past verb forms in Arabic is more complex than it might overtly seem were we to add [[gender]] as yet a third morpheme.
  
 
===Origin===
 
===Origin===
 
The term ''infix'' is first attested in the last quarter of the 19th century.
 
The term ''infix'' is first attested in the last quarter of the 19th century.
  
===References===
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=== Link ===
Plag, Ingo. 2003. ''English word-formation.'' Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
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[http://www2.let.uu.nl/UiL-OTS/Lexicon/zoek.pl?lemma=Infix&lemmacode=672 Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics]
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=== References ===
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* Broselow, J. & J. McCarthy 1983. ''A Theory of Internal Reduplication,'' The Linguistic Review 3, pp. 25-88
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* McCarthy, J. 1986. ''OCP Effects: gemination and antigemination,'' Linguistic Inquiry 17, pp. 207-264
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* Plag, Ingo. 2003. ''English word-formation.'' Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
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===Other languages===
 
===Other languages===

Latest revision as of 21:47, 23 February 2013

An infix is an affix which occurs inside its base.

Examples

Tagalog, a language spoken at the Philippines, has a number of infixes. From the monomorphemic root sulat 'writing' the derived verb sumulat 'to write' is formed by infixing -um- after the initial consonant. The existence of infixes is not uncontroversial. Broselow & McCarthy (1983) and McCarthy (1986) argue that infixation is just a special kind of prefixation or suffixation.

Comment

Sometimes the term infix is also used for adfixes that occur nonperipherally in a word, but not inside another morpheme. However, this usage of infix is usually regarded as erroneous.

"Now, shouldn’t we analyze -al in decolonialization also as an infix (after all, it occurs inside a word)? The answer is ‘no.’ True, -al occurs inside a complex word, but crucially it does not occur inside another morpheme." (Plag 2003:11)


Arabic infixes, sometimes also called transfixes are vocalic patterns within so-called discontinuous morphemes, traditionally called roots. For example, the triconsonantal root {k..t..b} is the discontinuous morpheme, which carries the meaning of 'writing', into which a vocalic pattern such as {..a..a} can be infixed to give you /katab/ (a pausal form), meaning 'wrote'. In fact, the morphemic analysis of past verb forms in Arabic is more complex than it might overtly seem were we to add gender as yet a third morpheme.

Origin

The term infix is first attested in the last quarter of the 19th century.

Link

Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics

References

  • Broselow, J. & J. McCarthy 1983. A Theory of Internal Reduplication, The Linguistic Review 3, pp. 25-88
  • McCarthy, J. 1986. OCP Effects: gemination and antigemination, Linguistic Inquiry 17, pp. 207-264
  • Plag, Ingo. 2003. English word-formation. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.



Other languages

German Infix (de)