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{{Short description|Morpheme placed at the end of a word}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Affixes|Suffix=Suffix Meaning and their Relations}}
In [[linguistics]], a '''suffix''' is an [[affix]] which is placed after the [[Stem (linguistics)|stem]] of a word. Common examples are [[case endings]], which indicate the [[grammatical case]] of nouns and adjectives, and verb endings, which form the [[Grammatical conjugation|conjugation]] of verbs. Suffixes can carry grammatical information ([[inflection]]al endings) or lexical information ([[derivation (linguistics)|derivational]]/lexical suffixes)''.''<ref name=":3">{{cite book|last1=Mead|first1=Jonathan|title=Proceedings of the 11th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics|year=1993|publisher=Center for the Study of Language (CSLI)|isbn=978-1-881526-12-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rZ373puhVz8C&q=%22grammatical+suffix%22&pg=PA70|language=en}}</ref> Inflection changes the grammatical properties of a word within its [[syntactic category]]. Derivational suffixes fall into two categories: class-changing derivation and class-maintaining derivation.
Particularly in the study of [[Semitic languages]], suffixes are called '''affirmatives''', as they can alter the form of the words. In [[Indo-European studies]], a distinction is made between suffixes and endings (see [[Proto-Indo-European root]]).
A word-final segment that is somewhere between a [[free morpheme]] and a [[bound morpheme]] is known as a '''suffixoid'''<ref name=":0">Kremer, Marion. 1997. ''Person reference and gender in translation: a contrastive investigation of English and German''. Tübingen: Gunter Narr, p. 69, note 11.</ref> or a '''semi-suffix'''<ref name=":1">Marchand, Hans. 1969. ''The categories and types of present-day English word-formation: A synchronic-diachronic approach''. Munich: Beck, pp. 356 ff.</ref> (e.g., [[English language|English]] ''-like'' or [[German language|German]] ''-freundlich'' "friendly").
== Examples ==
=== English ===
:''Girl'''s'''''—where the suffix ''-s'' marks the [[Grammatical number|plurality]].
:''He make'''s'''''—where suffix ''-s'' marks the [[Grammatical person|third person]] [[Grammatical number|singular]] [[present tense]].
:''It clos'''ed'''''—where the suffix ''-ed'' marks the [[past tense]].
:''It's bright'''er'''''—where the suffix ''-er'' marks the [[Comparative]].
=== French ===
:''De beau'''x''' jours''—where the suffix ''-x'' marks the [[plural]].
:''Elle est passablement joli'''e''' ''—where the suffix ''-e'' marks the [[feminine]] form of the adjective.
=== German ===
:''mein Computer''—where the lack of suffixes is because its case, nominative, is "unmarked"
:''mein'''es''' Computer'''s'''''—genitive case
:''mein'''em''' Computer''—dative case
:''mein'''en''' Computer''—accusative case
=== Russian ===
:''мой компьютер—''where the lack of suffixes is because its case, nominative, is "unmarked"
:''мо'''его''' компьютер'''а'''''—genitive case
:''мо'''ему''' компьютер'''у'''''—dative case
:''мой компьютер''—accusative case
:''за-туш-'''и-ть''' свеч'''у'''''—where first word has -и- suffix, -ть ending (infinitive form); second word with ending -у (accusative case, singular, feminine).
:''[[wikt:доброжелательный|добр-о-жел-а-'''тель-н-ый''']]''—добр- root, -о- interfix, -жел- root, verbal -a- interfix, nominal [[wikt:-тель|-тель]] suffix, adjectival -н- suffix, adjectival -ый ending (nominative case, singular, masculine).
===[[Barngarla language|Barngarla]]===
:''wárraidya'' "[[emu]]" — where the lack of suffixes is because its grammatical number, singular, is "unmarked"
:''wárraidya'''lbili''''' "two emus" — dual
:''wárraidya'''rri''''' "emus" — plural
:''wárraidya'''ilyarranha''''' "a lot of emus", "heaps of emus" — superplural<ref>[[Ghil'ad Zuckermann|Zuckermann, Ghil'ad]] 2020, [[w:en:Revivalistics|''Revivalistics: From the Genesis of Israeli to Language Reclamation in Australia and Beyond'']], [https://global.oup.com/academic/product/revivalistics-9780199812790 Oxford University Press]. {{ISBN|9780199812790}} / {{ISBN|9780199812776}}</ref>{{rp|227–228}}
== Inflectional suffixes ==
[[Inflection]] changes the grammatical properties of a word within its [[syntactic category]]. In several languages, this is realized by an inflectional suffix, also known as '''desinence'''. In the example:
:I was hoping the cloth wouldn't fade, but it has fad'''ed''' quite a bit.
the suffix ''-d'' inflects the [[root (linguistics)|root]]-word ''fade'' to indicate past participle.
Inflectional suffixes do not change the word class of the word after the inflection.<ref>Jackson and Amvela (2000): ''Word, Meaning and Vocabulary; An Introduction to Modern English Lexicology''. London, Athenaeum Press, p. 83</ref> Inflectional suffixes in Modern English include:
=== Verbs ===
*'''-s''' third person singular simple present indicative active
*'''[[-ed]]''' past tense and past participle
*'''-t''' past tense (weak irregular)
*'''[[-ing]]''' present participle and gerund
*'''[[-en]]''' [[past participle]] (irregular)
=== Nouns ===
*'''-s''' plural number
*'''-en''' plural number (irregular)
=== Adjectives and adverbs ===
*'''-er''' [[Comparative syntax in English|comparative]] degree
*'''-est''' [[superlative]] degree
== Derivation ==
[[Derivation (linguistics)|Derivational]] suffixes can be divided into two categories: class-changing derivation and class-maintaining derivation.<ref>Jackson and Amvela (2000): ''Word, Meaning and Vocabulary; An Introduction to Modern English Lexicology''. London, Athenaeum Press, p. 88</ref> In English, they include
* '''[[wikt:-able|-able]]'''/'''[[wikt:-ible|-ible]]''' (usually changes verbs into adjectives)
* '''[[wikt:-al|-al]]''' /'''[[wikt:-ual|-ual]]''' (usually changes nouns into adjectives)
* '''[[wikt:-ant|-ant]]''' (usually changes verbs into nouns, often referring to a human agent)
* '''[[wikt:-ess|-ess]]''' (usually class-maintaining, with the word class remaining a noun)
* '''[[wikt:-ful|-ful]]''' (usually changes nouns into adjectives)
* '''[[Wikt:-fy|-fy]]''' (usually changes nouns into verbs)
* '''[[wikt:-hood|-hood]]''' (usually class-maintaining, with the word class remaining a noun)
* '''[[Wikt:-ise|-ise]]'''/'''[[Wikt:-ize|-ize]]''' (usually changes nouns into verbs)
* '''[[wikt:-ish|-ish]]''' (usually changes nouns into adjectives/class-maintaining, with the word class remaining an adjective)
* '''[[wikt:-ism|-ism]]''' (usually class-maintaining, with the word class remaining a noun)
* '''[[wikt:-ist|-ist]]''' (usually class-maintaining, with the word class remaining a noun)
* '''[[wikt:-ity|-ity]]''' (usually changes adjectives into nouns)
* '''[[wikt:-less|-less]]''' (usually changes nouns into adjectives)
* '''[[wikt:-like|-like]]''' (usually changes nouns into adjectives)
* '''[[wikt:-logy|-logy]]'''/'''[[wikt:-ology|-ology]]''' (usually class-maintaining, with the word class remaining a noun)
* '''[[wikt:-ly|-ly]]''' (usually changes adjectives into adverbs, but also some nouns into adjectives)
* '''[[wikt:-ment|-ment]]''' (usually changes verbs into nouns)
* '''[[wikt:-ness|-ness]]''' (usually changes adjectives into nouns)
* '''[[wikt:-oid|-oid]]''' (usually changes nouns into adjectives)
* '''[[wikt:-tion|-tion]]'''/'''[[wikt:-ion|-ion]]'''/'''[[wikt:-ation|-ation]]''' (usually changes verbs into nouns)
* '''[[wikt:-um|-um]]''' (usually) museum; stadium; auditorium; aquarium; planetarium; medium
* '''[[wikt:-wise|-wise]]''' From wīse ("manner, way, condition, direction")
== Altered pronunciation in English ==
A suffix will often change the stress or accent pattern of a multi-syllable word, altering the phoneme pattern of the root word even if the root's morphology does not change.<ref>Nancy K. Lewkowicz, "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/40029663 Pronouncing Longer Words:  Don't Begin at the Beginning]". ''Journal of Reading'', Vol. 29, No. 3 (Dec., 1985), 226–237.</ref> An example is the difference between "photograph" and "photography". In this case, the "-y" ending governs the stress pattern, causing the primary stress to shift from the first syllable ("pho-") to the antepenultimate ("-to-"). The unaccented syllables have their ordinary vowel sound changed to a schwa. This can be a particular problem for dyslexics, affecting their phonemic awareness,<ref>"[http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/professionals/learn-about-dyslexia/diagnosing-dyslexia Dyslexia Help: Success Starts Here]". University of Michigan.</ref> as well as a hurdle for non-native speakers.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Suffixes}}
[[Category:Suffixes| ]]
[[Category:Affixes]]
[[Category:Linguistics terminology]]
[[Category:English suffixes]]