Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 4 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
interesting how the word 'diminutive' refers to making something bigger, isn't it?

Diminutive affixes indicate smallness (and in some languages, connotations of cuteness): e.g., Italian or Spanish -ino, German -chen. Augmentative affixes indicate bigness (and in some languages, pejorative connotations): e.g., Italian -one.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
Originally Posted By: etaoin
Originally Posted By: The Pook
Nobody ever guesses where my handle comes from either.


you're a non-aspiring ghost?


Clever pun. No The Pook is not a non-aspirant non-aspirated Spook!

Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
Originally Posted By: zmjezhd
interesting how the word 'diminutive' refers to making something bigger, isn't it?

Diminutive affixes indicate smallness (and in some languages, connotations of cuteness): e.g., Italian or Spanish -ino, German -chen. Augmentative affixes indicate bigness (and in some languages, pejorative connotations): e.g., Italian -one.


Yes, that's interesting. Or like -shka -ski etc in Slavic languages.

The point I was making was that a 'diminutive' denotes not just the affix itself, but the resulting word, which is bigger than the word was before the affix was affixed. As in "Pookaroonie is a diminutive of Pook." It's an example of definition by usage. A diminutive has come to mean an affectionate nickname or something similar.

Regarding affixes and suffixes, I was always taught that an affix was a prefix and therefore the opposite of a suffix, which is added to the end of a word. But looking at the nearest dictionary to hand it seems that a prefix or a suffix is merely a subset of an affix, which is the term used to describe any addition to a word? How do others use those terms? And if this is so, does an affix include letters added in the middle of a word? Which would be called what? An infix?

This is getting too far off topic, so I have reposted it in the Wordplay and Fun section - perhaps best to reply there - sorry for hijacking the music question.

Last edited by The Pook; 02/23/08 01:11 AM.
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
>An infix?

yes

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
The Pook

I thought your nom-de-ouaibbe had something more to do with Puck or Pooka (Irish Púca), Kipling even, but then I am know to let my fancy fun away with my diminutive wit.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
diminutive wit As in, half-? [EG]

Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Originally Posted By: The Pook
...I'm THE Pook ... like Winnie THE Pooh, but you can call me that if you like, I don't mind.


OK! "THE POOH" it is.

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
The point I was making was that a 'diminutive' denotes not just the affix itself, but the resulting word, which is bigger than the word was before the affix was affixed.

Yes, affixes are one way that (inflectional) languages go about created new words from old ones. In linguistics this is usually called derivational morphology to keep it separate from desinences which usually indicate case, number, gender, and other grammatical categories. The diminutive refers not to the affix or the word, but usually the referent.

An infix?

There are circumfixes, too.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
As in, half-?

Not quite synonymous, but that's kinda what.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
Originally Posted By: zmjezhd
The Pook

I thought your nom-de-ouaibbe had something more to do with Puck or Pooka (Irish Púca), Kipling even, but then I am know to let my fancy fun away with my diminutive wit.


hahahahaha. I'm having fun with this. The real reason I am The Pook is much more mundane and unguessable than this.

um... Pardon MY diminutive wit, but what's a nom-de-ouaibbe? Never heard of a ouaibbe, but then I don't speak French.

Page 4 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,271
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 397 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,502
LukeJavan8 9,915
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5