Morphology in English by Hamawand Zeki

Author:Hamawand, Zeki.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury UK

7.3 Verb-forming suffixes

A verb-forming suffix, also called a verbal suffix or a verbalizer, is a bound morpheme which is added to the end of a free morpheme to form a verb. The free morpheme can be a noun or an adjective. For example, -en is a bound morpheme that is dependent on the free morpheme dark to form the noun darken, which means making something dark.

7.3.1 Nominal roots

The suffixes -ate -ify and -ise are added to nominal roots to form verbs. Below is the semantic network of each suffix.

• [-ATE]

The suffix -ate is originally used to form transitive verbs and denotes causation. It has three senses. (a) ‘act upon the entity in the manner contained in the root’. This sense arises when the nominal roots are abstract, implying action. For example, to vaccinate is to give someone a vaccine, usually by injection. Similar verbs are assassinate, capacitate, and so on. (b) ‘make the thing contained in the root’. This sense arises when the nominal roots are abstract, implying non-action. For example, to hyphenate is to use a hyphen to join or divide two words or two parts of a word. Similar verbs include orchestrate, paginate, and so on. (c) ‘combine or treat something with the thing contained in the root’. This sense arises when the nominal roots are chemical substances. For example, to chlorinate is to combine or treat something with chlorine. Similar verbs are benzoinate, fluoridate, hydrogenate, and so on.

The suffix -ate is marginally used to form nouns and adjectives having two senses. (a) ‘rank or office contained in the root’. This sense arises when the nominal roots are concrete and the nouns formed denote rank, office or function. For example, a consulate is the office of a consul. Similar nouns are archdeaconate, directorate, doctorate, laureate, protectorate, and so on. (b) ‘showing the features of the thing contained in the root’. This sense arises when the nominal roots are abstract and the adjectives formed are qualitative. For example, a compassionate response is a response that shows compassion, a strong feeling of sympathy. Similar adjectives are fortunate, Latinate, passionate, proportionate, triplicate, and so on.

• [-IFY]

The prototypical character of the suffix -ify, or -fy, displays causation in forming transitive verbs. It has three senses. (a) ‘cause an increase in the quality expressed in the root’. This sense appears when the nominal roots are non-countable. For example, to terrify is to make someone very frightened. Other verbs include beautify, glorify, horrify, pacify, sanctify; and so on. The same sense appears when the roots are adjectival, as in amplify, diversify, humidify, purify, solidify, and so on. (b) ‘convert into the thing expressed in the root’. This sense appears when the nominal roots are countable. For example, to codify is to classify and organize things, such as laws or rules, into a code. Other verbs include classify, modify, notify, signify, syllabify, and so on. (c) ‘to serve as the thing expressed in the root’. This sense appears when the nominal roots are countable. For example, to exemplify is to be a typical illustration of something.

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