A circumfix ( abbr: ) (also parafix, confix, or ambifix) is an

affix In linguistics, an affix is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word or word form. The main two categories are Morphological derivation, derivational and inflectional affixes. Derivational affixes, such as ''un-'', ''-ation' ...

which has two parts, one placed at the start of a word, and the other at the end. Circumfixes contrast with

prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Particularly in the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it alters the form of the word to which it is affixed. Prefixes, like other affixes, can b ...

es, attached to the beginnings of words;

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns and adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can ca ...

es, attached at the end; and

infix An infix is an affix inserted inside a word stem (an existing word or the core of a family of words). It contrasts with '' adfix,'' a rare term for an affix attached to the outside of a stem, such as a prefix or suffix. When marking text for ...

es, inserted in the middle. Circumfixes are common in Malay and Georgian. Its related operation is called circumfixation (or parafixation, confixation, ambifixation).

Examples

are used to mark off circumfixes.

Germanic languages

The circumfix is probably most widely known from the German

past participle In linguistics, a participle (; abbr. ) is a nonfinite verb form that has some of the characteristics and functions of both verbs and adjectives. More narrowly, ''participle'' has been defined as "a word derived from a verb and used as an adject ...

, which is ''ge-'-t'' (ge- prefix + -t suffix) for regular verbs. The verb ''spiel-en'', for example, has the participle ''ge-spiel-t''. However, a number of so-called ''strong'' verbs display the suffix ''-en'' (''ge-sung-en'' 'sung'), while all verbs carrying non-initial stress come without the prefix part ''ge-'', as in ''telefonier-t'' 'telephoned'. Dutch has a similar system (''spel-en'' → ''ge-speel-d'' in this case). In Dutch, the circumfix ''ge-'-te'' (ge- prefix + -te suffix) can be used to form certain

collective nouns In linguistics, a collective noun is a word referring to a collection of things taken as a whole. Most collective nouns in everyday speech are not specific to one kind of thing. For example, the collective noun "group" can be applied to people (" ...

(''berg'' (mountain) → ''ge-berg-te'' (mountain range)).

East Asian languages

In Japanese, some linguists consider ''o--ni naru'' (o- honorific prefix + ni particle + verb naru) and ''o--suru'' (o- prefix + -suru suffix/verb suru) to be

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...

circumfixes; for example ''yom-u'' (′read′) ...→ ''o--ni naru'' (respectful), ''o--suru'' (humble). In addition, Old Japanese had a prohibitive construction ''na--so₂(ne)'' (where the bracketed ''ne'' is optional), which at least one linguist ( ja) considers to be a circumfixal word form; an example using the Old Japanese verb ′write′ (''kak-u'') would be ''na--so₂(ne)''. The form without the bracketed ''ne'' survived marginally into Early Middle Japanese, but has no equivalent in any modern Japanese dialect or any other Japonic language. Instead, all modern Japonic languages and dialects express the prohibitive with a ''suffixal'' particle ''na'' (which is probably related to the prefixal part of the Old Japanese construction) attached to a non-past form of the verb; e.g., Tōkyō Japanese ''ku-na'', Kyōto Japanese ''ka-na'', Kagoshima Japanese ''kaʔ-'' or ''kan-'', Hachijō ''kaku-na'', Yamatohama Amami ''kʰakʰu-na'', Nakijin

Kunigami is a List of villages in Japan, village in Kunigami District, Okinawa, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It occupies the north tip of Okinawa Island, with the East China Sea to the west, Pacific Ocean to the east, and Municipalities ...

''hḁkˀu:-'', Shuri Okinawan ', Irabu Miyakoan ''kafï-na'', Hateruma Yaeyaman ''hḁku-na'', and Yonaguni ''kʰagu-n-na'' (all ′don't write!′). In addition to the circumfixal forms, Old Japanese also had a suffixal form similar to the modern forms (e.g., ''kak-u-na''), as well as a ''prefixal'' form ''na-kak-i₁'', which is also not reflected in any modern Japonic variety.

Austronesian languages

Malay has eight circumfixes: : ''per-'-kan'' : ''per-'-i'' : ''ber-'-an'' : ''ke-'-an'' : ''pen-'-an'' : ''per-'-an'' : ''se-'-nya'' : ''ke-'-i'' For example, the circumfix ''ke-'-an'' can be added to the root ''adil'' "fair/just" to form ''ke-adil-an'' "fairness/justice".

Other languages

In most North African and some Levantine

varieties of Arabic Varieties of Arabic (or dialects or vernaculars) are the linguistic systems that Arabic speakers speak natively. Arabic is a Semitic languages, Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic family that originated in the Arabian P ...

, verbs are negated by placing the circumfix ''ma'š'' around the verb together with all its prefixes and suffixed direct- and indirect-object pronouns. For example, Egyptian ''bitgibuhum-laha'' "you bring them to her" is negated as ''maš'' "you don't bring them to her". In

Berber languages The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight, are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related but mostly mutually unintelligible languages spoken by Berbers, Berber communities, ...

the feminine is marked with the circumfix ''t't''. The word ''afus'' "hand" becomes ''t't''. In Kabyle, ''θ'θ'' "bride" derives from ''issli'' "groom". From ''bni'', to build, with ''t't'' we obtain ''tbnit'' "thou buildest". Negation in Guaraní is also done with circumfixes, ''nd'i'' and ''nd'mo'ãi'' for

future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...

negation. In some

Slavic languages The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavs, Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic language, Proto- ...

, and in Hungarian, the superlative of adjectives is formed with a circumfix. For example, in Czech, the circumfix ''nej'ší'' is used – ''mladý'' "young" becomes ''nejmladší'' "youngest". The corresponding circumfix in Hungarian is ''leg'bb'', as in ''legnagyobb'' "biggest", from ''nagy'' "big". (In both cases, the

comparative The degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs are the various forms taken by adjectives and adverbs when used to compare two entities (comparative degree), three or more entities (superlative degree), or when not comparing entities (positi ...

form is produced using the suffix without the prefix: ''mladší'' "younger"; ''nagyobb'' "bigger".) In Gurmanchema and Wolof, noun classes are indicated by circumfix.

References

{{reflist

External links

* Circumfixes by language on Wiktionary Affixes