Circumfix

A circumfix (abbreviated CIRC)^[1] is an affix which has two parts, one placed at the start of a word, and the other at the end. Circumfixes contrast with prefixes, attached to the beginnings of words; suffixes, attached at the end; and infixes, inserted in the middle. Circumfixes are common in Malay^[2] and Georgian.^[3]

Examples

⟩Angle brackets⟨ are used to mark off circumfixes.

Germanic languages

The circumfix is probably most widely known from the German past participle, which is ge⟩...⟨t for regular verbs. The verb spielen, for example, has the participle gespielt. Dutch has a similar system (spelen → gespeeld in this case).

East Asian languages

In Japanese, some linguists consider o⟩...⟨ni naru and o⟩...⟨suru to be honorific circumfixes;^[4] for example yomu...→ o⟩yomi⟨ni naru (respectful), o⟩yomi⟨suru (humble).

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" to form keadilan "fairness".^[5]

Other languages

In most North African and some Levantine varieties of Arabic, 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 ma⟩bitgibuhum-lahā⟨š "you don't bring them to her".

In Berber languages the feminine is marked with the circumfix t⟩...⟨t. The word afus "hand" becomes t⟩afus⟨t. In Kabyle, θ⟩issli⟨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 negation.

In some Slavic languages, 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 form is produced using the suffix without the prefix: mladší "younger"; nagyobb "bigger".)

In Gurmanchema and Wolof, noun classes are indicated by circumfix.

References

^ Comrie, Bernard; Haspelmath, Martin; Bickel, Balthasar (2008). "Leipzig glossing rules: Conventions for interlinear morpheme-by-morpheme glosses".
^ Tadmor, Uri (2005), "Malay-Indonesian and Malayic languages", in Strazny, Philipp (ed.), Encyclopedia of Linguistics, New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, pp. 644–647
^ Colarusso, John (2005), "Georgian and Caucasian languages", in Strazny, Philipp (ed.), Encyclopedia of Linguistics, New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, pp. 380–383
^ Boeckx, Cedric; Niinuma, Fumikazu (2004), "Conditions on Agreement in Japanese", Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, 22 (3): 453–480, doi:10.1023/B:NALA.0000027669.59667.c5
^ Baryadi, I. Praptomo (2011). Morfologi dalam Ilmu Bahasa (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University Publishers. pp. 42–43. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[1] Comrie, Bernard; Haspelmath, Martin; Bickel, Balthasar (2008). "Leipzig glossing rules: Conventions for interlinear morpheme-by-morpheme glosses".

[2] Tadmor, Uri (2005), "Malay-Indonesian and Malayic languages", in Strazny, Philipp (ed.), Encyclopedia of Linguistics, New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, pp. 644–647

[3] Colarusso, John (2005), "Georgian and Caucasian languages", in Strazny, Philipp (ed.), Encyclopedia of Linguistics, New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, pp. 380–383

[4] Boeckx, Cedric; Niinuma, Fumikazu (2004), "Conditions on Agreement in Japanese", Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, 22 (3): 453–480, doi:10.1023/B:NALA.0000027669.59667.c5

[5] Baryadi, I. Praptomo (2011). Morfologi dalam Ilmu Bahasa (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University Publishers. pp. 42–43. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

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