Diminutive affix

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A diminutive affix is a prefix or suffix ( affix ) added to the root of the word and used for grammatical reduction ( diminutive ). Such syllables are to be regarded as prefixes and suffixes of word formation. The affixation is only one of several possible diminutive forms. The diminutive can also be expressed by abbreviation , reduplication , separate lexical entries or other linguistic means. In the Indo-European languages, the diminutive configuration is mainly accomplished through suffocation . Best known in German and its dialects are the belittling and diminutive forms with diminutive suffixes such as -chen, -lein, -i, -le, -erl, -l or -ei .

Distinction

This article or section needs to be revised: WP: General comprehensibility ("lexicalized"? What about the fairy tale -> the fairy tale ?, The maiden -> the girl ?)
Please help to improve it and then remove this marking.

Diminutive affixes are only those affixes whose meaning has not been lexicalized. For example, the word ending -chen in girls or fairy tales is not a diminutive affix.

Examples

Standard German

The most frequently used diminutive suffixes in German are -chen , e.g. B. with Hänschen (derived from Hans , often used as a salutation for children of this first name), Vögelchen (meaning "little bird ") and -lein (e.g. with Dörflein (derived from village)). The following -i (e.g. Benni for Benjamin , Basti for Sebastian ) or the -y adopted from the English language (cf. Tommy for Thomas ) is also common, but mostly found in personal names .

  • -chen, for example pooch for small dog, related to the Low German -ke and - (t) je
  • -lein, for example Äuglein for small eye, related to the Latin -ulus / ula and the Upper German forms -le, -la, -li, -l

Dutch , Low German

  • -ke, -ken, for example Manneke or Manneken (male)
  • -je, -tje, for example Mannetje , Buscherumpje , Meisje
  • -ing (in Mecklenburg) for example mining and lining , kinning
  • in Gdansk German, vowels of the nominal stems are not converted by diminutive suffixes:
    • Dogs instead of puppies and pugs instead of pugs .

Middle German dialects and languages

  • Hessian dialects
    • -che; for example kittens , puppies
    • -elche ( double diminutive: -el corresponds to Upper German -el , -che corresponds to Low German -ke ); Egg moose (little eye / little eye: little eye)
  • Moselle-Franconian and Palatinate dialects
    • -je, -sche; For example Kätzje , Gässje , Hündsche , Autosche , with -je and -sche in complementary distribution
    • -elsche ( double diminutive: -el corresponds to Upper German -el , -sche corresponds to Low German -ke ); for example Eischelsche or Äugelsche (Äuglein / Äugelchen: small eye), Gässelsche (small alley)
  • Yiddish
    • -el (e), plural - (e) lech; for example fi: sel (e) , plural fi: s (e) lech (small feet), gesel , plural geselech (small alleys)

Upper German dialects (southern German language area)

  • Alemannic
    • Baden and Alsatian
      • -le, for example Kätzle , -el for example Hiesel ( little house) plural -le Hiesle .
    • Swabian
      • -le (singular and plural), for example Kätzle
      • -la (plural), for example Kätzla
    • Swiss German , Alemannic in southern Baden
      • -li , -i, for example Chätzli
  • East Franconian
    • -la, for example Äffla , but very often also as a diminutive or kose form for normal sizes
  • Bavarian in old Bavaria and Austria
    • -l, -rl, -erl, -ei, -i for example Dirndl , Dirnei , Bürscherl

Latin

  • -ulus / -a / -um, for example parvulus (sweet and small) from parvus (small)
  • -olus / -a / -um, for example ostiolum (small door) from ostium (door)
  • -culus / -a / -um, for example musculus (little mouse) from mus (mouse), navicula (little ship) from navis (ship), tabernaculum (little hut) from taberna (board, hut, shop), derived from this: tabernacle
  • -ellus / -a / -um, for example porcellus (piglet, piglet) from porcus (pig) (next to porculus and doubled to porcellulus )
  • -illus / -a / -um, for example bacillum (stick) from baculum (stick)
  • -ullus / -a / -um, for example anulla ( little mother) from anus (old woman)
  • -unculus / -a / -um, for example occasiuncula (small opportunity) from occasio (opportunity), homunculus (little human being) from homo (human), avunculus (uncle) from avus (grandfather), furunculus (thief) from fur (thief )
  • -io, for example caballio ( little horse) from caballus (horse)

English

  • -let, for example leaflet (leaflet / leaflet) from leaf (leaf), booklet (little book) from book (book), bomblet (bob) from bomb (bomb), piglet (piglet) from pig (pig)
  • -kin, for example lambkin (lamb) from lamb (lamb)
  • -y, for example piggy (piggy) from pig (pig)
  • -ling, for example duckling (duckling) from duck (duck)
  • -een (in Irish English, from ir. -ín), for example lambeen ( little lamb)
  • irregular shapes that represent separate words, such as kitten (kitten) from cat (cat)

French

  • -et / ette, for example sœurette ( little sister), cigarette
  • -ot, for example frérot (little brother)
  • -elle, for example sauterelle (grasshopper)

Quebec French

  • In this dialect of French, diminutive forms are typologically untypically formed by prefixing or reduplication: ti-chat "Kitty", ti-gars "Jüngelchen", Ti- (L) ouise "Louise", Ti-Mi "Michelle", Dédé "André" , Didi “Diane”, Dodo “Dominique” etc. There are similar forms in the French Creole languages (namely Haitian ) and various West African languages .

Furlanic

  • -ut / -ute
man ("hand") - manute (" little hand")
fuar ("furnace") - fuarnut ("small furnace")
  • -on / -one
bree ("board") - breon ("large board")
  • -at
orcul ("ogre") - orculat ("evil ogre")
  • -ot / -onon
grant ("big") - grandonon ("really big")
  • -in / -inin / -el / -it / -uç
pâl ("pile") - paluç ("small pile")

Irish

  • -ín, for example leabhairín (little book)

Italian

  • -ino / -ina
mano ("hand") - manina ("little hand")
signora ("woman") - signorina ("miss")
caro ("dear", "expensive") - carino ("pretty")
  • -etto / -etta
scoglio ("rock") - scoglietto ("small rock")
viola ("violet", also a name) - Violetta (diminutive of the name)
  • -otto
isola ("island") - isolotto ("island")
  • -ello / -ella
canna ("pipe") - cannella ("cinnamon")
  • -uccio / -uccia
canna ("pipe") - cannuccia ("straw")
This ending usually appears as a " belittling " form (vezzeggiativo) :
Gianni ("Hans") - Giannuccio (roughly "sweet little Hans")

Catalan

  • -et / -eta, for example germaneta ( little sister)

Lithuanian

The Lithuanian language has a particularly large number of diminutives that have been preserved from Old Lithuanian : In addition to nouns, adjectives with numerous suffixes are also used.

  • -elis / -elė, for example namelis ( little house), gėlelė ( little flower)
  • -ėlis, -ėlė ąsotėlis , mažutėlė
  • - (i) ukas, - (i) ukė berniukas , mergiukė
  • -eliukas, -eliukė ereliukas , mameliukė
  • -ytis, -ytė paukštytis , gėlytė
  • - (i) utis, - (i) utė zuikutis , saulutė
  • -aitis, -aitė: bernaitis , mamaitė
  • -učiukas, -učiukė: mažučiukas, mažučiukė
  • -elytaitis, -elytaitytė

Finnish

  • -nen: tyttönen (tyttö: daughter); kaunoinen (kaunis: beautiful, noun)
  • -kka, (last vowel can change): marjukka (marja: berry), mustikka (musta: black, noun → blueberry), pallukka (pallo: ball)
  • double diminutive (-kka + -nen): lapsukainen (lapsi: child), pienokainen (pieni: small, noun)
  • picku

Estonian

  • -ke: emake (ema: mother), kiisuke (kiisu: cat); (Formed from the genitive stem)
armsake (armas: lieb, armsa (genitive), noun)
  • -kene: kullakene (kulta: gold)

Greek

  • -aki, for example νεράκι, (neraki) ("water" served with coffee)
  • or κουταλάκι, (kutalaki) ( little spoon, teaspoon)
  • -oula, for example βολτούλα, (voltoula) (a "stroll" or short going out)
  • Change of gender, for example η σπάθα [i sp'atha] (the sword) = fem. ↔ το σπαθί [to spa'thi] (the sword) = neutr., Η γάτα [i g'ata] (the cat) = fem . ↔ το γατί [to ga'ti] (the kitten) = neutr., Whereby the meaning of the basic word and the diminutive can shift through the centuries, for example η κεφαλή [i kefa'li] (the most important part of an apparatus / the clay head / the pegbox of the string instruments etc. altgr .: the head) = fem. ↔ το κεφάλι [to ke'fali] (the head) = neutr. The word can be put back into the feminine: η κεφάλα [i ke'fala ], whereby it would then contemptuously refer to the ugly giant head.

Portuguese

The Portuguese diminutive and educational rules are numerous. There are also exceptions, outdated forms and differences in the formation of the plural. Portuguese also uses the diminutive for adjectives, adverbs and gerunds.

  • -inho / -a, for example casinha ( little house) from casa (house)
  • -zinho / -a (when noun ends in a vowel or nasal), for example irmãozinho (little brother) from irmão (brother), homemzinho (little man) from homem (man)
  • -ito / -a (can usually be used in parallel with -inho / a), for example casita ( little house) from casa
  • -zito / -a (in special cases), for example mulherzita (Miss, but not to be used as a salutation) from mulher (woman)
  • -oto / -a (rare), for example casota ( little house) from casa
  • -eto / -a (rarely), for example saleta (room) from sala (room)
  • -ebre (very rare), for example casebre ( little house) from casa

Russian

In the Russian language, diminutives and nicknames are very common. Nouns, adjectives, and adverbs each have their own suffixes. Nouns have the greatest variety:

  • Masculine: -ik, -tschik, -ok / -ek, -ec, -ischk- etc. (e.g. "domik" from "dom" ("house"))
  • Femina: -ka, -onk-a / -enk-a, - (i) ca, -ink-a etc. (e.g. "tropinka" from "tropa" ("path")
  • Neutra: -ik-o, - (i) ce, -yschk-o etc. (e.g. "oblatschko" from "oblako" ("cloud")

One of the few masculine undeclinable nouns that have the ending -e typical of neutral nouns (such as "шимпанзе" ("chimpanzee")) is кофе ("coffee"). The corresponding diminutive is "кофеёк" (kofejok) with the suffix -ok / -ek. An example from literature: "- О, сейчас кофейку выпью, - потирая руки, сказал довольным голосом Коротков"

The diminutive of proper names in Russian is so diverse that the name is often no longer recognized by non-Russians:

  • Aleksandr (a) = Sascha, Shura, Sashenka, Schurik, Saschka, Saschka, San'ka, Saschetschka, Schurka, Schurotschka
  • Aleksej = Aljoscha, Aljoschenka, Aljoschka, Lyoschik, Lyoscha, Lyoha
  • Anastasija = Nastyja, Asja, Nastenka, Nastyushka, Nastjona, Nastka
  • Anna = Anja, Anjuta, Anetschka, Anuschka, Njuta, Njura, Njusha
  • Boris = Borja, Borenka, Borjusha, Borka
  • Bratislava = Slava, Slavochka
  • Dmitrij = Dima, Mitja, Mitenka, Dimotschka, Mitjuscha, Dimon, Mitka
  • Grigorij = Grisha
  • Ivan = Vanya, Ivanushka, Vanetschka, Vanka
  • Jekaterina = Katja, Katerina, Katetschka, Katenka, Katjucha, Katjuscha, Katka
  • Yevgeny = Shenya, Shenechka, Sheka, Shenka
  • Konstantin = Kostyja, Kostenka, Kostik, Kostka
  • Leonid = Lyonja, Lyolik, Lyonychka, Lyonka
  • Maria = Mascha, Manja, Maschenka, Maschetschka, Maschuscha, Marusja, Maschka
  • Michail = Misha, Mischenka, Mishanya, Mishka
  • Natalia = Natascha, Nata, Nataschenka, Natusenka, Natusik, Nataschka
  • Nikolaj = Kolja, Kolenka, Nikolascha, Kol'ka, Koljan
  • Pyotr = Petya, Petenka, Petrusha, Petyunya
  • Sergej = Serjosha, Serjoga, Serjoshenka, Serjoshka
  • Stanislav = Stasja, Stasik, Stasjuka, Stasenka
  • Stepan = Stjopa, Stjopanka, Stepanchik, Stjopushka, Stjopka
  • Swetlana = Sweta, Swetochka, Swetik, Swetyushka, Swetka
  • Wladimr = Wolodja, Wowa, Wowotschka, Wolodenka, Wowka, Wolodka

Spanish

The diminutive is very common in Latin America in particular. There it is not only to be found in nouns, but also in adverbs, e.g. "Ahorita" for "ahora".

  • -ito / -a replaces -o / a
  • -cito / -a if the last letter is not an unstressed o or a ; for example, mamá ( mama ) becomes mamacita (beautiful girl) and coche ( car ) becomes cochecito (car / stroller )
  • -illo / a, like -el / -le / -li in German: somewhat outdated or dialect-specific ( Andalusia ), but can be found in many established terms (such as tortilla )
  • other regional / colloquial forms, similar to -illo / -a: -ico ( Aragon , Costa Rica ), -ín or -ino ( Asturias ), -iño ( Galicia ), -uco ( Cantabria ), -ete ( Catalonia ), -uelo (old-fashioned), -ico / ica ( Murcia )

Turkish

  • -cik / -cık / -cuk / -cük, for example kedicik (kitten). In Turkish, the adjectives can also be reduced in size, for example incecik (very thin).

Berber

  • Diminutive suffix: -ush
  • Diminutive circumfix: t___t

Bantu languages

In the Bantu languages, the diminutive affiliation can be accomplished with a pre-syllable or a sub-syllable.

Swahili ki-

ndege "bird": kidege "little bird"

Zulu -ana

inyoni "bird": inyonyana "little bird"

Papuan languages

In Papuan languages ​​like Walman , the diminutive affix -l- is either placed before or after the verb.

  • pelen n-aykiri "The dog barks."
Dog 3SG.MASK.NOM-bark
  • pelen w-aykiri "The bitch barks."
Dog 3SG.FEM.NOM-bark
  • pelen l-aykiri "The dog is barking."
Dog 3SG.DIM.NOM-bark
  • kum m-etere-n pelen "I saw the dog."
1SG 1SG.NOM-see-3SG.MASK.AKK dog
  • kum m-etere-ø pelen "I saw the bitch."
1SG 1SG.NOM-see-3SG.FEM.AKK dog
  • kum m-etere-l pelen "I saw the dog."
1SG 1SG.NOM-see-3SG.DIM.AKK dog

Esperanto

In the international language Esperanto the syllable -et- is used based on the Romance languages; then, as is customary, an ending vowel or an ending syllable is added, which denotes the word class (-o for nouns in the singular, -oj nouns in the plural, -a for adjectives, -e for adverbs, -i for verbs in the basic form etc.). The opposite "form of enlargement" ( augmentative ) is formed with the syllable -eg- .

  • pordo door, pordeto door, pordego gate
  • varma warm, varmeta lukewarm, varmega hot
  • jump salti, jump saltegi , make giant leaps saltegi

The syllables can also be used as independent word stems.

  • eta small, low (adjective), ege very (adverb)

For nicknames there are also the diminutive suffixes -ĉj- (male) and -nj- (female)

  • patro father, patrino mother, paĉjo papa, panjo mom

Further use

The diminutive suffix can express not only the smallness, but also the positive ( meliorative ) or the negative ( pejorative ) attitude of the speaker to what is being designated. Nouns , adjectives and adverbs have their own diminutive suffixes. The lexical meaning is not changed by diminution. The diminutive suffix is ​​also used in other languages ​​to form hypocoristic forms (nicknames).

Suffixes that indicate an enlargement ( augmentative suffixes ) are unknown in German.

Beyond the grammatical meaning, diminutive suffixes are linguistic means to signal relationship relationships; in contrast to the diminutive, they can also express recognition, respect or a quality feature at least in languages ​​other than German.

See also

literature

  • Franz Januschek: About Fritz and other discontinued models. A contribution to lingology. In: Elisabeth Berner, Manuela Böhm, Anja Voeste (eds.): Ein gross vnnd narhracht. Festschrift for Joachim Gessinger. Universitäts-Verlag, Potsdam 2005, ISBN 3-937786-35-X , pp. 221-231, ( full text (about pet forms of first names) ).
  • Maria Schiller: Diminutiva and nicknames in the modern Russian language. Foreword and editor: Arnold Schiller. A. Schiller et al., Munich et al. 2001, ISBN 3-8311-2861-8 , ( full text (PDF; 7.48 MB) ).
  • Maria Schiller: Pragmatics of diminutives, nicknames and endearing words in modern Russian colloquial literature (= language and literary studies. Vol. 22). Herbert-Utz-Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-8316-0683-2 (also: Munich, University, dissertation, 2006).
  • Henri Wittmann , Heinz Fischer : The distribution of the diminutive / še / and / jə / in Middle Franconia (Aschaffenburg, Neuwied). In: Études germaniques . Vol. 14, 1964, pp. 165-167, ( digital version (PDF; 203 KB) ).

Web links

Wiktionary: Suffix  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wittmann, Henri & Heinz Fischer (1964): The distribution of the diminutive / sche / and / je / in Middle Franconian. Études germaniques 14.165-67. ( PDF ( Memento of the original from February 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. ) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / homepage.mac.com
  2. ↑ The double diminutive indicates that the Upper German forms -le, -la, -li, -l were also widespread in the Central German-speaking area and have only recently been replaced by a Low German -che .