English morphemes

Nation (2001:268) lists the most useful affixes (prefixes and suffixes) in terms of learnability, divided into five stages according to the following criteria:# frequency, from high to low word frequency

1. regularity, i.e., the degree of change in the base morpheme, in spelling or pronunciation (e.g., the sound changes in admire – admiration, nation – national - nationality)
2. productivity, i.e., how often and readily it combines with other words; how often it is used as a morpheme to create new words
3. predictablility – how predictable the meaning is from the word base / stem and its affixes

These include grammatical suffixes (verb and noun endings for tense and plural markers), and derivational affixes, used for forming new words from other words (like -able, -ment, pre-, etc.).

1 Stage 0. Standard grammatical morphemes (morphemes for grammatical markings)

-s (noun & verb ending)

dogs and cats it comes and goes

-ed -ing

clipped morphing

2 Stage 1. Frequent affixes - productive (taking novel base words), no change to base word (in writing or speech)

-able -er -ish -less -ly

commendable fisher fiendish feckless verbally

-ness -th -y non- un-

lugubriousness thirteenth brawny non-native unconditional

3 Stage 2. Frequent somewhat productive often impose change on base word

-al -ation -ess -ful -ism -ist

communal alliteration finess stressful naturalism hedonist

-ity -ize -ment -ous in-

parity polarize puzzlement nervous innoculate

4 Stage 3. Less frequent; low productivity; rarely imposes change on base word

-age -al -ally -an -ance -ant -ary -atory -dom -eer -en -en -ence -ent -ery -ese

leakage arrival idiotically Alaskan clearance consultant revolutionary confirmatory kingdom marketeer wooden widen emergence absorbent trickery officialese

-esque -ette -hood -i -ian -ite -let -ling -ly -most -ory -ship -ward -ways -wise

picturesque usherette childhood Israeli phonetician parasite coverlet duckling leisurely topmost contradictory studentship homeward crossways endwise

anti- ante- arch- bi- circum- counter- en- ex- fore- hyper- inter- mid- mis- neo- post- pro- semi- sub- un-

anti-inflation anteroom archbishop biplane circumnavigate counter-attack enslave ex-president forename hyperactive interweave mid-week misfit neo-colonialism post-date pro-British semi-automatic subterranean untie

5 Stage 4. Less frequent.

-able / -ible -ee -ic -ify -ion -ist

cabable, edible employee acidic reify redaction pianist

-ition -ive -th -y pre- re-

contrition conducive thirteenth brawny precondition reverberate

6 Stage 5. Less frequent.

-ar -ate -et -some -ure ...ab- ad- com-

circular compassionate, electorate packet troublesome departure ... abject adjoin commence

de- dis- ex- (out) in- (in) ob- per- pro- (in front of) trans-

declassify disproportionate exhale inhale obstruct pertinent pro-active transition