TransWikia.com

Is y at the end of muddy derivational

English Language & Usage Asked by Thb Canterbury on March 17, 2021

Mud is the root word. If I add -dy to make the word muddy, is that suffix a derivational or inflectional morpheme?

One Answer

The suffix in the word muddy is -y, which is an adjective-forming suffix usually added to nouns and verbs. The root word in muddy is mud.

'Inflectional morphemes' are ones that don't change the part of speech of a word, for instance, the plural suffix -s or the past tense marker -ed:

  • bag → bags (both are nouns)
  • want → wants, wanted (all of them are verbs)

'Derivational morphemes' on the other hand are ones that do change the part of speech of a word. For example, suffixes like -y, -ise/-ize etc:

  • mud (noun) → muddy (adj)
  • standard (noun or adj) → standardise (verb)

Answered by Decapitated Soul on March 17, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP