Infixing

In linguistics, infixing refers to the morphological process of inserting a morpheme (a meaningful linguistic unit) into the middle of a word. This contrasts with prefixing (adding to the beginning) and suffixing (adding to the end). Inflectional infixing modifies the grammatical function of a word (e.g., tense, number), while derivational infixing creates a new word with a different meaning. Infixes are relatively uncommon across the world's languages, and are often used as a way to create diminutives or intensify a word's meaning, though their purpose differs from language to language.

Infixing meaning with examples

• In Tagalog, the infix '-um-' is used to create past tense forms of certain verbs. For instance, 'sulat' (to write) becomes 'sumulat' (wrote) by infxing the morpheme. This inflectional infix alters the verb's temporal reference, demonstrating the use of infixing for grammatical purposes within the sentence structure. This example highlights how a seemingly small linguistic change can significantly impact the overall meaning of a sentence.
• Javanese employs infixing to indicate respect or formality. A common example is adding '-in-' into words. The word 'tulis' (to write) might become 'tinulis' (is being written), altering the word to show polite form. Such derivational infixing serves social and pragmatic function.
• In certain Afro-Asiatic languages, like Arabic, infixes play a vital role in verb conjugation. The verb stem undergoes changes via vowel shifts and infixing, creating various forms to indicate tense, aspect, and voice. Without correct infixing, the verbs will not mean the right thing or be understood.
• The language spoken by the Nhanda people of Western Australia uses infixing as a grammatical component. This is done for many of their noun and verbs, in a very simple and direct way.
• Although rare in English, some instances of infixing are considered slang or informal, like inserting '-bloody-' into a word, such as 'un-bloody-believable' for emphasis. This deviates from standard English morphology and illustrates a playful application of the infixing concept.