Simulfix

In linguistics, a simulfix is a type of affix that changes one or more existing phonemes (usually vowels) in order to modify the meaning of a morpheme.

Examples of simulfixes in English are generally considered irregularities, surviving results of Germanic umlaut. They include:

• man → men, woman → women
• louse → lice, mouse → mice
• foot → feet, tooth → teeth

The transfixes of the Semitic languages may be considered a form of discontinuous simulfix.

In Javanese and colloquial Indonesian, simulfixation productively occurs to form active verbs and to derive verbs from noun bases. For example:

• cuci → nyuci (to wash)
• tulis → nulis (to write)
• kopi (coffee) → ngopi (to drink coffee)
• sapu (broom) → nyapu (to sweep)
• tongkrong (hangout) → nongkrong (to hang out)
• pacul (hoe) → macul (to hoe)

See also

• Apophony

References