Circumfixet

Circumfixet is a proposed but not widely accepted linguistic term for a type of affix. In linguistics, affixes are morphemes that are attached to a word's root or stem to form a new word or change its grammatical function. These affixes are typically classified as prefixes (attached before the root), suffixes (attached after the root), or infixes (inserted within the root). The concept of a circumfix describes an affix that consists of two parts, one preceding and one following the root, which together function as a single unit.

For example, in some Germanic languages, the past participle of verbs can be formed using a circumfix. In German, the verb *sagen* (to say) forms its past participle as *gesagt*. Here, *ge-* is the prefix and *-t* is the suffix, and they are considered to function together as a circumfix. This is in contrast to a language where the past participle might be formed solely by a prefix or a suffix.

The theoretical debate surrounding circumfixes centers on whether they are truly a single discontinuous morpheme or simply a co-occurrence of a prefix and a suffix. Some linguists argue that the two parts of a circumfix are semantically and grammatically bound, justifying their classification as a single unit. Others maintain that they can be analyzed as independent morphemes that happen to appear in a specific order relative to the root. While the term has been used, its status as a distinct category of affix remains a subject of linguistic discussion.