Stemimuotoista

Stemimuotoista is a term used in linguistics to describe a type of word formation process where a new word is created by adding a suffix to the stem of an existing word. This process is common in many languages and is a fundamental aspect of morphology, the study of word formation and structure. The stem is the core part of the word, often the root or base form, to which the suffix is attached. The resulting word may have a different grammatical function or meaning compared to the original stem.

For example, in English, the stem "happi" can be combined with the suffix "-ness" to form the noun "happiness." Similarly, in Finnish, the stem "työ" (work) can be combined with the suffix "-minen" to form the noun "työminen" (working). The suffix often carries grammatical information, such as part of speech or grammatical case, and can also convey semantic information, such as aspect or tense.

Stemimuotoista is a productive process, meaning that new words can be created by combining existing stems with appropriate suffixes. This process allows languages to expand their vocabulary and express new ideas and concepts. However, the productivity and regularity of stemimuotoista can vary significantly between languages. Some languages have a rich system of suffixation, while others rely more on other word formation processes, such as compounding or derivation.