Toldalék

Toldalék is a term in Hungarian grammar referring to a suffix or affix attached to a word stem to modify its meaning or grammatical form. It is a bound morpheme, meaning it cannot stand alone and must attach to a root or stem.

In Hungarian, toldalék can be broadly categorized into derivational affixes (képző) that create new words or change the word’s meaning, and inflectional suffixes (rag) that mark grammatical categories such as number, case, or mood. For example, adding -ák to ház forms the plural házak (houses), while adding -ban to ház forms the inessive házban (in the house). A derivational example is kis- + -ség to form szépség (beauty) from szép (beautiful).

The role of toldalék is central in Hungarian morphology, which is highly agglutinative. Words can accumulate several suffixes in sequence, creating complex forms that express nuanced grammatical and semantic information. The form of some toldalék is adjusted by vowel harmony, so suffix shapes may vary (for example, -ban vs -ben, -val vs -vel) to match the preceding vowels of the stem.

In linguistic analysis, telltale units of meaning are identified as either roots or toldalék, with the term often used to describe any attached affix, regardless of whether its primary function is derivational or inflectional. The study of toldalék helps explain how Hungarian builds new words and conveys grammatical relationships without separate independent words.