augmentatif

Augmentatif, in linguistics, refers to a word-form that conveys increased size, intensity, or force relative to the base word. It is typically realized through derivational morphology, most often by affixes, but can also occur with prefixes, circumfixes, vowel changes, or, less commonly, by combining words. Augmentatives are widespread in many languages and are often used to express physical size, emphasis, affection, humor, or insult, depending on context and tone.

In practice, augmentatives are formed to shift the reference level upward, sometimes with neutral meaning and other times with positive, humorous, pejorative, or emphatic connotations. Their semantic load can vary by language, speaker, and situation. Because of this variability, augmentatives often carry strong pragmatic or evaluative force.

Across languages, augmentatives are frequently implemented by affixation. In Romance languages, suffixes are especially common: in Italian, forms such as -one or -accio can yield casone (a large house) or gattone (a big cat). In Spanish, -ón/-ona and -azo/-aza varieties can produce casón (big house) or hombrón (colloquially, a big man). In Portuguese, the suffix -ão often serves an augmentative function, as in livrão (a large book) or casão (a large house). Other languages may use different strategies or register-specific forms, including periphrastic constructions.

Augmentatives contrast with diminutives, their common linguistic counterpart that indicates smaller size or lesser intensity. The use of augmentatives is highly dependent on regional norms and discourse style, ranging from affectionate or humorous to pejorative or insulting.