infixing

Infixing is a morphological process in which an affix is inserted inside a word or stem, rather than at its edges. An infix, as a unit of meaning, attaches within the base rather than before its first syllable (prefix) or after its last syllable (suffix). Infixation is often contrasted with circumfixation, where an affix surrounds a base in two parts, and with simpler affixation that attaches only at the beginning or end.

Infixation occurs in a number of language families, but is especially prominent in Austronesian languages. In Tagalog and related languages, infixes such as -um- are inserted after the first consonant of a root to form related verb forms or to mark grammatical distinctions. For example, a root like sulat “to write” can yield sumulat through the insertion of the infix -um-. Another common example uses gawa “to do/make,” which can appear as gumawa with the infix integrated into the pattern. The exact semantics of infixed forms vary by language and grammatical context.

Phonological and morphosyntactic constraints often govern where an infix can appear and which roots it can attach to. Infixing tends to interact with the phonotactics of the language, sometimes limiting placement to certain consonantal slots or syllable positions.

In linguistic typology, infixing is one of several affixal processes used to derive new words or mark grammatical distinctions. While more common or productive in some languages, infixation illustrates the diversity of affixation strategies beyond simple prefixes and suffixes.