inflektiv

Inflektiv is a linguistic term used to describe a type of word formation in which an affix is inserted inside a word stem (infixation) to convey grammatical meaning such as tense, aspect, mood, voice, or part of speech. The word inflektiv is used primarily in German-language linguistics and is related to the broader concept of infixation; in English, the more common terms are infix and infixed morphology.

Inflektiv contrasts with prefixes and suffixes, which attach at the beginning or end of a word. Infixes may appear after the first consonant or after a specific syllable, and their distribution is highly language-specific. Notable real-world examples are primarily found in a subset of Austronesian languages such as Tagalog, where an infix like um- can be inserted into a root to form a new grammatical form.

The study of inflektiv often focuses on morphophonology, since the choice of infix can interact with the phonological shape of the stem. In some languages, infixes are productive across large word classes; in others, they are restricted to certain verb forms or nominal plurals. In modern linguistics, infixal morphology is discussed alongside prefixes, suffixes, and circumfixes as part of non-concatenative morphologies.

In English-language summaries, infixation is illustrated with foreign-language examples or theoretical constructs, illustrating how an internal attachment can alter part of speech or tense. The term inflektiv also appears in some grammars as a label for infixed morphemes, although the terminology varies by author.

See also: infix, affix, inflection, Tagalog language.

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