stemaffixes

Stem affixes are morphemes that attach directly to the stem of a word to form new words or to mark grammatical information. The stem is the core part of a word that carries its primary lexical meaning, and it may be a simple root or a previously derived base. Stem affixes can be prefixes, suffixes, infixes, or circumfixes, depending on the language, and they interact with the phonology of the stem.

Functions of stem affixes fall into two broad categories: derivation and inflection. Derivational stem affixes create new lexical items or grammatical categories, such as un- in unhappy (prefix) or -er in teacher (agentive suffix). Inflectional stem affixes mark grammatical properties, such as -s for plural in cats or -ed for past tense in talked. Some languages exhibit stem alternations—ablaut or vowel changes—that occur in coordination with affixation, illustrating morphophonological connections between stem and affix.

In linguistic descriptions, identifying the stem is crucial for analyzing where affixes attach and how meanings change. The concept of stem affixes overlaps with general discussions of affixation but emphasizes the stem as the receptacle for affixal material. While the term appears in some theoretical frameworks and typological surveys, many grammars describe the same phenomena using traditional categories like prefixes, suffixes, and infixes together with root and stem analyses.