suffixers

Suffixers are bound morphemes that attach to the end of a word stem to modify its meaning or grammatical function. In linguistic descriptions, the process is called suffixation, and suffixers are contrasted with prefixes, which attach to the beginning, and infixes, which insert within a word. Suffixers typically cannot stand alone as independent words.

Suffixers are commonly classified as inflectional or derivational. Inflectional suffixers mark grammatical features such as number, tense, mood, case, or voice without usually changing the word’s lexical category. Examples in English include the plural suffix -s (dog becomes dogs) and the past tense suffix -ed (walk becomes walked). Derivational suffixers, by contrast, create new words or alter a word’s class, such as -er turning run into runner, or -ness forming happiness from happy.

Cross-linguistically, suffixing is widespread. Many languages are agglutinative, stacking multiple suffixers to convey complex information within a single word, as seen in Turkish, Finnish, and Hungarian. Suffixers can interact with phonology, causing allomorphy or triggering vowel harmony and other morphophonemic adjustments. They may also influence stem shape during attachment.

In linguistic practice, the term suffixer can refer to either the suffixing morpheme itself or to the process of attaching suffixers. However, standard terminology in morphology uses suffix or suffixal affix for the morpheme, and suffixing as the process. Suffixers are a central component of many morphological systems and are studied alongside prefixes, infixes, and other word-formation processes.