suffixtosuffix

Suffixtosuffix is a term in morphology referring to the phenomenon in which a suffix forms part of a larger word that itself bears another suffix, i.e., a suffix-to-suffix chain. The concept describes the layering of derivational affixes such that a suffix yields a stem that can take a further suffix.

In analysis, suffix-to-suffix can be modeled as a directed graph where nodes are suffixes and edges indicate that one suffix can attach to the output of another. This helps in describing productive derivations and in computational lexicons.

Examples: The English sequence modern + -ize + -ation yields modernization. Here -ize is a suffix forming a verb from an adjective, and -ation is a suffix forming a noun from a verb; the resulting word contains two suffixes applied in sequence, i.e., a suffix-to-suffix chain.

Another common pattern is -al, -ize, -ment stacking in languages with rich derivational morphology, or verb-forming suffixes that then take noun-forming suffixes.

Cross-linguistic note: Suffix-to-suffix chains are widespread in many languages, with varying productivity and phonological adjustments. Some languages exhibit limits where certain suffixes cannot be followed by others, or where phonology triggers allomorphy.

Applications: In linguistics research and natural language processing, modeling suffixtosuffix helps in parsing, generation, and dictionary construction. It also informs pedagogy for learners by clarifying how words are built from multiple suffixes.

Limitations: Not all suffixes are compatible in chains; semantic transparency often declines with depth; spelling adjustments may occur across morpheme boundaries.