tion

tion is a productive suffix in English used to form abstract nouns that express action, process, or state, usually from verbs or, less often, from adjectives. It derives from Latin -tio and came to English via Old French, becoming one of the most common noun-forming endings in the language.

Formation and usage: The most frequent pattern is attaching -tion to a verb to name the resulting act or its product. Examples include creation (from create), information (from inform), decision (from decide), translation (from translate), notification (from notify), and transformation (from transform). While the suffix primarily yields action or process nouns, not all -tion words map directly to a visible verb action; some have developed specialized or generalized senses over time.

Pronunciation and spelling: The suffix -tion is typically pronounced as the “shun” sound /ʃən/ in many English words, as in nation (/ˈneɪʃən/) and information (/ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/). Spelling is fairly regular, though it coexists with related endings such as -sion and -ation, which have distinct etymological origins and sometimes different stem shapes.

Relation to other suffixes: -tion is related to other noun-forming endings such as -sion and -ation. The choice among them often reflects historical derivation rather than a simple rule; -ation commonly attaches to stems ending in -ate, while -sion often follows certain consonant endings. Together, these suffixes provide a broad mechanism for converting verbal and adjectival bases into nouns.

In summary, the suffix -tion is a central, versatile means of noun formation in English, enabling the expression of actions, processes, and states across a wide range of domains.