posted
What's the generic term for these? They're suffixes (and shouldn't that be suffices?) that turn a noun into an adjective.
In Hebrew and Arabic, they're all -i. Israeli, Iraqi, Baghdadi, Yemeni, etc, but in English, we have a ton of them.
I started thinking about it when I saw Alcon's Possessive Form of Troll? Of Hobbit? thread. It doesn't seem to me that "possessive" is the right term here. I thought I remembered it being "genitive", but I looked that up, and it's wrong.
Where's Jon Boy when you really need him?
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
English borrows from everywhere. That's why it's so rich and nuanced.
Don't forget -ero and -ista borrowed from Spanish. Also -ling from who knows where, as in Zergling, Earthling. My brother calls the people who work at the dump dumplings. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
"This boy can grow up to be a huge man, but still have a boyish face. 'Boy' is a noun, but the ending 'ish' makes it an adjective. 'Boyish': that describes the huge man's face. Get it?"
Edit: By the way, "-ish," "-ly" and other suffixes that change the part of speech of the word are called "derivational suffixes." I don't know if there's a word specific to derivational suffixes that make adjectives from nouns.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
MPH, that too. I happen to think it's worth it for all that richness and nuance, particularly since it's my mother tongue.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
If I remembered to bring home my Latin grammar, I'll try to look it up. I do know they have particular names, and we had to study them in Latin last year.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Dagonee is right that these are all derivational suffixes, but I'm not sure if there's a term that refers specifically to the class of suffixes you're talking about. To clarify, are you asking about all suffixes that form adjectives from nouns or just about suffixes that form nouns and adjectives from the names of countries and peoples? That's what all your examples seem to be, so I wasn't sure.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I was really thinking about the latter. But maybe there isn't a special term for that. I vaguely remember there being one in Arabic, but that was so long ago that I don't remember.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
The same suffix existed in Old English too. The diminutive use of that suffix (gosling, duckling, and so on) possibly came from Old Norse, though, since there's little evidence of that use in Old English.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
What if you were from King? I live near King, NC. Us folks from Walnut Cove call them "Kingamites", but I don't think that's, strictly speaking, totally correct. Ah, sometimes I love the rural South. Posts: 3354 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
I would plump for Kingonian, but I only speak da lingo, not make the rules...
At home we use the -ificated, as in the study needs to be tidyificated etc, but then English is a minority language around here Posts: 892 | Registered: Oct 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
There are some patterns based on word form (if you're from Nonsensa, you're a Nonsensian) and it would be interesting to identify more.
But we will keep some arbitrariness, at least, I don't think you could look at these forms, knowing the base word and the suffixes, and distinguish the differences in meaning:
quote:Originally posted by Tatiana: My brother calls the people who work at the dump dumplings.
I love that. I'm not going to have to contrive situations in which it would be natual to talk about people working in dumps, specifically so that I can refer to them that way.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Javert Hugo: I don't know about the others, but
quote:manly, manlike, mannish
all definitely have slightly different meanings. If "mannish" was the desired adjective, "manly" wouldn't do at all.
*loves English*
The others are different too.
continuous: without interruption continual: happening again and again continuing: not yet ended
uninterested: not caring about an issue disinterested: not personally connected to the issue and thereby able to judge fairly and impartially
Posts: 544 | Registered: Mar 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Also -en (dwarven, elven). Hmm... the one I think of most is -ian I think: Saratogians for folks from Saratoga, Bloomingtonians for folks from Bloomington. Hoosiers for folks from Southern Indiana? English makes no sense. It's cool, I speak it well enough by instinct, but I don't think I could ever study it and understand it's rules with anything but instinct. It's too confusing!
Also: I thread I started spawned a new thread!! I think this is a first for me. *bounce* Lisa, you just made my day... night... morning. Well whatever time it is, you made it Posts: 3295 | Registered: Jun 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Someone from Michigan is called a Michigander, properly, however there are those who believe Michiganian is correct. I, for one, feel that they are sadly mistaken and should embrace the our awesomely idiosyncratic word for coming from Michigan.
Posts: 655 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
And Liverpoolers are Liverpudlians. That one's awesome.
Noemon, my elder brother is gifted at nomenclature. He gave clever names to everything when we were growing up. He also calls roofers "roofians", as a play on ruffians, because he claims they all are. =)
The dumplings scavenge, you see. So if you have a load of stuff to take to the dump, and perhaps there are some items that might be questionable as to their suitability for the dump (dumplings are quite particular about their dumps, maintain long lists of things they do not allow, and all their rules are subject to individual interpretation) then if you put something highly scavengable prominently displayed on top of your load as a sort of offering to the dumplings, they are most likely to bless the entire load. The dumplings are a great force of nature, like the greek gods, and they must be similarly appeased. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
People from Alabama are Alabamians, a thing that some people apparently find quite hilarious. But idea that they should be called Alabamans instead is just wrong.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Alabama -> Alabamian Canada -> Canadian Panama -> Panamanian Florida-> Floridians Georgia-> Georgian (but the "i" is not pronounced!) Montana-> Montanan Arizona-> Arizonan ?!
Posts: 544 | Registered: Mar 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
It is silent, like the e in "bale" or "fade" (which also affects the pronunciation of nearby letters). If it *were* pronounced, we would call the state JOR-jee-uh.
Posts: 544 | Registered: Mar 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
People from Hong Kong are, "Hong Kies" (sounds like keys) I hate that people from Utah are called, Utahns. It just sounds so boring. We should be Utahnians, or perhaps Utahnese.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
I happen to think it's worth it for all that richness and nuance, particularly since it's my mother tongue.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
