Application of Affix in English Teaching(词缀在英语教学中的应用)

1、application of affix in english teachingabstractvocabulary teaching runs through the whole period of english teaching in university. expansion of vocabulary is the first step to improve comprehensive level of english. to solve word problems, the study of affixation plays a vital role in english voca

2、bulary learning. when we study english, we can take advantage of the feature of word formation in english language to learn and remember words easily and happily. this paper highlights four areas in affix teaching. the first is source. it mainly stems from romanic, latin, greek, and english. the sec

3、ond is classification. it can be divided into prefix, infix, and suffix. the third is emotive function. affix itself has commendatory and derogatory sense. the last is semantic and grammatical function. the meaning of a word is due to its affix, and word-class is due to its suffix. the aim is to ena

4、ble students to understand vocabulary items accurately and use them appropriately. suggestions for teachers vocabulary teaching are put forward at the end of the paper.key words: affix; prefix; suffix; teaching; vocabulary词缀在英语教学中的运用中文摘要：词汇教学贯穿于整个大学英语教学时期。扩大词汇量是提高英语综合水平的第一步。要想解决词汇学习的难题，词缀规律的研究在英语词汇学

5、习中占有举足轻重的地位。当我们学习英语的时候，我们可以充分利用英语单词构词的这一特点，轻松快乐地学习和记忆英语单词，从而扩大自己的词汇量。这篇论文主要提出词缀教学的四个方面。第一，来源。主要来自罗曼语，拉丁语，希腊语和它本族语。第二，分类。词缀被分为前缀，中缀和后缀。第三，感情色彩。词缀本身有褒贬义。第四，语义和语法功能。前缀决定词义，后缀决定词类。其目的是帮助学生能够准确理解词汇的意义和正确地使用它们。文章最后探讨了本研究对英语教师教学词汇的启示。关键词：词缀；前缀；后缀；教学；词汇1. introduction1.1 background of the studyalthough the

6、current college english teaching is mainly to enhance the comprehensive ability of students, the relative paucity of learners vocabulary number often makes the process of learning english particularly difficult. university english teachers are often faced with students complaints of learning english

7、 vocabulary: there are so many words that they do not know how to memorize; having taken a lot of time to remember these words are quickly forgotten and so on. in reading it is common that foreign language learners always encounter new words, which hinder their reading comprehension. in writing, a l

8、imited vocabulary prevents learners from developing ideas or arguments effectively.1.2 purpose of the studywilkins4 said that “without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed.” vocabulary is so important in language use that vocabulary teaching plays a cruci

9、al role in language teaching and learning. therefore, as a teacher, how to get students interested and motivated in english learning and increase their vocabulary should be taken into teachers considerations. teachers should guide students to learn words through the word system, structure, rules and

10、 so on. thus, they can speak fluently and write easily, smoothly. increasing the students vocabulary can increase their facility in communication. so teachers should pay special attention to techniques of vocabulary teaching.1.3 significance of the studywang ever showed that to learn vocabulary by e

11、nglish reading. liu3 also indicated that remember words by formal and informal vocabulary, and linking words. however, these methods are too boring for students. the author thinks that word formation is a good way of learning english vocabulary. among them, affix knowledge plays an important role in

12、 word formation and in expansion of vocabulary size. the affixation is an effective method of learning vocabulary. learning by affixation, students acquire a wide range of vocabulary. so that can make them have a better progress in english learning.2. literature review2.1 theory evidenceaffixation i

13、s generally defined as a word-formation process by which new words are created by adding a prefix, or suffix, or both, to the base. “it is a collective term for the type of morpheme that can be used only when added to another morpheme, so affix is naturally bound.”10 it stems from romanic, latin, gr

14、eek and its own family. word generated by the affix called derivative. affixes are a kind of bound morpheme of english word formation. neither can it exist lonely, nor can be used independently. it is often attached in front of or at the back of free morpheme, or embedded among the other morpheme. a

15、ffixes only show additional and grammatical meaning, but not word meaning. 2.2 previous researchcui and wang5 wrote the analysis of english derivational affix of chinese learners based on clec. it showed that using derivational affix wrongly, the reason of that, and suggestion of derivation affix te

16、aching. xu1 also wrote a review of literature on l2 learners affix knowledge development, which indicated that acquiring the productive use of derivative members of a word family.3. key concepts in affix teaching3.1 sourceenglish is a language which has strong absorption, and vocabulary has many for

17、eign words. in fact, affixes also have a lot of foreign words; despite its own affixes exist in.3.1.1 englishfor instance, prefix includes for-, or-, to-, with-, mis-, out-, over-, under-, fore-, be-, and a-; suffix includes ster, -er, -ling, -y, -ing, -ful, -less, -like, -ish, -some, -ward, -wise,

18、-fold, -ly, -dom, -hood, -ship, -ness, and -ed.3.1.2 romanic, which includes french, italian, and spanishfor instance, prefix includes non-, dis-, de-; suffix includes eer, -or, -let, -ette, -ess, -ery, -tion, -sion, -ion, -ment, -ity, -ify, -able, -esque, -ary, -ous, -ic.3.1.3 latinfor instance, pr

19、efix includes in-, mal-, super-, sur-, sub-, ultra-, mini-, counter-, pro-, inter-, trans-, pre-, post-, ex-, re-, uni-, bi-, tri-, sept-, nona-, deci-, centi-, milli-, multi-, demi-, en-, vice-; suffix includes age, -ant, -ate, -ible, -al, -ive.3.1.4 greekfor instance, prefix includes amphi-, anti-

20、, arch-, auto-, neo-, pan-, proto- pseudo-, hyper-, mono-, di-, penta-, hexa-, octa-, enne-, de-, ca-, hector-, kilo-, poly-, hemi-; suffix includes -ist, -ism, -ocracy, -ite, -ize.3.2. classificationaffixation has been operative through the whole course of the history of the english language. affix

21、es in a language are limited in number, and are generally classified into three subtypes, namely, prefix, infix and suffix, depending on their position around the root or stem of a word. among them, prefix and suffix are used often. this study will mainly highlight these two kinds of affixes to anal

22、yze.3.2.1 prefixationprefix is the morpheme attached in front of the root word, which has a meaning but can not be used as a separate language unit. for example, by adding affix un-, we can get a word unhappy. its meaning changes, but its word-class does not change. in general, it can increase, chan

23、ge or strengthen the meaning of a root, but does not usually alter the word-class of the base. 3.2.1.1 increasing meaning pseudo- means fake, sham. for example, by adding affix pseudo-, we can get a word pseudonym. it means a false name used by an author. i.e. she wrote under a pseudonym. auto- mean

24、s of ones own accord or automatic. for example, by adding affix auto-, we can get a word autobiography. it means the story of a persons life written by himself. also we can get a word automaton, which means a human-shaped machine that can be operated to move by itself.3.2.1.2 changing meaningmis- me

25、ans wrong. for example, by adding affix mis-, we can get a word misdirect, whose meaning is to direct wrongly.i.e. she was misdirected, and ended up in the wrong street.un- means no, can not. for example, by adding affix un-, we can get a word unacceptable. it means that cannot be accepted.3.2.1.3 s

26、trengthen meaningbe- means exceeding, extreme, and to the utmost. for example, by adding affix be-, we can get a word beset. it means that to attack on all sides. i.e. beset by thieves.arch- means chief, first. for example, by adding affix arch-, we can get a word archbishop, whose meaning is a chie

27、f bishop.as morpheme, prefixes have different kinds of meaning. according to these meaning, prefixes can be divided into following categories.3.2.1.4 prefixes a-, non-, un-, dis-, in- show negative. e.g.amoral, asexual, apathy, asymmetry, asocial, noncontrastive, noneffective, nonsmoker, nonstop, un

28、sunned, unsuccessful, unswear, unstream, unspell, disregard, dissatisfied, disquiet, dissimilar, incomparable, inconsistent, inconsiderate, inconvenience, intolerance, and so on.moral as an adjective, the meaning of it is able to understand the difference between right and wrong. e.g. children are n

29、ot naturally moral beings. however, after adding affix a-, we can get a word amoral, whose meaning is not following any moral rules and not caring about right and wrong.stop as a verb, it means to (make something) cease moving, or come to rest, a halt etc. e.g. she stopped the car and got out. this

30、train does not stop at datong. but after adding affix non-, we can get a word nonstop. the meaning of it is continuing without a stop. e.g. is this train nonstop?in general, “a-” and “in-” can be used before a noun or an adjective; “non-” can be used before an adjective, a noun or a verb; “un-” can

31、be used before an adjective, a past participle or a present participle; “dis-” can be used before an adjective or a verb.3.2.1.5 reversative or privative such as un-, dis-, de-. e.g.uncap, unwrap, unbutton, untie, unpack, undress, dissociate, discontent, displace, displease, disobey, disconnect, dis

32、harmonious, dishonest, dethrone, deice, defrost, dehumanize, decentralize, delocalize, and so on.wrap as a verb, it means that to roll or fold (round something or someone). e.g. he wrapped his handkerchief round his bleeding finger.yet after we add affix un-, we can get a word unwrap, whose meaning

33、has changed completely. the meaning of it is to open (something wrapped or folded). e.g. she unwrapped the gift.content as a noun, its meaning is the state of being satisfied or quite happy. e.g. youre on holiday, and you can lie in the sun to your hearts content. however, after adding affix dis-, t

34、he word discontent means that the state of not being contented, dissatisfaction. e.g. there is a lot of discontent among young people.frost as a verb, its meaning is to become covered with frost.e.g. the windscreen of my car frosted up last night. yet, after adding affix de-, the word defrost means

35、that to remove frost or ice from (a refrigerator etc.). e.g. i keep forgetting to defrost the freezer.usually, “un-” and “de-” can be added before a verb or a noun; “dis-” can be added before a verb, a noun, or an adjective.3.2.1.6 prefixes of time and order such as ante-, pre-, fore-, post-, ex-. t

36、hese prefixes always show that concept of time. e.g.antedate, antenuptial, antemeridian, antemundane, antenatal, prechoose, predate, predefine, precondition, preadolescence, prebattle, prehistoric, preglacial, premature, forego, forecast, foresee, foretell, foreknowledge, foresight, forenoon, postda

37、te, postoperative, postwar, postmodern, postliberation, postatomic, postnatal, ex-president, exmayor, ex-soldier, ex-wife, ex-nazis, and so on.by adding affix fore-, we can get a word foretell. the meaning of foretell is that to tell (about something) before it has happened. e.g. to foretell the fut

38、ure from the stars.post- means that something has taken place after something has happened. by adding affix post-, we can get an adjective postwar. it means that of, or belonging to, the time after a war.e.g. postwar depression.ex- means that previous, before something has happened. by adding affix

39、ex-, we can get a word ex-president.normally, “ante-” and “post-” can be saw before a noun or an adjective; “pre-” can be saw before a verb, a noun or an adjective; “fore-” can be used before a verb or a noun; “ex-” can be saw before a noun.3.2.1.7 these prefixes indicate that the size of things or

40、degree of nature. for example, arch-, out-, sur-, sub-, hyper-, over-, under-, ultra-, mini-, macro-, micro-, infra-, maxi-, super-, and so on. e.g.arch-enemy, archbishop, arch-fascist, outlive, outgrow, surface, surpass, surplus, subtropical, subway, subconscious, hypercritical, hyperactive, hypers

41、ensitive, hypermarket, overeat, oversimplify, underprivileged, underwork, ultra-fashionable, ultra-conservative, minibus, miniskirt, macromolecule, macroeconomics, macroclimate, microorganism, microfilm, microorganism, microbarograph, infrasonic, infrared, infrahuman, maxiskirt, maxicoat, and so on.

42、the meaning of arch- is the chief, first. after adding prefix arch-, the word arch-enemy means that the main enemy.hyper- means that excess, overdo. by adding affix hyper-, we can get a word hypermarket, whose meaning is a very large supermarket.prefix out- means exceed, overtake. after adding prefi

43、x out- to grow, its meaning is to grow too big or too old for. e.g. my daughter has outgrown all her clothes.the meaning of mini- is small, pony. so the word minibus means a small bus. miniskirt means a very short skirt.infra- means below or beyond a particular limit. by adding affix infra- to red,

44、the word infrared means that (of rays) below the red end of the spectrum.usually, “arch-” can be added before a noun; “out-” can be saw before a verb or a noun; “sur-”, “ultra-”, “super-”, and “sub-” can be used before a a noun or an adjective; “-over” can be used before a verb, a noun, an adjective

45、, present participle or past participle; “under-” can be added before a verb, a noun or past participle; “infra-” can be used before an adjective.3.2.1.8 prefixes super-, sub-, inter-, trans-, intra-, peri- always show that locative. e.g.superstructure, superscript, superscribe, superstratum, subway

46、, substructure, submarine, subcloud, subsurface, subsoil, intermarry, international, interline, intercontinental, translation, transfrontier, transnational, intra-atomic, intra-marginal, intra-collegiate, perimeter, pericardial, peristyle, and so on.sub- means below. by adding sub- to way, the meani

47、ng of subway is an underground passage (or railway). e.g. go by subway. cross by the subway.the meaning of inter- is between, among. after adding inter- to marry, the word intermarry means that (of tribes, families etc) to marry one another. e.g. the invaders intermarried with the local population.

48、the two families intermarried.peri- means outside. perimeters meaning is the outside edge of any area. e.g. the perimeter of the city.3.2.1.9 some prefixes show contrary such as with-, re-, retro. e.g.withdraw, withhold, withstand, rebel, resist, return, retreat, reaction, reverse, retroanalysis, re

49、troact, retrograde, and so on.by adding with- to hold, we can get a word withhold. its meaning is to refuse to give.e.g. to withhold permission.the meaning of resist is to fight against, usually successfully. e.g. the soldiers resisted the enemy attack. its hard to resist temptation.in a usual, “wit

50、h-” and “re-” can be added to a noun or a verb; “retro-” can be used before a verb, a noun or an adjective. but we must know, when prefix “re-” show repeat or duplicate, it can be used before all verb.3.2.1.10 following prefixes indicate all, everything, such as omni-, pan-, per-, be-. e.g.omnipoten

51、t, omniform, omniscience, omnicompetent, omnipresent, panhuman, perfuse, perfervid, perhydrogenate, bescatter, bemuffle, beset, besmear, bedaub, and so on.the word potent means having power, yet after adding omni- to it, the meaning of omnipotent is having absolute, unlimited power. e.g. the omnipot

52、ent power of god.by adding affix be- to set, its meaning is to attack on all sides. e.g. beset by thieves.normally, “omni-” and “pan-” can be added to a noun or an adjective; “per-” can be used before a noun, a verb or an adjective; “be-” can be added to a verb.3.2.1.11 prefixes “en-” and “be-” can

53、convert words to a different word-class in comparison with their original bases. e.g.enslave, endanger, enrich, enable, becalm, belittle, bedim, bedwarf, bewinter, bemad, benumb, and so on.the word danger is a noun. by adding a prefix en-, we can get a verb endanger, whose meaning is to put in dange

54、r. e.g. drunk drivers endanger the lives of others.the word calm is an adjective. after adding a prefix be- to it, we can get a verb becalm. its meaning is to make somebody or something still or quiet.usually, “en-” and “be-” both can be used before a noun or an adjective.to sum up, these prefixes n

55、early can change the meaning of root or root words. in general, they cannot change the word-class. that is to say, if root word is a noun, it is still a noun after adding a prefix. yet, the prefix “en-” can change word-class. in other words, by adding prefix “en-” to a root word, the derivative will

56、 change word-class of the root word. the root word usually is an adjective, a noun or a verb. after adding “en-”, it will convert to a verb. as follows are examples.en + large (adj.) enlarge (v.)en + slave (n.) enslave (v.)en + lighten (v.) enlighten (v.)3.2.2 suffixationsuffixation is the morpheme

57、attached after a root or a root word. the same as prefixation, it has meaning but cannot be used as a separate language unit. in general, by adding a suffix, the word-class will change. for example, the noun boy, by the addition of the suffix -ish, is changed into an adjective boyish. of course ther

58、e are exceptions: the noun boy by adding -hood to the base, becomes boyhood, without any change in word-class. suffix can be divided into four categories. they are verb suffix, noun suffix, adjective suffix, and adverb suffix.3.2.2.1 verb suffixesverb-forming suffixes are very few in english. they are -fy, -ate, -ize, -en, indicating “become, turn into” “cause” “change into” and so on. for example:beautify, glorify, simplify, amplify, purify, liberate, fascinate, originate, modernize, civilize, democratize, systemize, lengthen, strengthe