A Comparison Between French and English Suffixes
Maive Jackson, Rachel Lane, Lori Zhai, Jing Wang(Liz)
What is a suffix?
You can use the suffix -able to turn this from a verb to an adjective. Now it means capable of agreeing.
dis
agree
able
Suffixes are part of a group called affixes. Affixes are made up of prefixes (they come before the root), and suffixes, (they come after the root).
You can add the prefix -dis to change the meaning again. Because -dis means apart or not, the word now means the opposite of the original meaning.
What is a suffix?
In English, suffixes change word meanings in two ways:
agree
- inflectional (grammatical): In this case, the basic meaning of the word does not change.
agree
able
- derivational (the new word has a new meaning, "derived" from the original word): In this case, the meaning of the word changes slightly.
Inflectional Suffixes
Inflectional suffixes are used for grammar changes. For example, if you add -s to boy, the basic meaning of the root word boy does not change; it's simply been inflected to show that the speaker is talking about more than one. Inflectional suffixes can be used with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Take a look at the table for some examples.
Derivational Suffixes
With derivational suffixes, the new word has a new meaning, and is usually a different part of speech. The new meaning of the word is related to (derived from) the old meaning. We can add more than one derivational suffix. For example:
derive (verb) + ation → derivation (noun) + al → derivational (adjective)
There are several hundred derivational suffixes. Here are a few of the more common ones:
We've learned about English suffixes
So how does it compare to French?
Did you know?
30%
of English words have their origin in French. -(Raad, 2021)
Up to
Function
Both English and French use inflectional and derivational suffixes.
The Similarities
Structure
The similarities in English and French suffixes go beyond English "borrowing" a few suffixes. There are other similarities too.
The structure of both are the same. Prefix first, root, suffix last.
Use
Suffixes can be added to both a noun and a verb.
Spelling
Some suffixes are spelled the same in English and French.
The differences
vs
English
French
- Changes to root words are minimal when adding a suffix. (Dropping an 'e' or 'y' becomes an 'I')
- Similarly spelled/pronounced suffixes with different meanings.
- Stress-time syllable speech patterns affect pronunciation.
- Less verb tenses.
- Gendered suffixes. For example, -et and -ette.
- Sometimes root words change completely to use a suffix.
- Different spellings or pronunciations but the same meanings. For example, -ous (English) and –eux (French)
- Syllable-timed speech patterns. affect pronunciation
- More verb tenses. (in French, verb endings change not just with the tense but also based on the subject performing the action of the verb, leading to more inflectional suffixes)
'English and French have the reputation of being difficult languages to learn because the official spellings used to represent them are inconsistent and fail to provide a 1:1 relationship between the phonemes of the language and the letters of the alphabet used for the spelling.'
-Albert Valdman
Challenges
Since suffixes exist in both French and English, it is not as challenging to learn as it would be if the morpheme did not exist in their native language. Nevertheless, there are still challenges.
Pronunciation
Similarities
Gender
Many French words ARE spelled similar or the same in English, however, they are pronounced very differently
Another challenge is suffixes with different spellings or pronunciations but the same meaning. For example: -ous (English) and –eux (French)
One of the major challenges for French learners is the absence of gendered words in English and consequently, the absence of gendered suffixes to denote them.
So how does this affect teaching?
We need to be considerate of our L2 learners
There are a few ways we can achieve this...
Student Led Teaching
Explicit Instruction
Building Vocabulary
Building Morphological Awareness
Questions?
Sources
Avery, P., & Ehrlich, S. L. (2002). Teaching American English pronunciation. Oxford University Press. Carstairs-McCarthy, A. (2002). An introduction to English morphology: Words and their structure. EUP. Chloe. (2022, February 19). Suffixer-Upper: 12 French suffixes to upgrade your French. FluentU French. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/french-suffixes/ Deshors, Sandra C., International Journal of Learner Corpus Research (IJLCR); 2018, Vol. 4 Issue 1, p23-53, 31p Does the passé composé influence L2 learners’ use of English past tenses? 2018 Does the passé composé influence L2 learners’ use of English past tenses?: Ram Search (framingham.edu) Fleischman, S., & Valdman, A. (1979). Introduction to French phonology and morphology. Language, 55(4), 911. https://doi.org/10.2307/412753 L., M. (2021, November 12). Learn French vocabulary: Understanding prefixes & suffixes. Take Lessons Blog. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://takelessons.com/blog/french-vocabulary-prefixes-and-suffixes-z04 Nordquist, Richard. (2020, February 5). Inflectional Morphology. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/inflectional-morphology-words-1691065 Raad, E. (2021, March 7). 18 French words you use in English without realizing it. Master Your French. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.masteryourfrench.com/french-vocabulary/french-words-used-in-english/ Rose, Marda Hispania. 95(4):670-680 2012 https://www-jstor-org.fscproxy.framingham.edu/stable/41756419 Smith, N. V., & Schane, S. A. (1969). French phonology and morphology. Language, 45(2), 398. https://doi.org/10.2307/411671 ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). -et / -ette - French Suffix. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/et-ette-french-suffix-1371390 Kurbegov, E. (2015). French Vocabulary Building with Suffixes and Prefixes. McGraw-Hill Education. Lam, K., Chen, X., & Deacon,S.H.(2019). The Role of Awareness of Cross-Language Suffix Correspondences in Second-Language Reading Comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(1).pp. 29–43 Orbis Latinus. (2023). French Language: Suffixes. Retrieved from https://www.orbilat.com/Languages/French/Grammar/French-Wordbuilding-Suffixes.html
A Comparison Between French and English Suffixes
Maive Jackson
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Transcript
A Comparison Between French and English Suffixes
Maive Jackson, Rachel Lane, Lori Zhai, Jing Wang(Liz)
What is a suffix?
You can use the suffix -able to turn this from a verb to an adjective. Now it means capable of agreeing.
dis
agree
able
Suffixes are part of a group called affixes. Affixes are made up of prefixes (they come before the root), and suffixes, (they come after the root).
You can add the prefix -dis to change the meaning again. Because -dis means apart or not, the word now means the opposite of the original meaning.
What is a suffix?
In English, suffixes change word meanings in two ways:
agree
agree
able
Inflectional Suffixes
Inflectional suffixes are used for grammar changes. For example, if you add -s to boy, the basic meaning of the root word boy does not change; it's simply been inflected to show that the speaker is talking about more than one. Inflectional suffixes can be used with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Take a look at the table for some examples.
Derivational Suffixes
With derivational suffixes, the new word has a new meaning, and is usually a different part of speech. The new meaning of the word is related to (derived from) the old meaning. We can add more than one derivational suffix. For example:
derive (verb) + ation → derivation (noun) + al → derivational (adjective)
There are several hundred derivational suffixes. Here are a few of the more common ones:
We've learned about English suffixes
So how does it compare to French?
Did you know?
30%
of English words have their origin in French. -(Raad, 2021)
Up to
Function
Both English and French use inflectional and derivational suffixes.
The Similarities
Structure
The similarities in English and French suffixes go beyond English "borrowing" a few suffixes. There are other similarities too.
The structure of both are the same. Prefix first, root, suffix last.
Use
Suffixes can be added to both a noun and a verb.
Spelling
Some suffixes are spelled the same in English and French.
The differences
vs
English
French
'English and French have the reputation of being difficult languages to learn because the official spellings used to represent them are inconsistent and fail to provide a 1:1 relationship between the phonemes of the language and the letters of the alphabet used for the spelling.'
-Albert Valdman
Challenges
Since suffixes exist in both French and English, it is not as challenging to learn as it would be if the morpheme did not exist in their native language. Nevertheless, there are still challenges.
Pronunciation
Similarities
Gender
Many French words ARE spelled similar or the same in English, however, they are pronounced very differently
Another challenge is suffixes with different spellings or pronunciations but the same meaning. For example: -ous (English) and –eux (French)
One of the major challenges for French learners is the absence of gendered words in English and consequently, the absence of gendered suffixes to denote them.
So how does this affect teaching?
We need to be considerate of our L2 learners
There are a few ways we can achieve this...
Student Led Teaching
Explicit Instruction
Building Vocabulary
Building Morphological Awareness
Questions?
Sources
Avery, P., & Ehrlich, S. L. (2002). Teaching American English pronunciation. Oxford University Press. Carstairs-McCarthy, A. (2002). An introduction to English morphology: Words and their structure. EUP. Chloe. (2022, February 19). Suffixer-Upper: 12 French suffixes to upgrade your French. FluentU French. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/french-suffixes/ Deshors, Sandra C., International Journal of Learner Corpus Research (IJLCR); 2018, Vol. 4 Issue 1, p23-53, 31p Does the passé composé influence L2 learners’ use of English past tenses? 2018 Does the passé composé influence L2 learners’ use of English past tenses?: Ram Search (framingham.edu) Fleischman, S., & Valdman, A. (1979). Introduction to French phonology and morphology. Language, 55(4), 911. https://doi.org/10.2307/412753 L., M. (2021, November 12). Learn French vocabulary: Understanding prefixes & suffixes. Take Lessons Blog. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://takelessons.com/blog/french-vocabulary-prefixes-and-suffixes-z04 Nordquist, Richard. (2020, February 5). Inflectional Morphology. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/inflectional-morphology-words-1691065 Raad, E. (2021, March 7). 18 French words you use in English without realizing it. Master Your French. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.masteryourfrench.com/french-vocabulary/french-words-used-in-english/ Rose, Marda Hispania. 95(4):670-680 2012 https://www-jstor-org.fscproxy.framingham.edu/stable/41756419 Smith, N. V., & Schane, S. A. (1969). French phonology and morphology. Language, 45(2), 398. https://doi.org/10.2307/411671 ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). -et / -ette - French Suffix. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/et-ette-french-suffix-1371390 Kurbegov, E. (2015). French Vocabulary Building with Suffixes and Prefixes. McGraw-Hill Education. Lam, K., Chen, X., & Deacon,S.H.(2019). The Role of Awareness of Cross-Language Suffix Correspondences in Second-Language Reading Comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(1).pp. 29–43 Orbis Latinus. (2023). French Language: Suffixes. Retrieved from https://www.orbilat.com/Languages/French/Grammar/French-Wordbuilding-Suffixes.html