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Christ_cil Posted 15 years ago
Linguistics Studies
Morphophonemic changes suffix -al
Hi, I'm Chris, I'm a student of english department and I have problem about linguistic, specially, about morphophonemic changes.
My lecture gives the student a project to analyze about affix, morpheme and its morphophonemic changes.
I want to analyze the suffix -al. For example:
Potent (Adjective): /'p??.t ? nt/ à Potential (adjective): /p? ? 'ten. t ? ? l/
Confident (adjective): /'k?n.f?.d ? nt/ à Confidential (adjective): /?k?n.f?'den. t ? ? l/
Office (noun): /'?f.?s/ à Official (adjective): /?'f??. ? l/ (stress changing)
Accident (noun): /'æk.s?.d ? nt/ à Accidental (adjective): /?æk.s?'den.t ? l/ (stress changing)
Regiment (noun): /'red?.?.m?nt/ à Regimental (adjective): /?red?.?'men.t ? l/ (stress changing)
Deny (verb): /d?'na?/ à Denial (noun): /d?'na?.?l/
If you can see from the example that I found, like in words potent becomes potential, regiment becomes regimental, they have same final sounds, which is /nt/ but what make me confuse is the sound of -al in potential and regiment.
Why in 'potential' there is -ial and the final sound become /t ? ? l/ but in regiment, it has no -i (-ial) and the final sound is same like the others.
I had try to analyze but I'm still confuse. From my opinion, -ial is allomorph of -al, but they have different rules about the sounds.
Please help me.
Thank you.
My lecture gives the student a project to analyze about affix, morpheme and its morphophonemic changes.
I want to analyze the suffix -al. For example:
Potent (Adjective): /'p??.t ? nt/ à Potential (adjective): /p? ? 'ten. t ? ? l/
Confident (adjective): /'k?n.f?.d ? nt/ à Confidential (adjective): /?k?n.f?'den. t ? ? l/
Office (noun): /'?f.?s/ à Official (adjective): /?'f??. ? l/ (stress changing)
Accident (noun): /'æk.s?.d ? nt/ à Accidental (adjective): /?æk.s?'den.t ? l/ (stress changing)
Regiment (noun): /'red?.?.m?nt/ à Regimental (adjective): /?red?.?'men.t ? l/ (stress changing)
Deny (verb): /d?'na?/ à Denial (noun): /d?'na?.?l/
If you can see from the example that I found, like in words potent becomes potential, regiment becomes regimental, they have same final sounds, which is /nt/ but what make me confuse is the sound of -al in potential and regiment.
Why in 'potential' there is -ial and the final sound become /t ? ? l/ but in regiment, it has no -i (-ial) and the final sound is same like the others.
I had try to analyze but I'm still confuse. From my opinion, -ial is allomorph of -al, but they have different rules about the sounds.
Please help me.
Thank you.
Top answer
The only answer I can give you is that -al and -ial are variant suffixes for Latinate loan words. (Latin, Old French) When the root word ended in -nce, then the suffix was -ntial (essence / essential ). When the root ended in -ment, then the suffix was -mental.
- The only answer I can give you is that -al and -ial are variant suffixes for Latinate loan words.
- (Latin, Old French) When the root word ended in -nce, then the suffix was -ntial (essence / essential ).
- When the root ended in -ment, then the suffix was -mental.
- These loan words came into the English language over a long period of time, and so you have some rules, some exceptions and variations in both spelling and pronunciation.
- -ial different / difference / differential confident / confidence / confidential resident / residence / residential prudent / prudence / prudential potence (potency) / potent / potential Exceptions: president / presidential exponent / exponential torrent / torrential -al experiment / experimental parent / parental ornament / ornamental increment / incremental sentiment / sentimental
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1 Answers
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The only answer I can give you is that -al and -ial are variant suffixes for Latinate loan words. (Latin, Old French)
When the root word ended in -nce, then the suffix was -ntial (essence / essential ). When the root ended in -ment, then the suffix was -mental.
These loan words came into the English language over a long period of time, and so you have some rules, some exceptions
When the root word ended in -nce, then the suffix was -ntial (essence / essential ). When the root ended in -ment, then the suffix was -mental.
These loan words came into the English language over a long period of time, and so you have some rules, some exceptions
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