Re: impositions

On Monday, October 4, 2004, at 01:19 , Chris Bates wrote:

> I just realized... if a affix is a suffix at the end of the word,
No! A suffix is an affix at the end of a word!

> a
> prefix at the start, and an infix in the middle,
Affix is the general term for any bound morpheme which can occur only
attached to a word or stem.
Prefixes are affixes attached to the beginning.
Suffixes are affixes attached to the end (postfixes would be a more
sensible name; but suffix has been around too long to change).
Circumfixes are affixes that are realized as a combination of prefix and
suffix.
Infixes are affixes that occupy a position that interrupts another single
morpheme.
Superfixes are affixes realized as a suprasegemental distinction serving
as the sole exponent of a grammatical distinction (superfixes are also
sometimes called 'suprafixes').

> then an adposition must
> be an inposition in the middle...
No - an inposition/imposition would be a an adposition that occupies a
position that interrupts another word (which might be a single morpheme).
In practice it is difficult to see how a 'inposition' is to be
distinguished from an infix.

> and if the n assimilates to m as seems
> likely, you get imposition. :) Reminds me of spanish "impuesto"....
> literally imposition, but usually used to mean tax.
Or even the English word 'imposition' - we used to get them at school as a
punishment   :=(

>  If something that crops up in the middle of words counts as an
> adposition
How can it count as an adposition in the middle of a word? It would surely
be an _infix_.

> if it satisfies Thomas Weir's criteria that is... *shrugs*
> I'm not sure he meant to include things inserted in the middle. :)
No, I'm sure he didn't.

Adpositions occur only in thre varieties AFAIK - prepositions,
postpositions and circumpositions. I've never met the term 'superposition'
  or 'supraposition' and indeed it is difficult to see how it would be
different from a superfix.

Ray
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