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Notes on Affixation

Vocabareas - information and contents

Affixation is a process whereby new words can be formed by adding elements either to the front or the back of the word. Sometimes you can even add an element to the middle of the word. Here are some examples of affixation:

centre + al = central
central + ise = centralise
centralise + ation = centralisation
de + centralisation = decentralisation

Generally, prefixes change the meaning of the word by adding a new aspect of meaning, for example, a negative, while a suffix on the end of the word usually changes the category of the word, eg from noun to verb or noun to adjective.

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