Definition

1. Noun:
   • Suffix: A linguistic element (affix) that is added to the end of a word or root (stem) to create a new word or to modify its grammatical function or meaning. It is a type of bound morpheme.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong tiếng Anh, "-ness" là một hậu tố phổ biến để tạo danh từ từ tính từ, như "happiness" từ "happy". (In English, "-ness" is a common suffix to form nouns from adjectives, like "happiness" from "happy".)
  • Từ "slowly" có hậu tố "-ly" biến tính từ "slow" thành trạng từ. (The word "slowly" has the suffix "-ly" turning the adjective "slow" into an adverb.)
  • "Hóa" là một hậu tố trong tiếng Việt, ví dụ trong từ "công nghiệp hóa". ("Hóa" is a suffix in Vietnamese, for example in the word "công nghiệp hóa" - industrialization.)

Advanced Usage

• Grammatical Function: Suffixes often indicate grammatical categories such as tense (e.g., "-ed" for past tense), number (e.g., "-s" for plural), or part of speech (e.g., "-tion" to form nouns).
  • Việc thêm hậu tố "-er" vào động từ "teach" tạo ra danh từ "teacher". (Adding the suffix "-er" to the verb "teach" creates the noun "teacher".)
• Derivational vs. Inflectional: In linguistics, suffixes can be derivational (creating new words, e.g., "kind" -> "kindness") or inflectional (changing grammatical form without creating a new word, e.g., "walk" -> "walked").

Variants and Related Words

• Tiền tố (Prefix): An affix placed before a word root.
  • "Un-" trong "unhappy" là một tiền tố. ("Un-" in "unhappy" is a prefix.)
• Trung tố (Infix): An affix inserted into the middle of a word root. (Less common in English and Vietnamese but exists in some languages.)
• Phụ tố (Affix): A general term for prefixes, suffixes, and infixes.
• Căn tố / Gốc từ (Root / Stem): The core part of a word to which affixes are attached.

Synonyms

• Đuôi từ: A less technical, sometimes colloquial term for suffix.
• Vĩ tố: A more formal, less common synonym for suffix in linguistic contexts.

Related Phrases / Compound Words

• Hệ thống hậu tố (Suffixal system): The set of suffixes in a language and their rules of use.
  • Hệ thống hậu tố của tiếng Anh rất phong phú. (The suffixal system of English is very rich.)
• Từ có hậu tố (Suffixed word): A word formed by adding a suffix.
  • "Development" là một từ có hậu tố "-ment". ("Development" is a word with the suffix "-ment".)

Notes

• In Vietnamese, while the term hậu tố is used in linguistics, many common Vietnamese "suffixes" like "-hóa", "-học", "-gia" are often analyzed as bound morphemes or semi-words that follow a root to form compound words, rather than purely grammatical suffixes like in Indo-European languages. The concept is applied in the analysis of Vietnamese vocabulary and borrowed terms.

noun

1. suffix