-s-

Appendix:Variations of "s" English Etymology From en enm -s, -es, from en ang -es -'s masculine and neuter genitive singular ending, which survives in many old compounds. In more recent coinage, from contraction of the derived clitic en -'s in compounds. For more, see en -'s. Interfix en interfix Genitival interfix used to link elements in some compounds, equivalent to the possessive clitic en -'s. en hogshead, kingsman, yearsworth, jobsworth, womenswear, craftsperson See also en Afrikaans Etymology From af nl -s-. Interfix af interfix An interfix used to link elements in some compounds, originally a genitival interfix. af aanleerder learner -s- woordeboek dictionary aanleerderswoordeboek af staat state -s- kaping hijacking, privateering staatskaping Usage notes Use of the -s- interfix in Afrikaans is based on patterns in the existing vocabulary. It is frequently used after the -ing, -ie and the -er suffixes. It is seldom used following mass nouns. The -s- is not used when the previous element end on s: poskantoor. It is not used when the next element begins with s: stadspoort, but stadsaal (no interfix). See also af Albanian Interfix sq interfix a consonant that sometimes appears as a ligature between the elements of a compound word. sq plotë full a -s- -oj verbal suffix plotësoj to complete; to satisfy, fulfill Derived terms sq Danish da:Bindebogstav Interfix da interfix Genitival interfix inserted in some compounds. A morph interjected between word roots to give pronunciation a better sense of flow, but which gives no change in meaning. Usage notes The usage of fuge-s is phonetically motivated. It is applied on a per-modifier basis, meaning that if the first root generates fuge-s in one compound, it will usually do so in all compounds, even if the second already begins with an s, as in da dødsstraf (død + straf) or da affaldssæk (affald + sæk). Derived terms da Dutch nl:Tussen-s in de Nederlandse spelling Etymology nl -s<id:genitive> The genitive singular masculine and neuter ending used as interfix; more at nl -s. Interfix nl interfix Genitival interfix used to link elements in some compounds. nl dood dead -s- kist chest doodskist nl ezel donkey -s- brug bridge -etje diminutive suffix ezelsbruggetje Derived terms nl Related terms nl -e- nl -en- Elfdalian Interfix ovd interfix Genitival interfix indicating that the former part is a characteristic of the latter. Derived terms ovd Finnish Etymology 1 fi compounds Possibly by analogy from compounds using combining forms of words with fi -inen/fi -nen. Interfix fi interfix An interfix used at compound word boundaries with certain words; optional. Usage notes Optional; not particularly productive. Mainly found in a group of older compound words. Derived terms fi compounds Etymology 2 fi sound-symbolic Common sound-symbolic element, often attached to after a fi -p-. Probably akin to diminutive suffixes like fi -sa derivational and fi -su. Interfix fi interfix A sound symbolism sound-symbolic interfix without any meaning. Usage notes Generally attached between a plosive and a following vowel at the end of the root, often roughly in the middle of the final word. Derived terms fi sound-symbolic German Alternative forms de -es- Pronunciation de /s/ Interfix de interfix Genitival interfix used to link elements in some compounds. de Gestein rock -s- Formation formation Gesteinsformation geological formation de Arbeit work -s- Zimmer room Arbeitszimmer workroom, study Usage notes This interfix is used regularly after most derivational suffixes such as de -heit, de -ling, de -tum, de -ung, including borrowed ones like de -ität, de -tion. Otherwise it is used only after a minority of words. Most of these are strong masculine and neuter nouns, but not without exception (cf. de Arbeit f above). There are also words that use it in some compounds but not in others, e.g. de Arbeitszimmer, de Arbeitgeber, de Darlehensgeber. Derived terms de See also de -n-, de -en- Navajo Pronunciation nv /-s-/ Interfix nv interfix a consonant that sometimes appears as a ligature between the elements of a compound word. nv bįįh -s- tsoh bįįstsoh See also nv -ł- nv -sh- nv ligatures Norwegian Bokmål no Fuge-s Etymology nb :der non:-s nb non -s genitive singular ending, originally occurring on the first element of certain compounds. It was subsequently reanalysed and analogically extended as a linking interfix, and does not necessarily express a genitive relationship in present-day Norwegian. Compare nn -s-, da -s- and sv -s- linking interfix. Pronunciation nb /s/ Interfix nb interfix A linking interfix used between the constituents of certain compound words, generally without an independent meaning. nb mann -s- alder man linking interfix age → nb mannsalder lifetime; generation nb samfunn -s- fag society linking interfix subject, field → nb samfunnsfag social studies nb rødvin -s- flaske red wine linking interfix bottle → nb rødvinsflaske red-wine bottle Usage notes The interfix is commonly called a nb binde-s linking s or nb fuge-s linking s in Norwegian. There is no single reliable rule determining when nb -s- is used. Its presence is largely determined by established usage and by the first constituent of the compound, so uncertain formations should be checked in a dictionary. Some first constituents regularly take nb -s-, as in nb fylkeskommune county municipality and nb omsorgsbolig assisted-living accommodation; others normally do not, as in nb nemndarbeid committee work. In some formations it is optional, as in regionplan or regionsplan. nb -s- is especially common when the first constituent is itself a compound. It can mark the structural boundary between the compound first constituent and the final constituent: nb rødvinsflaske red-wine bottle is analysed as nb rødvin red wine + nb flaske bottle, rather than nb rød red + nb vinflaske wine bottle. Although historically associated with genitive forms, the interfix occurs after nouns of all grammatical genders and need not express possession or another genitive relationship. When the following constituent begins with ⟨s⟩, both the interfix and the initial ⟨s⟩ are retained in writing, producing ⟨ss⟩: nb midnattssol midnight sun and nb høytrykksspyler pressure washer. The element is conventionally described as occurring between the constituents of a compound, though it may also be analysed morphologically as a suffix attached to the first constituent. This interfix is distinct from the productive genitive particle and verbal suffix nb -s. Derived terms nb See also nb -e- linking interfix nb -s genitive particle and verbal suffix References binde-s binde-s fuge-s “fuge – språk”, Store norske leksikon. “Bindebokstaver i sammensatte ord”, Språkrådet. “Binde-s i sammensetninger med -fag- og -språk-”, Språkrådet. Norwegian Nynorsk Interfix nn interfix Genitival interfix indicating that the former part is a characteristic of the latter. Derived terms nn See also nn -es- Saterland Frisian Etymology From a genitival suffix, ultimately from stq gem-pro *-as. Cognates include de -s- and nl -s-. Pronunciation stq /-s-/ Interfix stq interfix Used to link two elements in some compounds. Derived terms stq Swedish Etymology sv :inh gmq-osw:-s From sv gmq-osw -s genitival suffix, from sv non -s. Many noun phrases with -s later merged into single-word compounds, but the s remained, now serving the function of a joining interfix as opposed to a suffix placed on a single word. Pronunciation sv /s/ Interfix sv interfix Genitival interfix indicating that the former part is a characteristic of the latter. Usage notes In Swedish, this interfix is called the sv foge-s. As a rule of thumb, a compound noun starting with another compound noun gets an -s- (or an sv -e- or the like), though this only applies to nouns that can take an interfix at all (nouns ending in -are (-er) get shortened to -ar instead, for example). Compare for example bildäck (bil (car) + däck (tire) = car tire) and lastbilsdäck (last (cargo) + bil (car) (= truck) + -s- + däck (tire) = truck tire). Intuitively, the -s- disambiguates cargocar-tire from cargo-cartire. This also extends to longer compound nouns, like lastbilsdäckstryck (truck tire pressure) and lastbilsdäckslufttryck (truck tire air pressure), which get an additional -s- before tryck (pressure) and lufttryck (air pressure), respectively (with the last example meant to illustrate that lufttryck does not turn into "luftstryck," as the word decomposes as lastbil (truck) + däck (tire) + lufttryck (air pressure)). In practice, such long compound nouns would often be rewritten as several words for the sake of readability (for example, "lufttrycket i lastbilsdäcken" (the air pressure in the truck tires)), though they sometimes crop up. Note that this rule of thumb only covers one case. Many other compound nouns also get an -s-. Another rule of thumb is that a compound noun that starts with a noun that ends in -ing (-ing) always gets an -s-. For example, tidning (newspaper) and artikel (article) turns into tidningsartikel. Derived terms sv See also sv -a- sv -e- sv -es- sv -o- sv -u-