INTERFIX: ROLE AND PLACE IN THE MORPHEMIC STRUCTURE OF SUFFIXAL DERIVATIVES (ON THE BASIS OF THE SPANISH MASS MEDIA DISCOURSE)

Abstract

The structural description of diminutive / augmentative derivatives was studied and the morphological rules for modeling of derivational paradigms were established. Two ways of the derivative formation of diminutive on the basis of lexical forms with the consonant and vocal endings – without / with the adding of the interfixes were specified.
The peculiarity of the diminutive derivatives is expressed primarily in the formation of the variational derivational chains of the regular and occasional nature. The structural organization of the augmentatives does not have a broad derivative base. The method of the derivative modeling of augmentative is usually manifested in the derivational paradigms that do not go beyond the word-formation “derivative basis + augmentative suffix”.
The functions of the interfixes were established: the structural one (adding of the suffix to the root of the word); the distinction of possible homonyms, if both derivatives were constructed without an interfix; increasing of the expressiveness (structural expansion of derivatives). The multipartite character of the derivative modeling of predicates of diminution was revealed, which was determined by the linguistic (flexibility of word endings, diffuse structure, formation of the derivational chains) and extralinguistic factors (individual, regional and social).