272

The Loom of Language

adjective All the Teutonic languages form three classes of derivatives
other than those usually called flexions Some of them are important
For instance, it is less useful for the foreigner to know that a gander is a
male goose or that the plural of louse is hce, than to learn the trick of
manufacturing numberless new words such as fisher or writer by tacking

ENGLISH-TEUTONIC AFFIXES

ENGLISH
EXAMPLE
SWEDISH
DANISH
DUTCH
GERMAN

(a) Noun

-DOM
kingdom
-DOM
-DOM
-DOM
-TUM

-ER
writer
-ARE
-ER
-ER
-ER

-HOOD (-HEAD)
fatherhood
-HEX
-HED
-HEID
-HEIT

-ING
warning
-ING
-ING
-ING
-UNG

-LING
darling
-LING
-LING
-LING
-LING

-NESS
kindness
__
—
-NIS
-NIS

-SHIP
friendship
-SKAP
-SKAB
-SCHAP
-SCHAFT

(fc) Adjective

-FDL
wishful
-FULL
-FULD
-VOL
-VOLL

-ISH
hellish
-ISK
-ISK
1 -ISCH
-ISCH

-LESS
lifeless
-LOS
-L0S
-LOOS
-LOS

-LY
lonely
-LIG
-LIG
-LIJK
-LICH

-SOME
loathsome
-SAM
-SOM
-ZAAM
-SAM

-Y
dusty
-IG
-IG
-IG
-ICH, -IG

UN-
unkind
O-
U-
ON-
UN-

CO Adverb

-WARDS
homewards
—
—
-WAARTS
-WARTS

-WISE
likewise
-VIS
-VIS
-WIJZE
-WEISE

W) Verb

BE-
behold
BE-
BE-
BE-
BE-

----
—
-ERA
ERE
-EEREN
-IEREN

FOR-
forbid
FOR-
FOR-
VER-
VER-

FORE-
foresee
FORE-
FORE-
VOOR-
VOR-

MIS-
mistake
MISS-
MIS-
MIS-
MISS-

-er on to a verb The older Teutonic verbs readily combine with pre-
positions., eg undergo^ or overcome (Swedish overkomma), and with
other prefixes which have no separate existence Teutonic languages
have many adjectives or adverbs formed from nouns by adding -ly
(English), -hg (Swedish-Danish), -hjk (Dutch), and -lich (German),
corresponding to Old English -lie. In modern English this terminal is
characteristic of adverbial derivatives (see p in) but we still cling- to
a few adjectives such as godly> manly> brotherly> kindly* At least one of