The following is a list of

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

s by language.

Indo-European languages

Germanic languages

English

English has a great variety of historical diminutives adopted from other languages but many of these are

lexicalized In linguistics, lexicalization is the process of adding words, set phrases, or word patterns to a language's lexicon. Whether ''word formation'' and ''lexicalization'' refer to the same process is controversial within the field of linguistics. Mo ...

Productive Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production process ...

diminutives are infrequent to nonexistent in Standard English in comparison with many other languages.

=Native English endings that could be seen as diminutives

= *-k/ -ock/-uck:

bollock ''Bollocks'' () is a word of Middle English origin, meaning "testicles". The word is often used figuratively in British English and Hiberno-English in a multitude of negative ways; it most commonly appears as a noun meaning "rubbish" or "nonsen ...

, bullock,

buttock The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...

fetlock Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ). Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ba ...

hillock A hillock or knoll is a small hill,The Free Dictionary
"hillock" entry, retrieved December 18, 2007 ...

mattock A mattock is a hand tool used for digging, prying, and chopping. Similar to the pickaxe, it has a long handle and a stout head which combines either a vertical axe blade with a horizontal adze (cutter mattock), or a pick and an adze (pick matt ...

(OE ''mattuc''), mullock,

pillock {{Short pages monitor) and ''-ya'' (, ''yā'').

Turkic languages

Turkish

:''See also

Turkish grammar Turkish grammar ( tr, Türkçe dil bilgisi), as described in this article, is the grammar of standard Turkish as spoken and written by educated people in the Republic of Turkey. Turkish is a highly agglutinative language, in that much of the gramm ...

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

diminutive suffixes are ''-cik'' and ''-ceğiz'', and variants thereof as dictated by the

consonant assimilation Assimilation is a sound change in which some phonemes (typically consonants or vowels) change to become more similar to other nearby sounds. A common type of phonological process across languages, assimilation can occur either within a word o ...

and

vowel harmony In phonology, vowel harmony is an Assimilation (linguistics), assimilatory process in which the vowels of a given domain – typically a phonological word – have to be members of the same natural class (thus "in harmony"). Vowel harmony is t ...

rules of Turkish grammar. ''-cik'' is applied in cases of endearment and affection, in particular toward infants and young children by exaggerating qualities such as smallness and youth, whereas ''-ceğiz'' is used in situations of compassion and empathy, especially when expressing sympathy toward another person in times of difficulty. Note the effects of

in the following examples: *köy (''village'') → köyceğiz (''dear little village'', also a place name) *kadın (''woman'') → kadıncağız (''poor dear woman'') *çocuk (''child'') → çocukçağız (''poor dear child'') *kedi (''cat'') → kedicik (''cute little cat, kitten'') *köpek (''dog'') → köpecik (''cute little dog, puppy'') *kitap (''book'') kitapçık (''little book, pamphlet'') It's not common, but some adjectives may also have diminutives. * küçük (''little'') → küçücük (''tiny'') * sıcak (''hot'') → sıcacık (''cozy, warm'') * çabuk (quick) → çabucak (''quickly'') → çabucacık (''in no time'') There are a few exceptions; gülücük (''giggle'') is derived from the verb gülmek (''to laugh''), but it's not considered a diminutive. Çocuk (''kid, child'') is not a diminutive, and it can't take a diminutive suffix. Kılçık (''fish bone'') may look like a diminutive, but it's not related to kıl (''body hair'') anyway. And kızılcık (''dogwood, dogberry'') is not a diminutive of kızıl (''bright red''), and gelincik (''weasel'') is not a diminutive of gelin (''bride''). (''see also:

Mehmetçik ''Mehmetçik'' (, "little" here denoting diminutive endearment rather than actual age) is a term generally used to affectionately refer to soldiers of the Turkish Army. It is similar to the colloquialisms ''Tommy Atkins'', ''Doughboy'', and '' D ...

'')

Uralic languages

Estonian

The diminutive suffix of Estonian is "-kene" in its long form, but can be shortened to "-ke". In all grammatical cases except for the nominative and partitive singular, the "-ne" ending becomes "-se". It is fully productive and can be used with every word. Some words, such as "päike(ne)" (sun), "väike(ne)" (little) or "pisike(ne)" (tiny), are diminutive in their basic form, the diminutive suffix cannot be removed from these words. The Estonian diminutive suffix can be used recursively - it can be attached to a word more than once. Forms such as "pisikesekesekene", having three diminutive suffixes, are grammatically legitimate. As is demonstrated by the example, in recursive usage all but the last diminutive "-ne" suffix become "-se" as in forms inflected by case.

Finnish

The diminutive suffixes of Finnish "-ke", "-kka", and "-nen" are not universal, and cannot be used on every noun. The feature is common in Finnish

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

s, f.e. 'Jokinen' could translate 'Streamling', but since this form is not used in speaking about streams, the surname could also mean 'lands by the stream' or 'lives by the stream'. Double diminutives also occur in certain words f.e. lapsu''ka''i''nen'' (child, not a baby anymore), lapso''nen'' (small child), lapsi (child). Examples: **''-ke'': ''haara'' (branch) → ''haarake'' (little branch), ''nimi'' (name) → ''nimike'' (label, tag) **''-kka'': ''peni'' (dog (archaic)) → ''penikka'' (whelp, pup), ''nenä'' (nose) → ''nenukka'' (little nose) **''-nen'': ''lintu'' (bird) → ''lintunen'' (little bird), ''poika'' (boy, son) → ''poikanen'' (little boy, animal offspring)

Hungarian

Hungarian uses the suffixes ''-ka/ke'' and ''-cska/cske'' to form diminutive nouns. The suffixes ''-i'' and ''-csi'' may also be used with names. However, you traditionally cannot have the diminutive form of your name registered officially in Hungary (although a few of the most common diminutive forms have been registered as possible legal first names in the past years). Nouns formed this way are considered separate words (as all words that are formed using ''képző'' type suffixes). They may not even be grammatically related to the base word, only historically, whereas the relation has been long forgotten. Some examples: *Animals **''-us'': ''kutya'' → ''kutyus'' (dog), ''cica'' → ''cicus'' (cat) **''-ci'': ''medve'' → ''maci'' (bear), ''borjú'' → ''boci'' (calf), ''liba → libuci'' (goose) **''-ka/-ke: madár → madárka'' (bird), ''egér → egérke'' (mouse) **''-cska/-cske: hal → halacska'', ''méh → méhecske'' (bee) *Names **''-i'': ''János'' → ''Jani'', ''Júlia'' → ''Juli'', ''Kata'' → ''Kati'', ''Mária'' → ''Mari'', ''Sára'' → ''Sári, Gergő/Gergely → Geri, Domo(n)kos → Domi'' **''-i-ka/ke'': ''János'' → ''Janika'', ''Júlia'' → ''Julika'', ''Mária'' → ''Marika, Ferenc → Ferike, Teréz(ia) → Terike'' **''-csi'': ''János'' → ''Jancsi'', ''Júlia'' → ''Julcsi'', ''Mária'' → ''Marcsi'' **''-iska/-iske/-uska'': ''Júlia'' → ''Juliska'', ''Mária'' → ''Mariska'', ''Ilona'' → ''Iluska'' **''-us'': ''Béla'' → ''Bélus, Júlia/Judit → Jucus'' **''-ci'': ''László'' → ''Laci'', ''Júlia/Judit'' → ''Juci, Anna → Anci'' **''-có'': ''Ferenc'' → ''Fecó'', ''József'' → ''Jocó'' **-ca: ''Ilona'' → ''Ica'', ''László'' → ''Laca'' **''-tya'': ''Péter'' → ''Petya'', ''Zoltán'' → ''Zotya'' **''-nyi'': ''Sándor'' → ''Sanyi, Mária → Manyi'' Note that these are all special diminutive suffixes. The universal ''-ka/ke'' and ''-cska/cske'' can be used to create further diminutive forms, e.g. ''kutyuska'' (little doggy), ''cicuska'' (little kitty). Theoretically, more and more diminutive forms can be created this way, e.g. ''kutyuskácskácska'' (little doggy-woggy-snoggy). Of course, this is not a common practice; the preferred translations are (doggy-woggy) and ''cicamica'' (kitty-witty).

Bantu languages

Chichewa

Chichewa noun class 12 and 13 contain diminutive prefixes. The prefixes are ''ka'' (12) for singular nouns and ''ti'' (13) for plural nouns. These classes do not contain any words as opposed to the

augmentative An augmentative (abbreviated ) is a morphological form of a word which expresses greater intensity, often in size but also in other attributes. It is the opposite of a diminutive. Overaugmenting something often makes it grotesque and so in so ...

marker, which is also a regular noun class containing nouns. * mwana (child) → kamwana (little child) * ana (children) → tiana (little children)

Ikyaushi

Ikyaushi expresses the diminutive using the nominal class prefixes ''aka-'' (Class 12) and ''utu-'' (Class 13), representing the singular and plural forms respectively. Both of these nominal classes also contain lexical items that are ''not'' characterized by diminution, as found in Spier's (2020) descriptive grammar,Spier, Troy E. 2020. ''A Descriptive Grammar of Ikyaushi''. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Tulane University, USA. such as ''akashimi'' ('story') and ''utubuki'' ('honey'). Interestingly, these prefixes can also be attached to non-nominal roots, such as the adjectival ''-noonoo'' in ''akanoonoo'' ('something small'). Additional examples can be found below. * inama → akanama ('a little piece of meat/flesh') * ikyuuni → akauni ('a small bird') / utuuni ('small birds') * mbushi → utubushi ('little goats') * umuti → utumuti ('little trees') * ifibwesela → utubwesela ('small pumpkins')

seSotho

In the Sotho languages (South Sotho, Setswana, and Sesotho sa Lebowa), the diminunitive is formed with variants of the -ana suffix. * mošemane (boy) → mošemanyana (small boy) * koloi (car, wagon) → koloinyana (small car) * kolobe (pig) → kolobjana (piglet)

Algonquian languages

Cree

Cree uses two basic diminutives. * ''-iš'' (''-is'' in the western dialects) to indicate a smaller version of a noun: :''sâkahikan'' (lake) → ''sâkahikaniš'' (small lake) * ''-išiš'' (''-isis'' in the western dialects) to indicate either a very small version of a noun or a young version of the noun: :''sâkahikaniš'' (small lake) → ''sâkahikanišiš'' (pond) In both dimunutives, sound changes may be triggered as ⟨t⟩→⟨c⟩ in most dialects, and ⟨s⟩→⟨š⟩ in the eastern dialects. * ''atim'' (dog) → ''acimošiš'' (puppy)

Ojibwe

: ''See also

Ojibwe grammar The Ojibwe language is an Algonquian American Indian language spoken throughout the Great Lakes region and westward onto the northern plains. It is one of the largest American Indian languages north of Mexico in terms of number of speakers, and ...

.'' Ojibwe has several different types of diminutive suffixes. * Adorative-diminutive: /ish/ : ''anim'' /animw/ (dog) → ''animosh'' /animwish/ (doggy) * Affective-diminutive: /iz(s)/ : ''ikwe'' (woman) → ''ikwes'' (dear woman) * Productive-diminutive, a.k.a. "diminutive": /enz(s)/ : ''ikwes'' /ikwez(s)/ (dear woman) → ''ikwezens'' /ikwezenz(s)/ (girl) The following diminutives palatize (noted as /y_/) all the preceding ⟨d⟩ → ⟨j⟩, ⟨s⟩ → ⟨sh⟩, ⟨t⟩ → ⟨ch⟩, ⟨z⟩ → ⟨zh⟩. * Pejorative-diminutive, a.k.a. "pejorative": /y_ish/ : ''ikwezens'' /ikwezenz(s)/ (girl) → ''ikwezhenzhish'' /ikwezyenzyish/ (bad girl) * Contemptive-diminutive, a.k.a. "contemptive": /y_eny(h)/ : ''gwiiwizens'' /gwiiwizenz(s)/ (boy) → ''gwiiwizhenzhenh'' /gwiiwizyenzyeny(h)/ (no-good boy) * Verbal diminutive: /y_ijiiny(h)/ : ''animokaa'' (be abundant with dogs) → ''animokaajiinh'' (bitch)

International auxiliary languages

Esperanto

: ''See also Esperanto word formation.'' For generic use (for living beings and inanimate objects),

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...

has a single diminutive suffix, "-et". * domo (house) → dometo (cottage) * knabo (boy) → knabeto (little boy) * varma (warm) → varmeta (lukewarm) For personal names and familial

forms of address A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity (such as a government or company), and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. ...

, the affixes "-nj-" and "-ĉj-" are used, for females and males respectively. Unusually for Esperanto, the "root" is often shortened. * patrino (mother) → panjo (mum, mommy) * patro (father) → paĉjo (dad(dy)) * Aleksandra (Alexandra) → Alenjo (Sandra) * Aleksandro (Alexander) → Aleĉjo (Sandro) * Johano (John) → Joĉjo (Johnny) * Maria (Mary) → Manjo * Sofia (Sophie) → Sonjo * Vilhelmo (William) → Vilĉjo (Bill(y), Will(y)) Whereas languages such as Spanish may use the diminutive to denote offspring, as in "perrito" (pup), Esperanto has a dedicated and regular suffix, "-id" used for this purpose. Thus "hundeto" means "little dog" (such as a dog of a small breed), while "hundido" means a dog who is not yet fully grown.

Interlingua

:''See also

Free word-building in Interlingua Interlingua (; ISO 639 language codes ia, ina) is an international auxiliary language (IAL) developed between 1937 and 1951 by the American International Auxiliary Language Association (IALA). It ranks among the most widely used IALs and is t ...

.''

Interlingua Interlingua (; ISO 639 language codes ia, ina) is an international auxiliary language (IAL) developed between 1937 and 1951 by the American International Auxiliary Language Association (IALA). It ranks among the most widely used IALs and is t ...

has a single diminutive suffix, -ett, for diminutives of all sorts. * Johannes (John) → Johannetto (Johnny) * camera (chamber, room) → cameretta (little room) * pullo (chicken) → pulletto (chick) Use of this suffix is flexible, and diminutives such as ''mama'' and ''papa'' may also be used. To denote a small person or object, many Interlingua speakers simply use the word ''parve'', or small: * parve can → small dog * parve arbore → small tree

Notes and references

{{reflist Linguistic morphology

Diminutives A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...