Russian affixes in Estonian

Summary

Affix function number of borrowed affixes

Description

Information and examples are from Blokland (2005:39–41), citing many other sources. Some of the affixes are “found mostly in loan-contaminations in slang or dialects” (Blokland 2005:39).

4 nominal derivational suffixes; 2 of these are described as adjectival, but both seem to have diminutive meaning, too

  • -nik ‘agentive’, e.g. koddenick ‘citizen’, aednik ‘gardener’.
  • -ski ‘adjectival/agentive/diminutive’, e.g. tegelinski ‘hustler, go-getter’, rakuski ‘little dog’.
  • -uiska ‘adjectival/diminutive’ e.g. pliikuska ‘young girl’, söbruska ‘(boy)friend’, kibluska ‘garlic’.
  • -ka ‘local nominal’, e.g. täika ‘flea market’, Snelka ‘the sports field near Schnell’s pond in Tallinn’, krimka ‘thriller, crime novel’.

3 adjectivizer suffixes

  • -noi ‘adjectival’ e.g. kehvnoi ‘bad, poor’, popsnoi ‘yokel-like’, vahvnoi/vafnoi ‘cool, great’.
  • -voi ‘adjectival’, e.g. tobevei ‘silly’.
  • -vaato ‘moderative’, e.g. balavaato ‘pretty bad’.

1 superlative prefix

  • pre- ‘superlative’ preeillos ‘very beautiful’, rare and only in the dialect of Ludza.

1 emphatic particle

  • -to ‘emphatic particle’, e.g. küll ‘este mina olin ‘kärme ‘marju-ta korjama ‘I could gather those berries pretty quickly’; this form is only attested in the Iisaku dialect.