INFIX

February 24, 2010

Infix
\’in-‘fiks\ n : a derivational or inflectional affix appearing in the body of a word

The universal “they” say that the English language is the hardest language to learn. From words with different meanings and spelling yet same sound such as the infamous “they’re, their and there,” words that are not spelled the way they sound such as “cough” to grammatical additives such as suffixes and prefixes, the English language is a convoluted conglomerate of a myriad of facets that perhaps do make it the most impenetrable form of communication out there. (you catch my drift?)
As an individual who has always loved the written word, (both reading and writing it), and a stickler for correct usage of grammar, I never favored learning the different nuances of grammar. I specifically remember when, in seventh grade, we were asked to take out our grammar books, a unified groan swept across the rows of our classroom such as the universal wave does at a baseball game! We loved reading stories in class, becoming different characters, but boy did we despise English grammar!
For me, one of the lessons that I hated the most was that of the brother-in-law/sister-in-law category. I particularly hated this because when making this specific phrase plural, the “laws” were never pluralized, the “brother” and “sister” were (rightly so, they are the living things after all) causing what I now know to be an infix. I still to this day have trouble with this and have to mentally remind myself the rules of the game.
I absolutely love the English language and believe that it is rich with its details of salacious syntax. However, it seems that no matter how much I declare my love for the language, the notorious “brothers-in-law,” will always be my verbal nemesis!