“Latin Diminutives”

Diminutives and Diminutive Bases

     It is convenient to think of Latin diminutives being formed by first adding the diminutive bases ul-, ell-, ill-, cul-, cell-, and cill- (sometimes l-) to the bases and stems (or modifications of the bases of stems) of primitives, and then adding the appropriate terminations, which agree with the primitives in terms of gender, number, and case.  The diminutives dealt with here derive from primitives that are nouns and adjectives.

     So, the diminutive puellula was created by adding the diminutive base ul- to puell-, the base of puella, and then adding -a in order to make the diminutive match its primitive in gender (feminine), number (singular), and case (nominative).

     The diminutive bases ul-, ell-, ill-, cul-, cell-, and cill- were formed by adding the simple diminutive endings -lo and -lā to various stems (and modifications of stems):

• ul-: formed by adding -lo and -lā to the stem vowel o, which becomes u (e.g. from puero-, nominative singular puer, to puero-lo-, then to pueru-lo-, nominative singular puerulus).

• ell-, ill-: formed by adding -lo and -lā directly after consonants, and the consonants assimilate to l (e.g. from lapid-, nominative singular lapis, to lapid-lo-, then to lapil-lo-, nominative singular lapillus).

• cul-, cell-, cill-: formed by adding ul-, ell-, ill- to adjectives in -cus that have been formed from stems in n- and s- (e.g. iuvenco-, nominative singular iuvencus, to iuvenc-ulo-, nominative singular iuvenculus).

1. Diminutives and Diminutive Bases
2. General Rules for Diminutives in Latin
3. Procedures for Forming Diminutives
   1. First Declension
   2. Second Declension
   3. Third Declension, I- and Ī-Stems
   4. Third Declension, Mute Consonant Stems
   5. Third Declension, L-, R-, S-Stems
   6. Third Declension, N-Stems
   7. Third Declension, OU-Stems
   8. Third Declension, Ū-Stems
   9. Third-Declension, Any Stem
   10. Third Declension, Irregular Diminutives
   11. Fourth Declension
   12. Fifth Declension
   13. Fifth Declension, Irregular Diminutives
   14. Substituting Diminutive Bases
   15. Diminutives Bases Side by Side
4. Multiple Possible Diminutive Forms
5. Bibliography

Nômina Dêminûtîva Latîna | Pāginae Latīnitātis | DIĒS GAUDIĪ

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