NEGATIVE PREFIXES IN ENGLISH: A MORPHOLOGICAL AND SEMANTIC ANALYSIS

Ibrahimova, Aytan Adahib

Қўқон ДПИ. Илмий хабарлар · 2026-yil

Annotatsiya

This article analyzes negative prefixation in English as a central mechanism of lexical negation within derivational morphology. It examines the structure, meaning, and distribution of major negative prefixes, including un-, in- (and its variants im-, il-, ir-), dis-, non-, and a-. The study classifies negative prefixation into five semantic types: contradictory, contrary, privative, reversative, and evaluative negation. Special attention is given to productivity and constraints, particularly in adjective formation. The analysis demonstrates that negative prefixes are not freely combinable and tend to avoid bases with inherently negative or strongly evaluative meanings, where lexical antonyms are preferred. The paper also addresses phonological allomorphy and pragmatic factors influencing interpretation. Overall, negative prefixation is shown to be a structured yet constrained system shaped by morphological, semantic, and lexical factors, reflecting how English encodes semantic opposition.

Maqola ma’lumotlari
MualliflarIbrahimova, Aytan Adahib
JurnalҚўқон ДПИ. Илмий хабарлар
Nashr sanasi2026-07-15
Jild8
Son06
Betlar293-298
TilIngliz
DOI10.70728/b.series.fil.v08.i06.039

Kalit so‘zlar

word, word formation, prefix, nnegation, productive affixes

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