Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Words With The -ous Suffix

The -ous suffix attaches to many nouns. It is a derivative affix which converts nouns to adjectives. In many cases the stress of the adjective changes.

Here are then words with the suffix -ous:

adventure adventurous
envy envious
fame famous
glory glorious
grace gracious
miracle miraculous
ridicule ridiculous
study studious
victory victorious
wonder wondrous

In three words (miraculous/ridiculous/victorious) the stress changes. The stress always comes before the suffix. The word glorious can be pronounced with two or three syllables. If the word has two syllables, the vowel before the suffix becomes a palatal approximant. Palatalization changes the final consonant of grace to an alveopalatal fricative in gracious.

In the words miraculous and studious there is a vowel change. The second syllable of miraculous has a low front vowel. In the noun miracle it is a schwa. The word study has an upper mid central unrounded vowel, but in studious it is a high back rounded vowel.

The English suffix -ious is used in many English words. It is attached to nouns to derive adjectives. In many cases, changes in vowel quality and stress accompany affixation.


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