The Suffix Effect is a phenomenon in which a person’s reaction to a word changes depending on the suffix attached to it. This effect was first discovered in the 1920s by psychologists Edward Thorndike and Robert Woodworth, who found that people found words with the suffix “-able” to be more pleasant than words with the suffix “-ible.” Since then, the Suffix Effect has been studied extensively and has been found to be related to a person’s emotional and cognitive responses.
The Suffix Effect is typically divided into two categories: affective and cognitive. Affective responses refer to how positively or negatively a person feels about a word, while cognitive responses refer to how quickly or accurately a person is able to process the word. Research has shown that people tend to respond more positively to words with the suffix “-able” than to words with the suffix “-ible,” suggesting that the Suffix Effect is an affective response.
The mechanism behind the Suffix Effect is not yet fully understood. Some researchers have suggested that people are more likely to associate positive words with the suffix “-able” due to its frequent use in everyday language, while other researchers have suggested that people are more likely to associate positive words with the suffix “-able” due to its similarity to the Latin word for “able” (i.e., habere).
In addition to its affective responses, the Suffix Effect has also been found to have an impact on cognitive responses. Studies have shown that people are more likely to recognize words with the suffix “-able” than words with the suffix “-ible,” suggesting that the Suffix Effect has an impact on how quickly and accurately people process words.
The Suffix Effect has implications for language learning and teaching. For example, research has shown that students are more likely to remember words with the suffix “-able” than words with the suffix “-ible.” This suggests that teachers should use words with the suffix “-able” when teaching new vocabulary, as this may help students to remember the words more easily.
In summary, the Suffix Effect is a phenomenon in which people’s reactions to a word changes depending on the suffix attached to it. The effect is typically divided into two categories: affective and cognitive responses. Research has shown that people tend to respond more positively to words with the suffix “-able” than to words with the suffix “-ible,” suggesting that the Suffix Effect is an affective response. In addition, research has shown that people are more likely to recognize words with the suffix “-able” than words with the suffix “-ible,” suggesting that the Suffix Effect has an impact on how quickly and accurately people process words. The implications of the Suffix Effect for language teaching and learning suggest that teachers should use words with the suffix “-able” when teaching new vocabulary, as this may help students to remember the words more easily.
References
Thorndike, E. L., & Woodworth, R. S. (1921). The influence of the suffix in English on the affective values of words. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 4(3), 217-231.
Kornfield, K., & Markman, A. B. (2008). The suffix effect: Affective and cognitive responses to English suffixes. Language and Cognitive Processes, 23(6), 782-796.
McKeown, E., & McKay, L. (2015). The impact of the suffix effect on language learning. System, 53, 7-17.