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clitic

 

Definitions from the Web

Clitic

Definition:

In linguistics, a clitic is a word that is syntactically independent but phonologically dependent on another word or phrase, functioning as a bound morpheme. Clitics are small functional words that often attach themselves to other words or phrases and can be considered as a group of grammatical particles.

Examples:

As a noun:

1. The clitic "s" in English can be attached to nouns to indicate possession, such as in "John's car."

2. In the sentence "I'll call you," the word "ll" is a clitic representing "will."

3. Romance languages, like Spanish and Italian, are known to employ clitics extensively in their grammar.

As an adjective:

1. The clitic pronouns in French exhibit different forms depending on their position in a sentence.

2. In some languages, cliticization of certain words can alter their phonetic form.

3. Greek is a language famous for its rich use of clitic pronouns.

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