proclitic-?-enclitic

[cheshire]

prefix-infix-suffix
proclitic-?-enclitic
​

I couldn't find what could be defined as ? above. Could you tell me if a word equal to ? exists in English?

Example of proclitic: d'habitude
Example of enclitic: Jack's, penguin's, she'll
Example of ? : Rock'n'roll
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[Cagey]

This is odd, Chishire.

I would reverse the examples you gave. In the usage I know, clitics have no separate accent, but form an accentual unit with another word.

Procitics "lean forward" onto the following word: d'habitude.
Enclitics "lean back" onto the preceding word. She'll.

​

I don't know which I'd use for the 'n in "Rock'n'roll". It would depend on whether it seems more closely related to "Rock" or to "Roll". I can't tell and my dictionary is no help. Maybe someone else knows a term for a "midclitic"..

 

[cheshire]

Thanks for the correction, Cagey.
There should be a separete word from enclitic/proclitic because "and" is a conjunction for combining two things of equal importance. "midclitic" is an idea, but should we have a Latin or Greek phoneme to match the rest? What does the prefix "en-" by the way?

 

[Cagey]

Thanks for the correction, Cagey.
There should be a separate word from enclitic/proclitic because "and" is a conjunction for combining two things of equal importance. "midclitic" is an idea, but should we have a Latin or Greek phoneme to match the rest? What does the prefix "en-" by the way?

"en-" means on.
"mes-" (or "meso-") would mean "middle; mid-". But if you want to be true to the etymology, that won't do. "clitic" means that it "leans" and leaning has to be directional, either forward or back. "Middle leaning" doesn't make sense, to me at least. In any case, the terminology has to do with the sound and accent of the word (or phrase) to which the clitic is related, not with the relative importance in any other sense.

Here is a page on the use of the term by modern linguists, which I am not. Their definition is much more technical than mine.*

*as well as more inclusive in its definition.

 

[cheshire]

That's a good advice, agent Cagey!

 

[Cagey]

That's a good advice, agent Cagey!

For you, nothing but the best.

Cheers!