Final answer:
Affixation in electronic communication can be illustrated by words changing forms such as "run" to "running" or "happy" to "happily". These affixations reflect the evolving nature of language, especially with technological advancements, and highlight the ongoing relevance of affixation in developing our modern vocabulary.
Step-by-step explanation:
Give an example of affixation in electronically mediated communication. Options include words like "run" becoming "running", "happy" turning into "happily", "fast" extending to "faster", and "big" modified to "bigger". Here, affixation involves adding a prefix or suffix to a base word to form a new word with a different grammatical category or meaning. Among the examples provided, each one displays the use of a suffix to change the form of the word. "Running" incorporates the suffix "-ing" to showcase a continuous action, "happily" employs "-ly" to transform an adjective into an adverb, "faster" adds "-er" to make a comparative adjective, and "bigger" includes "-er" to also form a comparative adjective.
In the context of electronically mediated communication, this process of affixation also extends to the generation of new words that have become commonplace as technology evolves. A few decades ago, terms such as "e-mail", "Internet", and verbs like "downloading", "texting", and "blogging" were introduced, and have now become standard in our vocabulary. Affixation contributes significantly to the evolution of language in the digital era.
The suffix "-ed" is an example of how the pronunciation may vary. This suffix can end with sounds like [d], [id], or [t] depending on the word it's used with, and it showcases the diversity of affixation in language formation and development.
Considering how language changes and adapts, especially with the influence of technology, affixation remains a foundational mechanism in word formation that facilitates dynamic and nuanced communication.