Clitic is defined as a word that depends grammatically on another word or phrase. Clitics are typically shorter and carry less meaning than the words they are attached to. For example, in the sentence “I’m going to the store,” the clitic “‘m” is attached to “I” and carries very little meaning on its own. Another example is in the word “you‘re” where “re” is the clitic.
Most commonly clitics in english are : ‘s , n’t , ‘m , ‘re , ‘ll , ‘ve
Common Kinds of Clitics
clitic particles: A clitic particle is a type of clitic that typically expresses grammatical information such as tense, mood, or person. For example, in the sentence “I’m going to the store,” the clitic “‘m” expresses present tense.
pronominal clitics: A pronominal clitic is a type of clitic that typically stands in for a noun or pronoun. For example, the word “them” can be replaced by the pronominal clitic “’em.”
adverbial clitics: An adverbial clitic is a type of clitic that typically modifies the meaning of a verb. For example, in the sentence “I’m going to the store,” the clitic “to” modifies the meaning of the verb “going.”
enclitics: Enclitics are a type of clitic that are typically syllabic and phonologically attached to the end of the word or phrase they modify. For example, in the sentence “I’m going to the store,” the enclitic “‘m” is attached to “I.”
proclitics: Proclitics are a type of clitic that are typically syllabic and phonologically attached to the beginning of the word or phrase they modify. For example, in the sentence “I’m going to the store,” the proclitic “to” is attached to “the store.”
acroclitic: An acroclitic is a type of clitic that is typically phonologically attached to the beginning of the word or phrase it modifies, but syntactically it behaves as if it were an enclitic. For example, in the sentence “I’m going to the store,” the acroclitic “to” is attached to “the store” but syntactically it behaves as if it were attached to “I.”
Clitic vs Affix
Clitic is often compared to affix, another term with similar meaning. However, there are some important distinctions between the two terms. First, affixes are always grammatically bound to the word they are attached to, whereas clitics are not necessarily bound to the word they are pronounced with. Second, affixes can change the meaning or function of the word they are attached to, whereas clitics generally do not change the meaning of the word they are pronounced with.
example of affix: the prefix “un-” in the word “unhappy” changes the meaning of the word from “happy” to “not happy.”
When to Use Clitic
In general, clitics are used when the speaker wants to save time or breath by pronouncing a shorter word. For example, the sentence “I’m going to the store” is shorter and easier to say than “I am going to the store.” Clitics are also often used in informal speech.
When Not to Use Clitic
Clitics should not be used in formal writing as they are considered to be nonstandard. In addition, clitics should not be used when the speaker wants to emphasize the word they are attached to. For example, in the sentence “I’m going to the store,” the speaker might want to emphasize the word “I” by saying “I am going to the store.”