science

Paragoge

Paragoge is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Paragoge rather than just read about it. In short: Paragoge () is the addition of a sound to the end of a word. It is a type of epenthesis.

Key takeaways

Paragoge belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Paragoge to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Paragoge from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Paragoge () is the addition of a sound to the end of a word. It is a type of epenthesis. Paragoge is most often linked with the nativization of loanwords. It is particularly common in Brazilian Portuguese, not only in loanwords but also in word derivation. It is also present in the accents of many Brazilians while speaking foreign languages such as English. Some languages have undergone paragoge as a sound change, and modern forms are longer than the historical forms they are derived from. Italian sono 'I am', from Latin sum, is an example. Sometimes, as above, the paragogic vowel is an echo vowel, such as Proto-Oceanic *saqat "bad" > Uneapa zaɣata.

Etymology The word paragoge is taken from Ancient Greek: παραγωγή 'deviation; language alteration': from παρα- prefix para- 'beside' and ἀγωγή agogē 'bringing in'.

In loanwords Some languages add a sound to the end of a loanword when it would otherwise end in a forbidden sound. Some languages add a grammatical ending to the end of a loanword to make it declinable.

Examples English rack → Finnish räkki; English gal → Japanese ギャル (gyaru); English golf → Portuguese golfe

Grammatical endings English computer → Latvian kompjūters; Ottoman Turkish راقى (rakı) > South Slavic rakia; English chips → Polish chipsy (alt. czipsy) — the -y is added to make it a regular plural in Polish due to declension (the word turns into double plural); Polish pierogi (pl.) → English pierogis — the -s is added to indicate plurality, due to the common misconception that pierogi is a singular form (double plural).

In inherited words Paragoge can occur in the inherited words of a language as well. This is the case with many words in Romance languages and Austronesian languages.

Examples Latin sunt → Italian sono Latin fine → Catalan fins Proto-Oceanic *saqat "bad" → *saqati → Tamambo sati Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bayaD "pay" → Proto-South Sulawesi *bayar → Makassarese báyaraʔ Proto-Austronesian *bəsuʀ "satiated" → Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bəsuʀ→ Proto-South Sulawesi *bəssuʀ → Makassarese bássoroʔ

References List of Paragoge words List

Sources Crowley, Terry (1997): An Introduction to Historical Linguistics. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press. Sorbet, Piotr (2019): "El mecanismo de paragoge". In: LÓPEZ GONZÁLEZ, Antonio María, KOBYŁECKA-PIWOŃSKA, Ewa, KŁOSIŃSKA-NACHIN, Agnieszka, BARAN, Marek (eds.): Voces dialogantes, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, 375-384.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Paragoge

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Paragoge claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Paragoge before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Paragoge ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Paragoge

In research: Paragoge appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Paragoge in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Paragoge is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Phonology, Phonology stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Paragoge outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Paragoge in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Paragoge means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Paragoge out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Paragoge in simple terms?

Paragoge () is the addition of a sound to the end of a word. It is a type of epenthesis.

Why does Paragoge matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Paragoge?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Paragoge.