Expletive infixation

Expletive infixation is a process by which an expletive or profanity is inserted into a word, usually for intensification. Strictly speaking, it is an example of tmesis rather than infixation, since true infixes are bound morphemes.

Related Topics:
Expletive - Profanity - Tmesis - Infix - Morpheme

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The most commonly inserted expletives are adjectival: either participles (fucking, mother-fucking, blooming, bleeding, damned) or adjectives (bloody). They are usually somewhat phonetically reduced (fuckin).

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The insertion occurs at a syllable boundary, usually just before the stressed syllable. Thus, one hears abso-fuckin-lutely rather than ab-fuckin-solutely. It can also occur at a morpheme boundary, for example un-fuckin-believable.

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