Agent Nouns in Inglish
In English, agent nouns are commonly formed using the suffixes -or and -er, which describe a person or thing performing an action:
-or is of Latin origin and is used in both English and other Romance languages like Spanish and Portuguese.
-er has Germanic roots and is widely used in English.
In Inglish, however, the suffixes -eur (from French) and -or (from Latin) are used to form agent nouns.
The choice between them depends on the stress placement in the word and whether the noun refers to a person or an object.
1. The Suffix "-eur":
Derived from French, -eur is used for agent nouns that describe people performing an action. The stress is typically on the last or only syllable of the verb.
Examples:
ta acte → acteur
ta bâke → bâkeur
ta dîne → dîneur
ta commande → commandeur
ta painte → painteur
ta singue → singueur
ta spieke → spiekeur
ta tieche → tiecheur
ta ɯrîte → ɯrîteur
2. The Suffix "-or":
The suffix -or, with Latin origins, is typically used for objects or devices performing an action, though it can also be used for some agent nouns, depending on context.
Examples:
ta dîne → dînor (a small restaurant)
ta spieke → spiekor (an audio device)
ta type → typɯrîtor (a machine for typing)
3. Nuances in Usage:
Some verbs can use either -eur or -or to specify a nuance. When referring to a person, -eur is used, and for an object or device, -or applies.
Examples:
ta ɯauk → ɯaukeur (a person), ɯaukor (a walking device)
ta spieke → spiekeur (a person), spiekor (an audio device)
ta sêve → sêveur (a person, job title), sêvor (function of a computer)
4. Stress-Based Rules:
When the stress falls on the last or only syllable, -eur is used for people performing an action.
When the stress is on the first syllable, -or is used, especially in verbs ending in -ete/-aite or nouns with -graff.
Examples:
ta animete → animaitor
ta compacte → compacteur
ta dictete → dictaitor
ta demonstrete → demonstraitor
ta donete → donaitor
to infecte → infecteur
ta navegaite → navegaitor
îkónograff → îkonógraffor
fôtograff → fotógraffor