Diminutive functions are grammatical primitives which seem to occur universally. Diminutives relate to semantic notions such as small size, affection, approximation, intensification, limitation and female gender (Jurafsky 1996). Associated with the concept of diminutives is the concept of augmentatives which is indicative of increase in degree of affection, endearment, respect, quality and sense of collectiveness. Jurafsky indicates that diminutives result due to shift in consonant, vowel or lexical tone, suffixation etc. Analogously, augmentatives are a result of compounding and reduplication. This article explores the phenomenon of diminutivization and augmentativization in Magahi. The article investigates the semantic notions associated with the phenomenon of diminutivization in Magahi and explores what are the syntactic categories that relate themselves with the phenomenon. The article also talks about pragmatics associated with the phenomenon of diminutivization and augmentativization in Magahi besides talking about various word formation processes resulting into augmentativization.

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Diminutives are universal linguistic features generally affixed to a root and modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning along with a range of possible meanings that get attached to them like conveying intimacy or endearment, smallness of the object, inferiority in quality, gender largely feminine and so on. Languages have diminutives to convey all or some of the meanings listed above. In many languages, formation of diminutives by adding suffixes is a productive process. In Magahi (an Indo Aryan language) too diminutives are suffixes that are attached to the root modifying its meaning to serve a range of grammatical functions. Of all the diminutives in Magahi -waa seems to be the most frequent and dynamic because of its allomorphs. Interestingly, the investigation of the underlying phonological processes helps one to understand the accommodating and the dynamic nature of this suffix with regards to its grammaticalization.

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