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Vol. 2 No. 1 (2025): January

A Brief Study of Clitics in English Linguistics

https://doi.org/10.62810/jssh.v2i1.20
Mohammad Hamid Asir
Kabul University, Department of English, Faculty of Foreign Languages & Literature, Kabul, AF

Corresponding Author(s) : Mohammad Hamid Asir

mhasir2016@outlook.com

Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, Vol. 2 No. 1 (2025): January

Abstract

This research article comprehensively analyzes English clitics and the process of cliticization. The cliticization process explores clitics' linguistic significance and functional roles, which are linguistic elements that share characteristics with both words and affixes. Clitics rely on their hosts for pronunciation and meaning, distinguishing themselves as an essential yet often overlooked grammatical feature. While many learners recognize the concept of "contraction," a subcategory of clitics, a significant gap exists in understanding the broader linguistic aspects of clitics. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the types of clitics, their phonological and syntactic functions, and their relevance in English grammar. Clitics, classified as simple and special, exhibit unique features that require detailed exploration. This qualitative research leverages online academic resources, books, and peer-reviewed articles complemented by library research to ensure thorough analysis. The collected data was systematically organized based on relevant research questions. The findings provide detailed examples of clitics, their typologies, and the grammatical processes they entail, offering deeper insights into their structure, function, and application.

Keywords

Clitics Elements Linguistics Morphology Syntax
Asir, M. H. (2025). A Brief Study of Clitics in English Linguistics. Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 2(1), 72–85. https://doi.org/10.62810/jssh.v2i1.20
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