User:Yidan
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Prefix can be classified semantically into several groups. First, the prefixes which quantify over their base words’ meaning, such as, ‘half’ (semi-, semi-circle), ‘one’ (uni-, unification), ‘two or twice’ (bi-, bilingual; di-, digraph), ‘three or three times’ (tri-, triangle), ‘many’ (multi-, multilateral; poly- polyclinic), ‘all’ (omni-, omniscience), ‘small’ (micro-, microwave), ‘large’ (macro-, macrobiotic), etc. Second, prefixes which indicate location, for example, circum- ‘around’ (circumscribe), counter- ‘against’ (counteroffer), inter- ‘around’ (intercultural), para- ‘along with’ (paranormal), trans- ‘across’ (transliterate), etc. Third, there are temporal prefixes expressing notions like ‘before’ (pre-, fore-, as in preview, forehand), ‘after’ (post-, postwar), ‘new’ (neo-, neoclassical), etc. The fourth group of prefixes expressing negation (de-, deselect; anti- anti-capitalism; un-, unwind; mis-, misjudgment, etc.). A large number of prefixes express diverse notions, ‘together’ (co-, cooperate), ‘badly, wrongly’ (mis-, misplace), etc.
The majority of prefixes do not change the syntactic category of their base words, only acting as modifiers. And they do not influence the stress pattern of their bases.
References:
Konrad Sprengel, A Study in Word-Formation. Tübingen: 1977
Ingo Plag, Word Formation in English, ch.4. Cambridge: 2003
