چكيده عربي :
Diminution is a nominal feature in both English and Arabic. It is a term used to indicate that the person or thing referred to is small in size or meaning. It is the opposite of augmentative. In English, diminution can be formed by adding affixes and most nouns with these affixes do not express only size but also the speaker s reaction to small things. For example, duckling does not necessarily mean small. It often indicates more about the speaker s feelings toward the person than to his size. In Arabic, the diminution can be formed upon three paradigms: 1. Fu ayl فعيل 2. Fu ay l فعيعل 3. Fu ay eel فعيعيل Chicken as a diminutive of little hen بطيطة as a diminutive of بطة As a matter of fact, we need to use diminutive to express certain things such as: contempt, fondness, hypocoristic, fewness, etc. which are to some extent alike in both languages. This study atms at investigating similarities and differences of diminution in English and Arabic. The study has come out with the conclusions that both English and Arabic form diminution by affixation but they are different because of the internal system of them.
