Definition Of The Suffix Ion

To brainstorm, -*tion, -*sion, -*cion, and -*xion are not suffixes. Only -ion is a suffix. A suffix is a bound morpheme that attaches to the end of the stem of a word to class either a new word or a new form of the same discussion. A morpheme is the smallest meaningful linguistic unit of a language. A spring morpheme must adhere to another morpheme to create a give-and-take.

I recently came across a tweet from Logic of English that stated <ti>, <si>, and <ci> all represent the /ʃ/ (sh) sound.

Did you know that TI, SI, and CI all stand for the sound /sh/? #logicofenglish#FunFactFriday pic.twitter.com/jZN4Z0T6Ka

— Logic of English (@LogicofEnglish) June 21, 2019

This statement is unequivocally wrong. Many English words are spelled with <ti>, <si>, <ci>, and by extension <11> that are not pronounced with a /ʃ/ sound. For example:

tie, tin, tick, tile, fourth dimension, patio, tight, tidbit, etiology
sin, sir, ill, sink, sign, basic, siege, sirup, sister, sibling
ciao, cion, cite, city, cider, circumvolve, icing, recite, citrine, concise
centrality, exit, taxi, oxide, pixie, waxier, apraxia, lexicon, xiphoid, affixing

Logic of English offered a clarification, stating that the phonograms (graphemes) <ti>, <si>, <ci>, and <11> never represent the /ʃ/ at the beginning of a word.

2/iii the sound /ʃ/ is represented by TI, SI, CI, or 11. These letter combinations role as phonograms in these words; they stand for a sound visually.

— Logic of English (@LogicofEnglish) July 2, 2019

Although actualization together in written words, <ti>, <si>, <ci>, and <xi> are not graphemes. A grapheme is the smallest meaningful contrastive unit of measurement in a writing system. English graphemes are largely analogous to phonemes. A phoneme is the smallest unit of contrastive sound in a language. Graphemes cannot cross morphemic boundaries.

‪The <t>, <s>, <c>, and <ten> belong to the base or stem of the word (with or without a replaceable <east>) in the following pairs:

act~action
opt~option
note~notion
fuse~fusion
tense~tension
coerce~coercion
flex~flexion
affix~affixion

When the <t>, <southward>, <c>, or <ten> (with or without a replaceable <eastward>) appears discussion-final in a base or stem, the pronunciation is /t/, /s/, /z/, /k/, or /ks/. The same rule applies to words that end in a suffix with a word-final <t>, <s>, <c>, or <ten> (with or without a replaceable <e>) such equally -ate. For example:

activate~activation
amplify~dilation
fixate~fixation
gyrate~gyration
notate~notation
valuate~valuation

The discussion sum for <activate> is <Act + ive + ate>. The affixation of the -ion suffix results in the give-and-take sum <Deed + ive + ate + ion>. The final sound in all the words that end in the -ate suffix is /t/. The affixation of the -ion suffix changes the /t/ to /ʃ/.

The -ion suffix forms abstract nouns from verbs. In Modern English, conversion is a productive give-and-take formation process. A grammatical class such as a noun can go a verb without changing form or pronunciation. A word such as <flirt> began as a noun. The verb class developed subsequently the noun course. Thus, to affix the -ion suffix to <flirt> requires commencement the affixation of the -ate suffix to grade a verb then the affixation of the -ion suffix: <Flirt + ate + ion -> flirtation>.

For other words, the only verb forms ends in the -ate suffix:

mutate~mutation
nictate~nictation
nutate~nutation
rotate~rotation

Other word families have multiple forms with different meanings:

deed~action~actuate~activation
note~notion~notate~notation

To summarize thus far, -*tion, -*sion, -*cion, and -*xion are not suffixes. Only -ion is a suffix. Graphemes cannot cross morphemic boundaries. <ti>, <si>, <ci>, and <xi> are not graphemes. <t>, <s>, <c>, or <x> vest with the base or stem. Only belongs with the suffix.

Why does the affixation of the -ion suffix trigger a sound change in the last consonant of a base or stalk?

human action /ækt/ ~ action /ˈækʃən/
tense /tɛns/ ~ tension /ˈtɛnʃən/
fuse /fjuz/ ~ fusion /ˈfjuʒən/
coerce /koʊˈɝs/ ~ coercion /koʊˈɝʒən/ /koʊˈɝʃən/
flex /flɛks/ ~ flexion /ˈflɛkʃən/

The starting time words with an -ion suffix finish in a /t/, /s/, /z/, or /ks/ audio. The audio in the second word is /ʃ/ (sh) or /ʒ/ (zh).

The -ion suffix consists of the graphemes , <o>, and <n>. The <o> represents the /ə/ sound. The is a phonological marker that indicates the pronunciation of the preceding consonant, which is an case of morphophonology. Morphophonology examines the interaction between morphological and phonological or phonetic processes, focusing on the sound changes that take place in morphemes when combining to form words.

as a phonological mark post-obit <t>, <s>, <c>, and <x> is evident in words with suffixes other than -ion. For instance:

Fasc + i +a -> fascia /ˈfeɪʃjə/ /ˈfeɪʃi.ə/
in + Ert + i + a -> inertia /ɪnˈɝ.ʃə/ /ɪˈnɝ.ʃə/
Face + i + al -> facial /ˈfeɪʃəl/
Space + i + al -> spacial /ˈspeɪʃəl/
Spece + i + al -> special /ˈspɛʃəl/
de + Fice + i + ent -> deficient /dəˈfɪʃənt/ /dɪˈfɪʃənt/
Capt + i + ous -> captious /ˈkæpʃəs/
de + Lice + i + ous -> succulent /dəˈlɪʃəs/ /diˈlɪʃəs/
Tort + i + ous -> tortious /ˈtɔɹʃəs/

The is a grapheme. The is a connecting vowel. The is a phonological marking that signals the pronunciation of the previous consonant. (Phonological markers are always graphemes.) The effect is peculiarly apparent when comparing pairs of words in which the beginning give-and-take lacks the affixed connecting vowel and suffix:

inert~inertia
confront~facial
infinite~spacial
tort~tortious

Students deserve correct and complete information about the English language writing system. -*tion, -*sion, -*cion, and -*xion are not suffixes, and <ti>, <si>, <ci>, and <xi> are not graphemes. As such, <ti>, <si>, <ci>, and <xi> practise not stand for a /ʃ/ (sh) or /ʒ/ (zh) sound. The <t>, <south>, <c>, or <x> is part of a base of operations or stem. The is a phonological marker.