LING 111-Exam 2, Morphology I

the identification, analysis and description of the structure of a given language's morphemes and other linguistic units, such as words, affixes, parts of speech, intonation/stress, or implied context (words in a lexicon are the subject matter of lexicology)

..the study of the structure of words

Meaning or grammatical function

regularities that govern how
morphemes are allowed to combine to form words.

Not all combinations and orders possible of morphemes

Can stand alone as word

cannot stand alone as a word

morpheme that carries main part of meaning

not central part of meaning, change meaning
slightly, fulfill grammatical function

bound morphemes

root

affixes that precede the root

affixes that follow the root

affix inside of the root

affix wraps around the root

goes before stressed syllable
words with initial stress cannot take infix

not central part of meaning, change meaning
slightly, fulfill grammatical function

Both prefixes and suffixes in english

" Grammatical function – presence required by syntax
" Creates different form of same word
" Never changes the part of speech
" In English all are suffixes
" Very productive

Derivational always before inflectional..remember this for tree diagrams