MORPHOLOGY, kinds of morphology definition of morphology according to expert morphology ppt morphology pdf what is the scope of morphology makalah morphology example of morphology in linguistics the morphology branches

MORPHOLOGY

Morphology is the study of morphemes, which are the smallest significant units of grammar. This definition becomes more comprehensible if you look at some examples.

a.       Cat      cats

Mat      mats

Bat      bats

b.      Cook   cooked

Look    looked

FREE AND BOUND MORPHEMES

Morphemes which can only occur freely on their own are called “free morpheme”. Morphemes which can only occur as affixes are described as “bound” morphemes. Bound morphemes or affixes are divided into two types : those like “dis” and “un” which precede words (that is, free morphemes) and which are called prefixes and those like “-ly” and “-ness” which follow free morphemes and  which are called suffixes.

Allomorphs

In the written form, all of words have the ‘-ed’ morpheme indicating the past tense. When you pronounce these words, however you become aware that the ‘-ed’ morpheme has three different forms :

(slammed) /slaemd/

(slipped)    /slipt/

(stilted)      /stilted/

/d/ in ‘slammed’, /t/ in ‘slipped’ and /id/ in ‘stilted’. When a morpheme has alternative forms the various forms are known as “ allomorphs “.

In another examples, their opposites by prefixing the bound morpheme ‘in-‘:

      Capable           incapable

      Tolerant           intolerant

The negative morpheme change ‘n’ to the consonant of the word it prefixes :

Legal               illegal

Mobile             immobile

Regular            irregular

‘ill’, ‘im-‘, ‘in’ and ‘ir-‘ can thus be called “allomorphs”.

DERIVATIONAL MORPHOLOGY

Morphology fulfills to main functions in English. Morphemes can be used to form new words:

Beauty + ful > beautiful

Danger + ous  > dangerous

Or to inflect verbs and nouns :

      Look, look + s, look + ing, look + ed

      Tree, tree + s

The first category is known as “ derivational “ morphology and it involves prefixation :

      Re + turn > return

      Un + true > untrue

Suffixation :

Man + ly > manly

Wicked + ness > wickedness

Or affixation involving both prefixation and suffixation :

      Un + speak + able > unspeakable

      Sub + conscious + ly > subconsciously

Commonly occurring prefixes are be-, de-, en-, ex-, hyper-, pre-, pro-, re-, sub-, super-, and trans-. Prefix alter meaning, but do not always change the function of the word to which they are prefixed :

Prefix        free morpheme (class)             result (class)

Be              witch (n.)                                 bewitch (v.)

De                         limit (v.)                                  delimit (v.)

Hyper        market (n.)                               hypermarket (n.)

Suffixes always change the class of the word to which they are attached :

      Determine (v.) + action           determination (n.)

Words ending in the morphemes –acy, -action, -er/-or, -ity, -ment, -ness, and ship tend to be nouns:

Democracy      actor                bewilderment

Painter             mistress           weakness

Words ending in –ise / -ize tend to be verbs :

Epitomize

Hospitalize

Words ending in –able, -ed, -ful, -ical, -ive, -less, -like, -ous, and –y, tend to be adjectives :

      an enjoyable

      a helpless individual

     

And words which end in –ly tend to be adverbs :

      Quickly

      Securely

Thus, although lovely and friendly end in –ly, they function as “adjectives”, and not adverbs.

      A lovely girl                a friendly welcome

INFLECTIONAL MORPHOLOGY

Inflectional morphology occurs with nouns, pronouns, and verbs. In nouns, inflection marks plurality in regular nouns :

Book               books

Chair               chairs

And the possessive all of nouns :

The man                      the man’s book / books

                        Irregular nouns often forms the plurals by a vowel change :

                                    Foot                 feet

                                    Mouse                         mice

There is no difference in sound between a regular noun’s, plural form and its possessive :

            The doctor

            The doctor’s patients

Inflectional suffixes are used to indicate present tense agreement :

            I, you, we, they è look / sing

            But,

            He / she /it è look + s / sing + s

And the present participle :

            Looking / singing

And for the past tense and past participle are formed by –ed :

            I look + ed / I have look + ed

With irregular verbs :

            Sing     sang     sung

            Take    took     taken

Related Post:

Share this post