Morphology and Word Formation

Morphology and Word Formation

1. Words

   • Basic units of analysis in traditional grammar.
   • Morphemes
     • Smallest units of meaning or grammatical function
       • Root morphemes provide the basic meaning of a word (e.g., {saw} in sawers). Derivational morphemes create new words (e.g., {-er} in painter
   • Affixes, such as prefixes and suffixes
     • Are added to words either before or after the form.
   • The root of a word remains after removing derivational and inflectional morphemes.

2. Morphemes, Allomorphs, and Morphs

   • Analogous to phonology, these variants are referred to as allomorphs of a morpheme, and the morpheme itself is referred to as a morph.

3. Parts of Speech:

   • Noun Verb Adjective Adverb Derivationally related forms
     • And consequently allow different inflections, and because the meanings of derivationally related pairs are not always as parallel as their forms are, derived forms may be given their own entries in dictionaries

4. Derivationally Related Forms

   • Generate Generation Compete Competence

5. Compounding:

   • Compound words Sawmill Chainsaw Jigsaw Bucksaw Sawdust Sawing horses Modifier Head Endocentric compounds Exocentric compounds Coordinative compounds

6. Spelling Variations in Compounds

   • Hyphenation Compound stress pattern Stress in compounds vs. phrases

7. Word Formation Processes:

   • Mechanisms by which new words are created, including coining, abbreviation, blending, and borrowing.

8. Borrowing

   • Incorporating words from one language into another, often due to cultural or historical influence.

9. Registers and Words

   • Different domains or contexts in which words are used, including technical jargon and academic discourse.

10. Internal Structure of Complex Words

    • Analysis of how morphemes are combined within complex words to create meaning.

11. Morphological Classification of Words

    • Grouping words into categories based on their morphological properties, such as inflection and derivation.

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