This document defines key concepts in morphology and word formation. It discusses that morphology studies how words are formed. It defines words, morphemes, and lexemes. It distinguishes between free and bound morphemes. It also explains the different types of affixes and how they can be used derivational or inflectionally. Finally, it outlines several processes of word formation such as derivation, compounding, borrowing and others.
3. What is Word?
Word can be defined as a smallest elemets in a
sentence
The properties of word:
1. Words are entities having a part of speech
specification
2. Words are syntactic atoms
3. Words (usually) have one main stress
4. Words (usually) are indivisible units (no
intervening material possible)
4. Morphs, Morphemes, Lexemes
Morphs: morphs means word-form
Morphemes: morphemes is the smallest unit of word that have
meaning
for example:
1. Playing (have 2 morphemes Play+ing)
2. Dislocation (have 3 morphemes dis+locate+ion)
3. Systematically (have 4 morphemes system+atic+al+ly)
Lexemes: Lexemes is such an abstract morphological entities
“The word be occurs twice in the sentence.”
the word 'be' is have same pronounce with 'bee' so, if we listen the
sentence in spoken, we don't know is it 'be' or 'bee'
5. Free vs bound morphemes
Free Morphemes: A word or word element that can stand
alone, in other words the word can not be divided into smaller
parts that also meaningful.
Word : milk, cow, book, etc.
Bound morphemes: A word element that can not stand alone
as a word, it includes affixes. It is attached to free morpheme
and mostly change the meaning.
pre- : un-, -s, -ness, -ing
re- : -in-, -ed, -er, -en
7. Affixes
Prefix:
morphemes that
attach before the
central
meaningful
element of the
word
Suffix:
morphemes
that attach after
the central
meaningful
element of word
• Unplug
• Dislike
• Replay
• Eatable
• Continuity
• Socialize
8. Base and Roots
The part of a word which an affix is attached
to is called base (loveable)
Bases that cannot be analyzed further into
morphemes is called roots (simulate,
circulation)
9. Allomorph
Such different morphs representing the same
morpheme are called allomorphs,
The phenomenon that different morphs realize
one and the same morpheme is known as
allomorphy.
(using 'a' for say 'a pencil' , and using 'an' for
say 'an apple')
10. Inflectional Affixes
Inflection does not change either the grammatical category or the
type of meaning found in the word to which it applies.
e.g.
-ed past
walk + ed
-s 3rd sing persent
sing + s
-ing Progressive say + ing
-er comparative tall + er
-est superlative tall + est
11. Derivational Affixes
Eatable
Eat is a verb, but
eatable is an adjective
Derive or make a new word from different grammatical class
from the original one.
13. Productive Word Formation
A productive morpheme is one that can be
attached regularly to any word of
the appropriate class
14. Less Productive Word
Productions
A less productive morpheme is one that cannot
be attached regularly to any word of the
appropriate class
15. Word formation
Coinage: Inventing a new
word
e.g. genocide(1943)
Borrowing: Borrowing
word from another
language
e.g. agenda(Latin),
panorama (Greek)
Calque: Direct translation
from another language
e.g. perros calientes to
hot dog (Spanish from
English)
Compounding: Mixing two
words to build a new one
e.g. homework
Derivation: Adding
morpheme into a word
e.g. lovely Blending: Blending two
words to create a word
e.g. emoticon (emotion &
icon)
16. Backformation: Removing
part of the word and
change the word class
e.g. enthusiasm =
enthuse
Conversion: Changing
word class without adding
affixes
e.g. chase (verb and
noun)
Acronym: Words from
initial sets of word
e.g. PIN (personal
identification number)
Initialism: Set of letter as
a representative of words
e.g. FBI (Federal Bureau
of Investigation)
Onomatopoeia: Words
from certain sound
e.g. buzz, cock-a-doodle-
doo
Clipping: Shortening of a
poly-syllabic word
e.g. fan=fanatic