WEEK3- MORPHOLOGY
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WEEK3- MORPHOLOGY
Dr. Monira I. Al-Mohizea
What is this?
A ‘Horse’ is….
In Arabic it is called ‘
حصان
’.
In French it is called ‘cheval’.
in English it is called ‘horse’.
None of these is a
better
or
worse
way symbolizing
the concept 'horse'.
There is
no
principle that can enable us to
determine which linguistic
sign
will have a particular
meaning
. The meanings of all morphemes and many
words if have to be listed in our mental
lexicon??
,
and memorized.
What is a ‘Lexicon’
Formally, in linguistics, a lexicon is a language's
inventory of lexemes.
The vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of
knowledge (
mental
).
Exception!
In the case of
onomatopoeia
, where the word imitates some
aspect of the meaning of the concept it represents (i.e. the
formation of a word from a sound associated with what is
named, e.g.
cuckoo
,
sizzle
). The linguistic sign is
iconic
and not
arbitrary
.
But the iconicity is closely linked to
convention,
and
arbitrariness
.
E.g. the sound imitative of a dog's bark is
woof
in English,
hut
, in Romanian
ham ham
, in Russian
gaf gaf
, in Estonian.
The differences
do not
reflect any
dialectal differences
among canine (dogs) populations.
Classifications of morphemes
Morphemes are classified as
free
or
bound
morphemes.
a
free
morpheme can occur in isolation (as a
word on its own).
E.g. dog, write, deserve and child.
a
bound
morpheme cannot occur in isolation,
E.g. , the forms -
ish, tin-, -ed, -1y, re-, -ing
Any form that is used to represent a
morpheme is called a
“morph’’
.
E.g. the word
child-ish
has
two
morphs.
Allomorphs
Morphemes are represented by more than one
form
in
different contexts. These variants are called
allomorphs
.
Allomorphs are
morphemes
having the same function but
different form. Unlike synonyms they usually cannot be
replaced one by the other.
Allomorphs are distinct with regard to
form
, but they have the
same
grammatical
or
semantic
function.
E.g. the
indefinite article
in English has two allomorphs:
a
is used if the next word starts with a
consonant
, e.g.,
a
leg, a mother, a tomato.
1.
an
is used if the next word starts with a
vowel
, e.g.,
an ear,
an egg, etc.
They differ in
pronunciation
but are
semantically identical.
Word Structure (affix, prefix, suffix)
Starting off with the
base
‘
write
’, we can add –
ing
=
writing
-re +writing (
base
) + rewriting, etc.
A
base
is a unit to which elements can be added in
word-formation processes.
Affix
: is a
bound
morpheme (
suffix/prefix
) that must
be attached to a base. i.e. a morpheme that is not a
root?
; it is always bound.
a
prefix
precedes the base (e.g.
pre
wash)
if it follows the base it is called a
suffix
(e.g. writ
er)
Infix & Circumfix
Infix
: common in Austronesian and Austroasiatic
languages (e.g. Tagalog, Khmer)
In Tagalog: basa = ‘read’=> b·
um
·asa ‘read-past’
very rare
in English:
E.g. ‘abso·
bloody
·lutely’
Circumfix
: morphemes having
two
parts that are
placed
around
a root.
In Dutch:
Berg = ’mountain’ =>
ge
·berg·
te
‘mountains’.
The base vs. the root
The
base
is also referred to as a
root
.
But, the root is the rump ‘remainder’ of a word that
remains when all the affixes have been stripped away
(i.e. it is a
nucleus
of the word that affixes attach too).
A base doesn't
have to be a
bare
root. In many cases
the base contains a
root
and
one or more
affixes; (e.g.
re
write)
We can form a
compound
word by combining
two
bases
(words in their own right)
E.g. Ear
+
witness = earwitness
What is a stem?
In forming a word, a lexical base to which
inflectional morphemes are attached (e.g.
sleep=sleep-s) is called a
stem
.
Lexical vs. functional morphemes
Two broad types of Morphemes:
Lexical morphemes
vs.
functional morphemes
Lexical morphs
Lexical morphemes:
(Known as ‘content words‘)
Lexical morphemes are
nouns
,
adjectives, verbs and
adverbs
(NAVA words).
This has an important consequences for morphology
because lexical morphemes belong to an
open class
which
can
expand
.
Discuss??
Functional morphs
Functional morphemes:
Also called ‘function words’) and they:
Mostly signal
syntactic
relationships, & include
prepositions (e.g. as -
are free function morphemes)
,
pronouns (e.g. his, her) and determiners (e.g. the, a,
an).
Functional morphemes belong to
closed set
that
admits
no
new members (new prepositions, pronouns,
and determiners are very rarely added to the
language.
Important conclusion!
It follows that the branch of
morphology
that
examines the creation of new vocabulary items
is primarily concerned with
lexical morphemes
Word formation processes
Two broad types of word formation processes:
Inflection
versus
derivation
Discuss the following:
a. She sleeps. b. *We sleeps
Othman sleeps *They sleeps
lt sleeps *You sleeps
What is inflection?
Inflection is
syntactically
motivated word-formation.
Inflection creates various
forms
of the same word
E.g. third-person singular subject of a present tense
verb (e.g. he read
s
a book every night)
E.g.
Singular
Plural
this boy (*these boy) those boys (*this boys)
that boy (*those boy) those boys (*that boys)
Inflection (1)
English has a small number of inflectional morphemes.
They are all
suffixes
.
Discuss??
Inflectional suffixes form a
closed set
(i.e. the language
no longer adds to its inventory of inflectional endings.
(English used to have considerably more complex inflectional
morphology).
Inflection is
syntax
driven.
Many inflectional processes involve
agreement
.
(
subject-verb- number- agreement??).
Inflectional suffixes
Some terms..
Genitive
:
In grammar
denoting a
case
of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives ( in
grammatical agreement with them)
used to indicate a relation of possession or associ
ation.
Exercise!
Following the inflectional suffixes tables, think of
other examples in English
for nouns
:
Native irregular plurals vs. borrowed irregular
plurals
And for verbs:
Regular vs. irregular
And for adjectives:
Comparative vs. superlative
Inflection (2)
Inflectional properties may be
inherent
(a
morpheme is associated with its properties
regardless of context).
E.g. Countable vs. uncountable nouns
Hammer(
s
) *equipment(
s
)
Derivation
Derivation is
not
motivated by the syntax, its role is to
generate new lexical items.
Derivation changing meaning
Input Derived word
Possible impossible
Tell retell
Do undo
Derivation changing syntactic category
Faith (noun) faithful (adjective)
fierce (adjective) fiercely (adverb)
sing (verb) singer (noun)
Discuss!
Differences:
Inflection vs. Derivation??
Inflection vs. Derivation
Derivation
tends to affects the meaning of the word, while
inflection
tends to affect only its syntactic function.
Derivation
tends to be more irregular and sporadic – there are
more gaps, the meaning is more idiosyncratic and less
compositional, but
inflectional
morphology is mostly regular.
E.g. all verbs take –
ing
but we cannot say ( *
yellowen
)
following (whiten and darken).
Therefore,
derivational
processes tend to be more productive
than
inflectional
ones.
The boundary between derivation and inflection is often fuzzy
and unclear.
Discus with your partner & give examples
Complex words (containing a sequence of suffixes)
such as, Sing-
er
-
s.
The
derivational
suffixes are nearer to the root (-
er
)
whereas the
inflectional
plural –
s
suffix is at the
edge of the word.
Diagram
Thank You
the fascinating world of morphology in linguistics, delving into the concepts of linguistic symbols, lexicon, allomorphs, and word structure. Discover the classifications of morphemes, the significance of allomorphs, and the role of affixes in word formation processes. Unravel the intricacies of language through a deeper understanding of how meaning is constructed through morphological elements.
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Presentation Transcript
WEEK3- MORPHOLOGY Dr. Monira I. Al-Mohizea
A Horse is. In Arabic it is called . In French it is called cheval . in English it is called horse . None of these is a better or worse way symbolizing the concept 'horse'. There is no principle that can enable us to determine which linguistic sign will have a particular meaning. The meanings of all morphemes and many words if have to be listed in our mental lexicon??, and memorized.
What is a Lexicon Formally, in linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge (mental).
Exception! In the case of onomatopoeia, where the word imitates some aspect of the meaning of the concept it represents (i.e. the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named, e.g. cuckoo, sizzle). The linguistic sign is iconic and not arbitrary. But the iconicity is closely linked to convention, and arbitrariness. E.g. the sound imitative of a dog's bark is woof in English, hut, in Romanian ham ham, in Russian gaf gaf, in Estonian. The differences do not reflect any dialectal differences among canine (dogs) populations.
Classifications of morphemes Morphemes are classified as free or bound morphemes. a free morpheme can occur in isolation (as a word on its own). E.g. dog, write, deserve and child. a bound morpheme cannot occur in isolation, E.g. , the forms -ish, tin-, -ed, -1y, re-, -ing Any form that is used to represent a morpheme is called a morph . E.g. the word child-ish has two morphs.
Allomorphs Morphemes are represented by more than one form in different contexts. These variants are called allomorphs. Allomorphs are morphemes having the same function but different form. Unlike synonyms they usually cannot be replaced one by the other. Allomorphs are distinct with regard to form, but they have the same grammatical or semantic function. E.g. the indefinite article in English has two allomorphs: a is used if the next word starts with a consonant, e.g., leg, a mother, a tomato. an is used if the next word starts with a vowel, e.g., an ear, an egg, etc. They differ in pronunciation but are semantically identical. a 1.
Word Structure (affix, prefix, suffix) Starting off with the base write , we can add ing = writing -re +writing (base) + rewriting, etc. A base is a unit to which elements can be added in word-formation processes. Affix: is a bound morpheme (suffix/prefix) that must be attached to a base. i.e. a morpheme that is not a root?; it is always bound. a prefix precedes the base (e.g. prewash) if it follows the base it is called a suffix (e.g. writer)
Infix & Circumfix Infix: common in Austronesian and Austroasiatic languages (e.g. Tagalog, Khmer) In Tagalog: basa = read => b um asa read-past very rare in English: E.g. abso bloody lutely Circumfix: morphemes having two parts that are placed around a root. In Dutch: Berg = mountain => ge berg te mountains .
The base vs. the root The base is also referred to as a root. But, the root is the rump remainder of a word that remains when all the affixes have been stripped away (i.e. it is a nucleus of the word that affixes attach too). A base doesn't have to be a bare root. In many cases the base contains a root and one or more affixes; (e.g. rewrite) We can form a compound word by combining two bases (words in their own right) E.g. Ear+ witness = earwitness
What is a stem? In forming a word, a lexical base to which inflectional morphemes are attached (e.g. sleep=sleep-s) is called a stem.
Lexical vs. functional morphemes Two broad types of Morphemes: Lexical morphemes vs. functional morphemes
Lexical morphs Lexical morphemes: (Known as content words ) Lexical morphemes are nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs (NAVA words). This has an important consequences for morphology because lexical morphemes belong to an open class which can expand. Discuss??
Functional morphs Functional morphemes: Also called function words ) and they: Mostly signal syntactic relationships, & include prepositions (e.g. as - are free function morphemes), pronouns (e.g. his, her) and determiners (e.g. the, a, an). Functional morphemes belong to closed set that admits no new members (new prepositions, pronouns, and determiners are very rarely added to the language.
Important conclusion! It follows that the branch of morphology that examines the creation of new vocabulary items is primarily concerned with lexical morphemes
Word formation processes Two broad types of word formation processes: Inflection versus derivation Discuss the following: a. She sleeps. Othman sleeps *They sleeps lt sleeps b. *We sleeps *You sleeps
What is inflection? Inflection is syntactically motivated word-formation. Inflection creates various forms of the same word E.g. third-person singular subject of a present tense verb (e.g. he reads a book every night) E.g. Singular this boy (*these boy) those boys (*this boys) that boy (*those boy) those boys (*that boys) Plural
Inflection (1) English has a small number of inflectional morphemes. They are all suffixes. Discuss?? Inflectional suffixes form a closed set (i.e. the language no longer adds to its inventory of inflectional endings. (English used to have considerably more complex inflectional morphology). Inflection is syntax driven. Many inflectional processes involve agreement. (subject-verb- number- agreement??).
Some terms.. Genitive: In grammar denoting a case of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives ( in grammatical agreement with them) used to indicate a relation of possession or ation. associ
Exercise! Following the inflectional suffixes tables, think of other examples in English for nouns: Native irregular plurals vs. borrowed irregular plurals And for verbs: Regular vs. irregular And for adjectives: Comparative vs. superlative
Inflection (2) Inflectional properties may be inherent (a morpheme is associated with its properties regardless of context). E.g. Countable vs. uncountable nouns Hammer(s) *equipment(s)
Derivation Derivation is not motivated by the syntax, its role is to generate new lexical items. Derivation changing meaning Input Derived word Possible impossible Tell retell Do undo Derivation changing syntactic category Faith (noun) fierce (adjective) fiercely (adverb) sing (verb) singer (noun) faithful (adjective)
Discuss! Differences: Inflection vs. Derivation??
Inflection vs. Derivation Derivation tends to affects the meaning of the word, while inflection tends to affect only its syntactic function. Derivation tends to be more irregular and sporadic there are more gaps, the meaning is more idiosyncratic and less compositional, but inflectional morphology is mostly regular. E.g. all verbs take ing but we cannot say ( *yellowen) following (whiten and darken). Therefore, derivational processes tend to be more productive than inflectional ones. The boundary between derivation and inflection is often fuzzy and unclear. Discus with your partner & give examples
Complex words (containing a sequence of suffixes) such as, Sing-er-s. The derivational suffixes are nearer to the root (-er) whereas the inflectional plural s suffix is at the edge of the word.
