Morphology: Understanding the Composition of Words

Morphology, the study of word composition, begins with the introduction of a basic unit: the morpheme.

Morphemes

• Definition: A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in a language. Examples include single words like "train" or "fat," and comparatives like "-er" in "fatter," or plural forms like "-s" in "trains." These units of meaning might not always stand alone (like "-er").

Types of Morphemes

1. Free Morphemes: Stand-alone words such as "jump" or "imply" that can be used independently.
2. Bound Morphemes: Units of meaning that cannot stand alone and must be attached to other morphemes (e.g., "-ed" in "implied").

Suffixes and Prefixes

• Affixes: Bound morphemes, including prefixes (e.g., "un-") and suffixes (e.g., "-ly"). They can change the word's category (like "vividly" from adjective to adverb) or keep it the same.
• Prefixes: Attach to the beginning, change the meaning ("deactivate").
• Suffixes: Attach to the end, can change the lexical category ("clueless" from noun to adjective).

Infixes

• Infixes: Morphemes inserted within a word, used in languages like Tagalog (e.g., "bili" becomes "binili" for past tense).

Practice with Morphemes

• Analyzing Words: Through examples like "tempting," "dogs," and "judgers," we explore counting morphemes per word, revealing the underlying structure and meaning.

Classification of Morphemes

• Free vs. Bound: Distinction is crucial for understanding how morphemes operate within languages.
• Drawing Trees for Morphemes: Visual representation helps to explain the structure and composition of words with affixes.

Conclusion

• This session covered the basics of morphemes, including types, roles, and how they combine to form words. The next session will explore derivational vs. inflectional morphemes, morphemes in other languages, and phenomena like reduplication.