Chapter 6

LTG202 SU2025
CONTENT 0
Introduction to Morphology
S 1
0
Morphological Processes
2
0
Morphological Analysis
3
0
Morphology in Other Languages
4
0
Morphology in Context
5
 01

Introduction to
Morphology
 Definition and Importance of Morphology

Morphology as the Study Morphology Across Applications of

of Word Forms Languages Morphology

Morphology is the study of the internal Different languages have unique ways of Morphology is crucial for lexicography,
structure of words. It examines how forming words. For example, the Swahili helping dictionary compilers define and
words are formed and how their word "nitakupenda" combines elements categorize words accurately.
meanings are derived from their that would be separate words in English,
like "I will love you." It also aids in language teaching,
components.
Studying morphology allows us to enabling learners to understand word
Understanding morphology helps us
appreciate the diversity of word formation rules and expand their
analyze unfamiliar words, such as
formation processes across languages vocabulary more effectively.
"ambimoustrous," by breaking them
down into recognizable elements like and identify commonalities.
"ambi- " and "- moustrous."
 Types of Morphemes
Lexical vs. Functional Derivational vs. Inflectional
Free vs. Bound Morphemes Morphemes Morphemes
Lexical morphemes are content
words that carry the core meaning Derivational morphemes create
Free morphemes can stand alone
of a message, such as nouns, new words or change the
as words, like "new" and "tour."
verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. grammatical category of a word.
They are independent units of
They are an open class, allowing For example, adding "- ment" to
meaning.
new words to be added. "encourage" forms the noun
Bound morphemes, such as "encouragement."
Functional morphemes include
prefixes and suffixes, cannot exist Inflectional morphemes indicate
articles, conjunctions,
independently and must attach to grammatical functions like tense,
prepositions, and pronouns. They
other forms. For example, "re- " number, and case, without
serve grammatical functions and
in "renew" and "- ed" in "talked." changing the word's category.
are a closed class, with few new
English has eight inflectional
additions.
morphemes, all of which are
suffixes.
 02

Morphological
Processes
Derivation

Prefixation
01 Prefixes are added to the beginning of a word to create new meanings. For example, "un- " in
"unhappy" negates the meaning of the base word.
Prefixation can also change the grammatical category, as seen with "re- " in "rewrite," turning a noun
into a verb.

Suffixation
02 Suffixes are added to the end of a word to form new words. For instance, "- ness" in "happiness"
turns the adjective "happy" into a noun.
Suffixes can also alter the grammatical category, like "- ify" in "classify," which changes a noun
into a verb.

Conversion
03 Conversion is a process where a word changes its grammatical category without adding any
morphemes. For example, the noun "paper" can be used as a verb in "to paper the walls."
This process is common in English and demonstrates the flexibility of word categories.
 Inflection
Verb Inflection

Verbs in English are inflected to indicate tense,

aspect, and agreement. For example, "talk"
01 becomes "talks" in the third person singular
present tense and "talked" in the past tense.
The inflectional suffixes - s, - ing, - ed, and - en
Noun Inflection
are used to mark these grammatical

Nouns are inflected for number and distinctions.

possession. The suffix - s marks plural
nouns, while the possessive form is
indicated by - 's or - s' in the case of
plural nouns. 02 03
Adjective Inflection
For example, "cat" becomes "cats" in
the plural form and "cat's" in the Adjectives are inflected for comparison using
the suffixes - er and - est. For example, "tall"
possessive form.
becomes "taller" and "tallest."
Irregular adjectives like "good" and "better"
follow different patterns and must be
memorized.
 03

Morphological
Analysis
 Morpheme Identification

Segmenting Words into Recognizing Bound and Free Morphemes

Morphemes When segmenting words, it is crucial to distinguish
between free morphemes that can stand alone and
To analyze a word morphologically, bound morphemes that must attach to other forms.
we break it down into its constituent For instance, in the word "renewable," "re- " and "-
morphemes. For example,
able" are bound morphemes, while "new" is a free
"unhappiness" consists of the prefix
"un- ," the root "happy," and the morpheme.
suffix "- ness."
This process helps us understand
the meaning and structure of Identifying Derivational and Inflectional
complex words.
Morphemes
We must also differentiate between derivational and
inflectional morphemes. Derivational morphemes
create new words or change their categories, while
inflectional morphemes indicate grammatical
functions.
In the word "unhappiest," "un- " and "- ness" are
derivational, while "- est" is inflectional.
 Morphological Rules

01 02 03
Allomorphs and Morphological Special Cases and
Order of Morphemes
Variation Irregularities
In English, derivational morphemes Morphemes can have different forms Some words exhibit irregular
typically precede inflectional called allomorphs. For example, the morphological patterns that do not
morphemes. For example, in the word plural morpheme in English can be follow the general rules. For
"unhappiest," the derivational prefix "un- realized as - s, - z, or - əz, depending example, the plural of "sheep" is
" is added first, followed by the on the phonetic context. "sheep," and the past tense of "go"
inflectional suffix "- est." is "went."
Understanding allomorphs helps us
This order is consistent and helps These irregularities often have
account for variations in word forms
maintain the logical structure of words. historical or phonological
while recognizing the underlying
explanations and must be learned
morphemes.
as exceptions.
 04

Morphology in
Other Languages
 Comparative Morphology

01 02 03

Morphological Processes Inflectional Marking Reduplication

in Kanuri in Ganda in Ilocano
In Kanuri, a language spoken in Nigeria, Ganda, a language spoken in Uganda, Ilocano, a language of the Philippines,
the prefix nəm- is used to derive nouns uses inflectional prefixes to mark number. employs reduplication to mark plurals.
from adjectives, similar to the suffix - The prefix omu- is used for singular The first part of the singular form is
ness in English. nouns, while aba- is used for plural repeated to form the plural.
nouns.
E.g., the adjective "kurugu" (long) e.g., the singular "tálon" (field)
e.g., "omulenzi" means "boy," and its
becomes the noun "nəmkurugu" becomes "taltálon" (fields) through
plural form "abalenzi" means "boys."
(length) when the prefix is added. reduplication.
 Unique Morphological Features

Infixation in Tagalog Agglutination in Turkish Polysynthesis in Inuktitut

Tagalog, another language of Turkish is an agglutinative Inuktitut, an Eskimo- Aleut

the Philippines, uses infixes to language, where multiple language, is polysynthetic,
indicate grammatical functions. morphemes are attached to a allowing the formation of
For example, the infix - um- is root to form complex words. extremely long words that convey
inserted after the first Each morpheme represents a complete sentences.
consonant to form the future single grammatical feature.
For example, the word
tense.
For example, the word
"tusaatsiarunnanngittualuujunga"
In the word "lumakad" (to walk),
"evlerinde" can be broken down
means "I can't hear very well,"
the infix - um- is added to the
into "ev" (house), "- ler" (plural),
combining multiple morphemes to
stem "lakad" to indicate the
"- in" (possessive), and "- de"
express a complex idea in a single
future action.
(locative), meaning "in their
word.
houses."
Cross-Linguistic Insights

Morphological Typology Morphology and Language Evolution

Languages can be classified based on their morphological systems. The study of morphology provides insights into the historical
English is an analytic language with relatively simple word forms, while development of languages. Over time, morphological systems
Turkish is agglutinative, and Inuktitut is polysynthetic. can simplify or become more complex.
Understanding morphological typology helps us appreciate the diversity For example, Old English had a more extensive inflectional
of linguistic structures and the ways in which different languages convey system than Modern English, with multiple cases and more
meaning. complex noun and verb paradigms.

Borrowing and Language Contact

Morphological features can be borrowed across languages
through contact. For example, English has borrowed the
suffix - ism from Greek, used in words like "capitalism" and
"activism."
Borrowing enriches the lexicon and can lead to the
development of new morphological patterns in the borrowing
language.
 05

Morphology in
Context
Morphology and Semantics

Meaning Derivation from Morphemes

The meaning of a word is often derived from its morphemes. For example, the
word "unbelievable" combines the prefix "un- " (not), the root "believ" (to believe),
and the suffix "- able" (able to), resulting in the meaning "not able to be believed."
By analyzing the morphemes, we can understand the overall meaning of a word
and its relationship to other words.
Polysemy and Morphological Ambiguity
Some words have multiple meanings due to polysemy, which can be clarified
”
through morphological analysis. For example, "paper" can refer to a material or a
document.
Morphological ambiguity can also occur when a morpheme has multiple functions,
such as the suffix "- er" in "teacher" (agent) and "louder" (comparative).

Morphology and Word Families

Morphologically related words form word families, sharing a common
root or base. For example, the word family of "write" includes
"writer," "writing," "rewrite," and "written."
Understanding word families helps expand vocabulary and recognize
relationships between words.
Morphology and Syntax

Morphological Constraints on Syntax and Morphological

Agreement and Inflection
Syntax Interpretation
Inflectional morphemes play a Morphological structure can The syntactic context can also
crucial role in ensuring agreement influence syntactic possibilities. For affect the interpretation of
between words in a sentence. For example, the presence of a morphemes. For example, the
example, the verb "talks" agrees derivational suffix may affect the suffix "- ing" can indicate a present
with the third person singular syntactic role of a word. participle (e.g., "running") or a
subject "he/she/it." gerund (e.g., "running" as a noun).
In the word "unhappiness," the
Agreement rules help maintain Understanding the interplay
suffix "- ness" turns the adjective
grammatical consistency and between syntax and morphology
"happy" into a noun, which then
clarity in sentences. helps us accurately interpret word
follows noun syntax in a sentence.
meanings in context.
Morphology and Pragmatics

Morphology and Contextual

Meaning
The meaning of a word can be influenced by the
context in which it is used. For example, the word
"paper" can mean a material or a document,
depending on the situation.
Morphology and Discourse
Morphological analysis helps us understand how
context affects word meaning and how different Morphological features can signal discourse
functions. For example, the use of the past tense
morphemes contribute to this meaning. morpheme "- ed" in a narrative can indicate a
sequence of events.
Understanding the relationship between
morphology and discourse helps us analyze how
Morphology and Language language is used in different contexts.
Variation
Morphological patterns can vary across dialects and
registers of a language. For example, in some
dialects of English, the past tense morpheme "- ed"
may be pronounced differently or omitted.
Recognizing these variations helps us understand
language diversity and the ways in which
morphology can adapt to different contexts.
Future Directions in Morphology

01 02 03

Advances in Morphological Morphology and Cognitive Morphology and

Theory Science Sociolinguistics

Research in morphology continues The relationship between Morphology is also relevant to

to evolve, with new theories and morphology and cognitive processes sociolinguistics, as it can reflect social
models being developed to explain is an emerging area of research. and cultural aspects of language use.
morphological phenomena. How do we mentally represent and How do morphological patterns vary
process morphologically complex across different social groups and
Advances in computational words? contexts?

linguistics and corpus analysis Studying morphology in sociolinguistic

Understanding the cognitive basis of
provide new tools for studying contexts can provide insights into
morphology can shed light on
language change and variation.
morphology and its role in language. language acquisition and
processing.
THANK YOU!

LTG202 时间：