MORPHOLOGY

the part of the grammar

that deals with words and
word formation

Defining words
A linguists definition
the smallest free form found in language
free form = an element that does not have
to occur in a fixed position with respect to
neighboring elements; it can even appear
in isolation in many cases
Example:
dinosaur + s=dinosaurs
dinosaur = free form (word)
s = not a free form (not a word)
dinosaurs = free form; not smallest though
(derived word)

Morphemes
morpheme = smallest unit of language
that carries information
about meaning or function
Example:
-ed - contains the information "past
tense"
I - contains the information "speaker"

Words and morphemes

free morpheme = a morpheme that can be a
word by itself
Example
all simple words are also free morphemes: fun,
computer, linguistics, run
bound morpheme = a morpheme that must be
attached to another element
Example
-s, -ize, re-

Morphemes and allomorphs

allomorphs = variant forms of a morpheme; cf.
allophones
allomorphs never appear in the same
environment
the allomorph with the widest distribution is
the underlying form/morpheme

Distributions of allomorphs
allomorphic distribution is rule-governed (like
allophony)
Example
the indefinite article a/an: an appears before a
word that begins with vowel ([-consonantal,
+syllabic]), a appears elsewhere

Types of morphemes
roots - belong to a lexical category (N, V, A, P)
affixes - do not belong to a lexical category
and are always bound morphemes
base - the form to which an affix is added; in
many cases the base = the root

Types of affixes
prefix: an affix that is attached to the front of
the base
suffix: an affix that is attached to the end of
the base
infix: an affix that occurs inside another
morpheme

Plural allomorphy in English

[s]
cats
roof
caps
racks
[ z]
judges
watches
buses
buzzes
bushes
rouges

[z]
beds
eves
cabs
kegs
mamas