1.

1 Definitions of Morphology and its Branches

The purpose of this section of research is to define the concepts of morphology and its
branches and to compare definitions given by several linguists and by some dictionaries. Marcus
Kracht reveals that words can be created using different processes which belong to morphology
[M. Kracht, p.81]. S. Dostert discovers that the term morphology comes from a Greek word
which means shape and it is used in linguistics in order to describe the internal structure and
combination of the words [S. Dostert]. R. Dirven mentions in his research that morphology is
the analysis of concepts which form compound or derived words [Dirven, p.49]. G. Cappelli
defines morphology as a sub-discipline of linguistics which analyses the formation of words
and its rules. She also mentions that morphology is composed of two branches: derivational
morphology and inflectional morphology. Derivational morphology analyses the means of the
new created words and the inflectional morphology determines the way words change their
grammatical form [G. Cappelli]. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines morphology as a study
of word formation as inflection, derivation and compounding [Merriam-Webster
Dictionary]. The same thing is explained by Oxford Dictionary. This dictionary distinguishes
morphology as a research of studying the form of the words [Oxford Dictionary]. In brief,
morphology studies the structure of morphemes and because it has two important branches it
also assists to the process of making up new lexemes or to the process of changing the word
grammatically.
In this paragraph is analysed word-derivation as a process of forming new words. In
morphology derivation is a phenomenon of creating a new word out of an old one, usually by
adding a prefix or a suffix, explains R. Nordquist [R. Nordquist]. According to J. Algeo,
affixation or derivation is a type of combining words using prefixes and suffixes [J. Algeo,
p.230]. By J. Hurford, derivation is the process of forming new words according to a regular
pattern [Hurford, p.226]. He also adds that the process of creating new words also includes units
smaller than actual words, such as suffixes and prefixes [Hurford, p.227]. As R. Dirven mentions
derivation consist of a free morpheme, which can be changed, and one or more bound
morphemes called affixes [Dirven, p.59]. M. Kracht emphasizes that the words that should not be
changed are called roots [M. Kracht, p.81]. McCarthy notes that only a root morpheme can be
free and affixes are bound.Using suffixes and prefixes new words are composed, emphasizes
Plag [Plag, p. 13]. Accordingly, using regular patterns, prefixes and suffixes new process of
forming words appears. It is called word-derivation.
In order to define the concept of inflection, S. Dostert explains that bound morphemes which
hold grammatical meaning are called inflexional affixes, and their purpose is to create new forms
of existing lexemes [Dostert, p.18]. J. Wagner distinguishes between derivational and inflectional
affixes. Derivational affixes are added to morphemes to form new words that may or may not be
the same part of speech and inflectional affixes are added to the end of an existing word only for
grammatical purposes, explains Wagner [Wagner].To sum up inflectional affixes appear only for
grammatical reason and do not form new words as derivational affixes do.
In addition, this part of the research defines the concepts of affixes that are used to create new
lexemes. R. Trask emphasises that an affix is a grammatical element which cannot form a word
by itself. An affix that goes at the end of the word is defined as a suffix, while one that goes at
the beginning of the word is called prefix [Trask, p.4]. R. Nordquist emphasizes that an affix is
an element with no meaning which is fixed to the root word in order to buid up a new word
[Nordquist]. Similarly, J. Garvey adds that prefixed are attached before and suffixes after the
word [Garvey, p.123]. So, derivation is a process which does not exist without affixes added
before or after the word.
Also there is another important branch of word-formation which is compounding. S.Dostert
defines this concept as a process of combining free morphemes in order to form a new lexeme
[Dostert, p.20]. I.Plag emphasises that it is possible to combine two bases to make up new words.
This process is known as compounding [Plag, p.15]. In his study, Garvey explains that words
that are formed of two or more roots or words are called compounds. Generally, one of the words
is the head of the compound and the other is its modifier adds he. Sometimes they are spelled as
single words as microwave, sometimes parts are connected by a hyphen as in deep-fry, and
sometimes they are spelled as two words as in soft boil, emphasises J. Garvey [Garvey, p.132].
So, combining two different morphemes, one is the head and another is its modifier, it is possible
to form a new word that can be spelled as a single word, as two words, or that is separated by a
hyphen.
A process that is a part of English word-formation called conversion is to be explained in this
section of research. Bauer, another scientist names conversion as a change in form class of a
word that does not correspond to a change. He also defines this process as zero-derivation that is
a synonym to conversion [Bauer, p.32]. S. Dostert explains this phenomenon as a process
involving word class change but without any changes to the form of the lexeme [Dostert, p.20].
There are two types of conversion as Dostert mentions: total conversion that is also called zero-
derivation and partial conversion that changes the part of speech. There is no big difference
between these two, but it depends on the main stress in the word, explains Dostert [Dostert,
p.20]. So, conversion also called zero-derivation appears only when the parts of speech are
changed and it does not change the form of the lexeme.
 Another group of scientists mention other methods, but less productive processes, of creating
new words as coining, abbreviation, blending and borrowing. Garvey and Delahunty define
coining as a method of creating new words without reference to the existing morphological
resources of the language and that is out of the sounds of the language. They explain that
abbreviation involves the shortening of existing words [Garvey, p.136]. Garvey emphasises that
blending occurs when only parts of two words are combined together to create a new word and
the meaning is changed. Borrowing is explained by Delahunty as a process of copying a word
that belonged to one language into another language. He emphasises that many terms from
Mexican cuisine, like taco and burrito, have become current in American English [Delahunty,
p.137]. I. Arnold defines blending as formations that combine two words and include the letters
or the sounds that they have in common as a connecting element. This scientist names this
process telescoping and explains that it is because the words seem to slide into one another like
sections of a telescope [Arnold, p.141]. He also mentions that abbreviation is used in colloquial
speech [Arnold, p.143]. Borrowing is a consequence of cultural contact between two language
communities emphasises S. Kemmer in her study [Nordquist]. P. Stekauer, another linguist
analyses the process of forming new words. He mentions that word-formation contains two
major groups of word: words that form combinations of full linguistic signs (compounding,
prefixation, suffixation and back-derivation) and words which are not made up of full linguistic
signs (blending, clipping, etc.) [Stekauer, p. 30]. Thus, these methods are parts of word-building
that concur to formation of new words, even though each of them has its own rules and feature.