GROUP 1

Ngụy Bảo Trọng Unit Two:

Cao Thúy Hằng DERIVATION AND INFLECTION
Phạm Tấn Tài
Nguyễn Thị Hà Vi

1. DERIVATION:
1.1. DEFINITION: Derivation is ‘the formation of new words by adding affixes to other words
or morphemes’.
Ex: Movement
 The noun movement is derived from the verb move by adding suffix –ment.
1.2. TYPE OF DERIVATIONAL AFFIXES: 2 subgroups:
* Class-changing derivational affixes: change the word class of the words.
Ex: beauty (noun) beautiful (adj)
* Class-maintaining derivational affixes: do not change the word class.
Ex: Re- + write  rewrite (v)
Super- + man  superman (n)
1.3. MORPHOLOGICAL RULES: In dictionary, new words may appear by applying the
morphological rules.
(1) VERB + -able = ‘able to be VERB-ed’
ACCEPT + -able = ‘able to be ACCEPTed’

Ex: Believable, achievable, desirable...

(2) Un- + ADJECTIVE = ‘not + ADJECTIVE’
Un- + TRUE = ‘not + TRUE’

Ex: unkind, unfair, unskilled...

(3) Un- + VERB = ‘do the opposite of + VERB + -ING
= ‘reverse + VERB + -ING’
Un- + LOCK = ‘do the opposite of + LOCKING’
= ‘reverse + LOCKING’

Ex: unlock, undo, undress...

2. INFLECTION:
2.1. DEFINITION: Inflection is ‘the process of adding an affix to a word or changing it in some
other way according to the rules of grammar of a language’.
Ex: The noun books is inflected for plural: book – books (book + -s).
2.2. VARIOUS KINDS OF INFLECTION:
2.2.1. NOUN INFLECTION:
Plain form
2 forms
Inflected form (3 inflected forms)
 Four-form inflectional noun paradigm.
One plain form (= the stem) 3 inflected forms (the stem + inflectional suffixes)
Teachers (plural noun)
Teacher (singular noun) Teacher’s (singular-possessive noun)
Teachers’ (plural-possessive noun)
2.2.2. VERB INFLECTION:
The paradigm of an irregular verb has 4 inflected forms.
In complex cases, we should assign all English verbs to a five-form inflectional paradigm.
One plain form (= the stem) 4 inflected forms (the stem + inflectional suffixes)
Talk talks, talking, talked, talked
Write Writes, writing, wrote, written
2.2.3. ADJECTIVE INFLECTION and ADVERB INFLECTION:
For adjective of one or two syllables and for monosyllabic adverbs, there is a three-form
inflectional paradigm.
One plain form (= the stem) 2 inflected forms (the stem + inflectional suffixes)
POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE
Small Smaller Smallest
ADJECTIVE
happy happier Happiest
ADVERB fast faster Fastest
3. HOW TO DISTINGUISH DERIVATION FROM INFLECTION:
3.1. DERIVATION
3.1.1. Formula:
A BASE (also called A ROOT) + DERIVATION AFFIXES  NEW DERIVED WORDS
3.1.2. DERIVATIONAL AFFIXES supply the base with ‘components of lexical and lexicon-
grammatical meanings, thus form different words’
3.1.3. THE BASE is the ultimate constituent element remaining after the removal of all
functional and derivational affixes, not admitting any further analysis.
3.1.4. A DERIVATIONAL PARADIGM is ‘a set of related words composed of the same base
morpheme and all the derivational affixes that can go with this base’
3.2. INFLECTION
3.1.1. Formula:

A STEM + INFLECTIONAL SUFFIXES  INFLECTED FORMS OF ONE AND THE

SAME WORD

3.2.2. INFLECTION SUFFIXES serve to convey grammatical meaning, building different

forms of one and the same word.
3.2.3. THE STEM is the word part remaining after the removal of all inflectional suffixes (word
part in existence before any inflectional suffixes).
3.2.4. AN INFLECTIONAL PARADIGM is a set of related words composed of the same stem
and all the inflectional suffixes that can go with this stem.