10 Questions
What is a word, according to the text?
The smallest unit of language that can be used by itself
What is a morpheme in language?
The minimal formal element of meaning in language
What does the example 'rebuild' illustrate?
Two distinct elements of meaning in a word
What do some morphemes in English do?
Mark plurality, gender, and tense
'Tennis player' in English is equivalent to what term in Turkish?
'Tenisçi'
What is collocation?
The tendency for words to co-occur
What are lexical patterns based on?
Single words and their likelihood to appear together
In English, what is an example of collocation?
'Cheque' occurring with 'bank', 'pay', 'money', and 'write'
What is an example of a collocational patterning exception provided in the text?
'Rancid eggs' and 'addled butter'
What does lexical patterning refer to?
The tendency for words to co-occur
Study Notes
Language Fundamentals
- A word is a unit of language that carries meaning and consists of one or more spoken sounds or symbols.
Morphemes
- A morpheme is the smallest unit of language that conveys meaning, and it cannot be broken down further into smaller units.
- Morphemes can be free, such as words, or bound, such as prefixes and suffixes.
Morpheme Examples
- The example 'rebuild' illustrates that it is composed of two morphemes: 're-' (a prefix meaning "again") and 'build' (a root word).
Morpheme Functions
- Some morphemes in English, such as prefixes and suffixes, can change the meaning of a root word.
Cross-Linguistic Comparisons
- In Turkish, the term 'tenisçi' is equivalent to the English phrase 'tennis player'.
Collocation
- Collocation refers to the tendency of certain words to co-occur with each other in a language.
Lexical Patterns
- Lexical patterns are based on the relationships between words and their meanings.
English Collocation Examples
- In English, the phrase 'strong coffee' is an example of collocation, where the words 'strong' and 'coffee' frequently co-occur.
Collocational Patterning Exceptions
- The phrase 'powerful tea' is an example of an exception to collocational patterning, as 'powerful' is not typically used to describe tea.
Lexical Patterning
- Lexical patterning refers to the way in which words are combined to convey meaning, including collocation, idiomatic expressions, and fixed phrases.
Test your understanding of word equivalence and non-equivalence in different languages. Explore lexical meanings and the challenges of non-equivalence at the word level.
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