Morphological Processes in Language

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Questions and Answers

What is the characteristic feature of nonlinear affixation?

It combines morphemes in a linear sequence.

It avoids any form of modification to the root.

It includes only prefixation and suffixation.

Morphological changes occur inside the word. (correct)

Which of the following is an example of infixation in English?

Re-play

Develop-ment

Unbelievable

Fan-bloody-tastis (correct)

What does internal modification typically entail?

Adding phonemes to the end of a word.

Changing sounds within the root of the word. (correct)

Removing consonants to simplify the word.

Making the word longer without altering sounds.

Which phenomenon results from replacing all sound segments in a word?

Suppletion Signup and view all the answers

In what scenario does subtraction occur in affixation?

When segments are removed to create a perfective form. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following pairs is an example of internal modification?

Drive → drove Signup and view all the answers

Which best describes an infix?

An affix that occurs inside the stem. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common feature of vowel changes in internal modification?

They create a completely different root. Signup and view all the answers

What does the perfective form indicate?

A completed action Signup and view all the answers

What morphological process involves the repetition of all or part of a word?

Reduplication Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following pairs illustrates the effect of suprafixation?

addréss - áddress Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of full reduplication?

Rumah-rumah Signup and view all the answers

What type of morphological process is represented by the transformation from 'popot' to 'popo'?

Subtraction Signup and view all the answers

Which term refers to elements like tone or stress in morphological processes?

Suprafixation Signup and view all the answers

What is one characteristic of partial reduplication?

Only certain segments of a word are repeated Signup and view all the answers

Which of these processes includes removing segments to form new word forms?

Subtraction Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Linear vs. Nonlinear Affixation

Linear affixation involves combining morphemes in a sequence, including prefixation, suffixation, and compounding.
Examples of linear affixation: replay, development.
Nonlinear affixation involves morphological changes within a word through infixation, root modification, and other non-linear processes.
Nonlinear affixes are not added in a linear sequence.

Infixation

An infix is an affix inserted within a stem.
Examples in Bahasa Indonesia:
- -el-: tunjuk → telunjuk (point → index finger)
- -er-: sabut → serabut (fiber → fibers)
Examples in English:
- fan-bloody-tastis
- cinde-fuckin’-rella
- un-freaking-believable

Internal Modification

Internal modification occurs when a phoneme or group of phonemes is replaced by another phoneme within a word, creating a new word.
This includes replacing vowels, consonants, or both.
All-sound segment replacement is called suppletion.
Examples:
- sing → sang → sung
- drive → drove → driven
- mouse → mice
- buy → bought
- go → went
- good → better → best

Subtraction

In subtraction, affixation removes segments.
Example in Tohono O'odham:
- t∫upidʒ (to happen) → t∫upi (perfective form, indicating completion)
- popot (to drip) → popo (perfective form, indicating completion)

Suprafixation

Suprafixes are composed of suprasegmental elements like tone, stress, and nasalization.
English uses suprafixation through stress shift to derive nouns from verbs.
Examples:
- conVért (verb) → cónvert (noun)
- addréss (verb) → áddress (noun)

Reduplication

Reduplication involves repeating a part or whole of a word for grammatical or semantic changes.
Full reduplication: rumah-rumah (houses), anak-anak (children)
Rhyming reduplication: hocus-pocus, nitty-gritty, super-duper
Partial reduplication (in Sundanese): pisah → papisah (separate → separated)

Conclusion

Non-linear affixation involves complex processes that add depth to the morphological structures of languages.
Key types of non-linear affixation: infixation, internal modification, subtraction, reduplication, and suprafixation.

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Description

Explore the fascinating world of affixation in linguistics, with a focus on linear and nonlinear affixation mechanisms. This quiz examines the principles of infixation and internal modification, providing examples from various languages. Test your understanding of these morphological processes and their applications in real languages.