English Morphosyntax PDF

English Morphosyntax What is Morphology? Morphology is a part of grammar that focuses on the structure of words. What is Grammar? Grammar is a set of rules we use to understand language. Instead of focusing on rules, we explore how language works practically. Grammar has two main parts: 1. Morphol...

English Morphosyntax What is Morphology? Morphology is a part of grammar that focuses on the structure of words. What is Grammar? Grammar is a set of rules we use to understand language. Instead of focusing on rules, we explore how language works practically. Grammar has two main parts: 1. Morphology: studying words. 2. Syntax: studying how sentences are formed. For example, the word morphology can be broken down into parts (morph-o-log-y), with each part contributing meaning. Example: The word unbelievable has four parts: Un-: a negative prefix (means "not"). Believe: the base word. -able: means "able to." What’s a Word? In morphology, a word is a single unit of language, used in writing or speaking. For instance: Friend and friends are two different words because they serve different purposes. Friend cannot be divided further, but friends adds an "s" to make it plural. Morphology divides "word" into two concepts: 1. Word: the smallest meaningful unit in language. 2. Lexeme: the dictionary form of a word (e.g., "run" is the lexeme, while "runs" or "running" are different forms of it). Examples of Word Parts Words can be divided into smaller parts called morphemes. Examples: Un-believ-able: ○ Un- (prefix: meaning "not") ○ Believe (base word) ○ -able (suffix: meaning "able to do"). Friend-s: ○ Friend (base word, meaning a person you know). ○ -s (suffix, meaning plural). What is a Morpheme? A morpheme is the smallest unit of language that has meaning. It can be: 1. Lexical: carries the main meaning (e.g., friend in friends). 2. Grammatical: shows relationships between words (e.g., -s in friends for plural). Key Points: Morphemes are abstract ideas that make up words.  They include roots (the core meaning) and affixes (prefixes and suffixes that change meaning or use). Example: In forgivable: ○ Forgiv- is the root (main meaning: to pardon). ○ -able is a suffix (meaning "able to"). Special Cases 1. Blended Words: ○ Example: Instagram (blend of "instant" + "photograph"). ○ The root is harder to identify. 2. Analyzing Words: ○ Unforgivable has three morphemes: ◆ Un- (prefix: "not"). ◆ Forgiv- (root: the main idea). ◆ -able (suffix: "able to"). ○ Unbelievable has three morphemes: ◆ Un- is a grammatical morpheme. Polymorphemic vs. Monomorphemic Words Polymorphemic Words: Have multiple morphemes (e.g., unbelievable). Monomorphemic Words: Have only one morpheme (e.g., friend). Polymorphemic words are often used creatively, like in advertisements. More Examples Friendlier: ○ -li (lexical morpheme: carries meaning). ○ -er (grammatical morpheme: shows comparison). Defriend: A word created with the rise of social media, meaning "to remove a friend." Types of Morphology Morphology studies how morphemes combine and fit into grammar. There are two types: 1. Inflectional Morphology ○ Focuses on grammatical changes, like making words plural or changing tenses. ○ Example: In the sentence "There are two friends", friend adapts to become friends to match the context. 2. Derivational Morphology ○ Focuses on creating new words or meanings. ○ Example: Words like Instagram (a blend of “instant” + “photograph”). ○ English also creates verbs from nouns, like: ◆ I WhatsApped you ◆ I bussed you Key Vocabulary Inflectional = Functional = Grammatical Derivational = Lexical What is Inflectional Morphology? What is Inflectional Morphology? Inflectional morphology deals with grammatical changes to fit words into sentences. Examples: -ing in clicking: shows present continuous tense. -s in girls: shows plural. -ed in tweeted: shows past tense. Grammatical inflections are not very common in English compared to Latin, where endings matter more. In English, word order plays a bigger role in sentence meaning. Focus on the Morpheme ’s The ’s is an inflectional morpheme used to indicate possession. Example: Lucy’s car is in the garden (Lucy owns the car). The ’s can also indicate: 1. Measurement (a day’s work = amount of work in a day). 2. Descriptions or origins. Derivational Morphology Derivational morphology studies how new words are formed by adding elements like prefixes and suffixes. Example: -ment in government – used to describe a system or group of people managing a community. Morphemes, Morphs, and Allomorphs 1. Morpheme: ○ Abstract idea, the smallest meaningful unit in a language. ○ Example: ◆ Houses = 2 morphemes: ◇ house (base meaning). ◇ -s (plural). 2. Morphs: ○ The concrete realization (physical form) of morphemes in speech or writing. ○ Example: ◆ In friends: ◇ 2 morphemes (friend + -s). ◇ 2 morphs: friend (word) and -s (plural ending). 3. Allomorphs: ○ Variations of a morpheme. Example: Irregular past tense forms like written are exceptions because -en is not a typical suffix. Focus on Irregular Verbs Irregular verbs can be grouped based on their inflection types: Examples: ○ Put – put – put → Zero morph (no change in form). ○ Swim – swam – swum → Vowel mutation. ○ Speak – spoke – spoken → Vowel mutation + irregular inflection.