Morphonology

Question 1

Morpheme

Answer 1

The smallest unit of meaning in a language. (Example: un-, break, -able are morphemes in the word unbreakable.)

Question 2

Free Morpheme

Answer 2

A morpheme that can stand alone as a word. (Example: cat, run, happy.)

Question 3

Bound Morpheme

Answer 3

A morpheme that cannot stand alone as a word and must be attached to another morpheme. (Example: pre-, -ing, -ed.)

Question 4

Affix

Answer 4

Affix: A bound morpheme that is attached to a root or stem. (Example: un- (prefix), -ing (suffix).)

Question 5

Prefix

Answer 5

An affix that is added to the beginning of a word. (Example: un- in unhappy.)

Question 6

Suffix

Answer 6

An affix that is added to the end of a word. (Example: -ness in happiness.)

Question 7

Inflectional Morpheme

Answer 7

A suffix that changes the grammatical function of a word without changing its core meaning. (Example: -s in cats indicates plural.)

Question 8

Derivational Morpheme

Answer 8

An affix that changes the meaning or word class of a word. (Example: -ness changes happy (adjective) to happiness (noun).)

Question 9

EXAMPLE word “unbreakable”

Answer 9

Morphology analyzes how the word “unbreakable” is formed by combining the morphemes “un-”, “break”, and “-able”.

Question 10

EFFECT on text (broad)

Answer 10

Impacts formality, precision, and complexity. Use of prefixes, suffixes, and compounding creates nuanced meanings.

Question 11

EFFECT function

Answer 11

Nominalization (turning verbs into nouns) can create a more formal and objective tone, suitable for academic writing. Active vs. passive voice choices (influenced by morphology) affect emphasis.

Question 12

EFFECT register

Answer 12

Technical or specialized vocabulary (often involving specific morphemes) signals a formal or expert register

Question 13

EFFECT audience

Answer 13

The level of morphological complexity must be appropriate for the target audience’s understanding.