Word Formation Flashcards
Morphemes
What is morphology?
Morphology is the study of word construction and the parts of words, focusing on their structure and the relationships between words.
Define a morpheme.
A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit of language. For example, “unpresentable” has three morphemes: “un-“ (prefix), “present” (free morpheme), and “-able” (suffix).
What are the two main types of morphemes?
The two main types are free morphemes, which can stand alone (e.g., “book”), and bound morphemes, which must attach to a free morpheme (e.g., “-s” in “books”).
Differentiate between derivational and inflectional morphemes.
- Derivational morphemes create new words or change the word class (e.g., “teach” → “teacher”).
- Inflectional morphemes modify a word’s grammatical properties without changing its class (e.g., “walk” → “walked”).
What is affixation in word formation?
Affixation is forming new words by adding prefixes or suffixes to a base word. For example, “unreal” (prefix) and “teacher” (suffix).
What is compounding in word formation?
Compounding creates new words by combining two or more independent words, such as “textbook” (text + book).
What is backformation?
Backformation creates a new word by removing an affix or part of the root from an existing word, like “donate” from “donation.”
Explain reduplication with an example.
Reduplication forms words by repeating a whole or part of a word. Examples include “ding-dong” and “flip-flop.”
What is coinage in word formation?
Coinage is the invention of completely new terms, often from trade names, like “aspirin” or “Kleenex.”
What is the difference between simple and complex words?
Simple words have one morpheme, like “fire” or “pen.”
Complex words have multiple morphemes, like “bookishness” (book + ish + ness).
more notes
Morphology and Morphemes
- Morphology studies how words are formed and structured.
- Morpheme: The smallest unit in a word that carries meaning.
Example: In “unbreakable”, the morphemes are:
un- (prefix, meaning “not”)
break (free morpheme, can stand alone)
-able (suffix, means “can be”).
Free vs. Bound Morphemes
- Free Morphemes: Stand alone as words.
Example: “book”, “happy”. - Bound Morphemes: Need to attach to a free morpheme.
Example: “-s” (as in “books”) or “-ed” (as in “walked”).
Derivational vs. Inflectional Morphemes
Derivational Morphemes:
Create new words or change the word class (noun, verb, adjective).
Example:
Teach (verb) → Teacher (noun, suffix “-er”).
Happy (adjective) → Unhappy (adjective, prefix “un-“).
Inflectional Morphemes:
Add grammatical meaning without changing the word’s class.
Examples:
Plural “-s”: Cat → Cats (noun stays a noun).
Past tense “-ed”: Walk → Walked (verb stays a verb).
Comparison Example:
Derivational: “drive” (verb) → driver (noun).
Inflectional: “drive” → drives (still a verb).
Word Formation Processes
Affixation: Adding prefixes and suffixes.
Prefix Examples:
Dis- (negation): Dislike.
Un- (opposite): Unkind.
Suffix Examples:
-ness (forms a noun): Happiness.
-ly (forms an adverb): Slowly.
2. Compounding: Joining two words to form one.
Examples:
Laptop (lap + top).
Toothbrush (tooth + brush).
3. Backformation: Creating a new word by removing a part of an existing word.
Examples:
Editor → Edit.
Donation → Donate.
4. Reduplication: Repeating words or parts of words.
Total: “bye-bye”, “flip-flip”.
Partial: “zigzag”, “crisscross”.
5. Clipping: Shortening longer words.
Examples:
Laboratory → Lab.
Influenza → Flu.
6. Coinage: Inventing completely new words.
Examples:
Google (from a brand name).
Aspirin (from a product).
7. Borrowing: Taking words from other languages.
Examples:
Piano (Italian).
Tattoo (Tahitian).
8. Acronyms: Forming words from initials.
Examples:
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
RAM: Random Access Memory.
9. Blending: Combining parts of words.
Examples:
Brunch: Breakfast + Lunch.
Motel: Motor + Hotel.
10. Conversion: Changing a word’s function (e.g., noun to verb).
Examples:
Email (noun) → To email (verb).
Butter (noun) → To butter (verb).
Simple vs. Complex Words
Simple Words: Contain one morpheme.
Examples: Tree, House, Run.
Complex Words: Contain more than one morpheme.
Examples:
Undesirable: Un- + desire + -able.
Happiness: Happy + -ness.
