1. We assess
ourself
what
we feel
can we do,
while
others
assess us
what
we have
done
(Henry Wadzworth)

2. INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS
SESSION 9: MORPHOLOGY
Edi Brata
http://e-learning.edibrata.com
Mathla’ul Anwar University

3. MICRO-LINGUISTICS
Semantics
Syntax and
Pragmatics
Morphology
and
Lexicology
Phonology
Phonetics

4. WHAT IS MORPHOLOGY?
o The study of words and the rules for
word formation in a language.
o Traditionally, the term morphology
refers to the study of “morphemes”.

5. WHAT IS MORPHEME?
cat cats
chair chairs
cook cooked

6. WHAT IS MORPHEME?
cat cat+s
chair chair+s
cook cook+ed
• Plurality indicated by adding +s to the singular noun.
• Past pasticiple indicated by adding +ed

7. WHAT IS MORPHEME?
cats
(cat+s)
cat s
Morphem Morphem

8. WHAT IS MORPHEME?
chairs
(chair+s)
chair s
Morphem Morphem

9. WHAT IS MORPHEME?
cooked
(cook+ed)
cook ed
Morphem Morphem

10. WHAT IS MORPHEME?
help help
helped help+ed
helps help+s
helping help+ing
unhelpful un+help+ful

11. SO, WHAT IS MORPHEME?
o A morpheme is a piece of phonological
information that has a conventionalized meaning
arbitrarily associated with it.
o The smallest part of a word that carries meaning.
o …the smallest part of a word with independent
meaning.

12. The The
Phoneme
smallest smallest
significant significant
Morpheme
unit of unit of
speech grammar

13. MORPHEME
• one morpheme: taste
• two morphemes: taste+ful
• three morphemes: dis+taste+ful
• four morphemes: dis+taste+ful+ly

14. ALLOMORPH
slammed /sˈlæmd
slipped /
stilted /sˈlɪpt/
/ˈstɪl.tɪd
/

15. ALLOMORPH
capable incapable
tolerant intolerant
complete incomplete

16. ALLOMORPH
legal illegal
mobile immobile
regular irregular
‘il-’, ‘im-’, ‘ir-’ can thus be called allomorphs

17. SO, WHAT IS ALLOMORPH?
• Morphemes which fulfill the same function
have slightly different forms.
• Alternative forms of a morpheme

18. MORPHEMES
FREE BOUND
DERIVATIONAL INFLECTIONAL

19. FREE AND BOUND MORPHEME
FREE MORPHEME:
• Morphemes that can occur as an independent
word.
• Free morphemes can occur on their own:
happy, change, select, green, house, …

20. FREE AND BOUND MORPHEME
BOUND MORPHEME:
• Morphemes that cannot stand alone, but must be
attached to other morphemes.
• Where they attach:
• Prefixation
• Suffixation
• What function they perform:
• Derivational
• Inflectional

21. o It changes the category and/or the type of meaning of
the word, so it is said to create a new word.
e.g. suffix –ment in government
o A derivational affix must combine with the base before
an inflectional affix.
e.g. neighbour (base) + hood (DA) + s (IA) = neighbourhoods
o The following combination is unacceptable:
neighbour (base) + s (IA) + hood (DA) = *neighbourshood

22. o It does not change either the grammatical category or the
type of meaning found in the word.
e.g. suffix –s in books
o An inflectional affix in more productive than a
derivational affix.
e.g. the inflectional suffix –s can combine with virtually any noun to
form a plural noun.
o On the other hand, the derivational suffix –ant can
combine only with Latinate bases.

23. Nouns
–s plural
–’s possessive
Verbs
–s third person singular present
–ed past tense
–en past participle
–ing progressive
Adjectives
–er comparative
–est superlative

24. 1) impossible 1) Derivational prefix
2) terrorized 2) Inflectional suffix
3) terrorize 3) Derivational suffix
4) desks 4) Inflectional suffix
5) dislike 5) Derivational prefix
6) humanity 6) Derivational suffix
7) fastest 7) Inflectional suffix

25. 8) premature 8) Derivational prefix
9) untie 9) Derivational prefix
10) darken 10) Derivational suffix
11) fallen 11) Inflectional suffix
12) oxen 12) Inflectional suffix
13) faster 13) Inflectional suffix
14) lecturer 14) Derivational suffix

26. Thank You
http://e-learning.edibrata.com
(Some materials of this slide presentation are directly adopted)