UNIT V
Morph,
Morpheme, and Allomorph
A.
Definition
Morphology or morphemics
is a branch of linguistics dealing with the organization of phonemes into
meaningful groups called morphs. It also concerns with the organization of
these morphs into morphemes and the distribution of morphemes into words.
A morph is the smallest
meaningful part of a language.
A morpheme is a group of
morphs that are semantically the same meaning and in complementary distribution
of one member makes the distribution of the other members complete.
Allomorphs are sub-members
of the same morpheme. As an example, in English the third person singular
present-tense morpheme, {-Z3}, has three allomorphs:
- /-s/ example: Jane cooks /kuks/ well.
- /-z/ example: She plays /pleiz/ tennis regularly.
- /-iz/ example: She dances /da:nsiz/ skillfully.
B.
Classification of
Morphemes
a) Free morpheme is a morpheme that can
stand by itself.
Examples: house, have, good, fast, the, can, for,
etc.
b) Bound morphemes are of three types: (a) suffixes, (b) prefixes, and (c) bound
bases.
1)
Suffixes
Suffixes are either derivational or
inflectional.
Examples:
{-ly}, {-ness}, {-less}, {-eer} in slowly, happiness, homeless, and mountaineer.
{-Z1}, {-D1}, and {-ing1} in classes, walked, and drinking.
2)
Prefixes
Prefixes are always bound and they do not always change the
parts of speech of the stems.
Examples:
{en-}, {de-}, {dis-}, {in-} in endanger, decode, disagree, infinite.
3) Bound Bases
They are morphemes which serve as stems for derivational
forms, but they never appear as free morphemes.
Examples:
{-clude}, {-cieve}, {-sist} in include, receive, consist.
C.
Derivational Suffixes ><
Inflectional Suffixes
- Derivational suffixes may be final in the morpheme groups to which they belong, or they may be followed by other derivational suffixes or by inflectional suffixes.
Examples:
a.
Meaning {-ing2}: derivational suffix.
b.
Meaningful {-ful} : derivational suffix.
c.
Meanings {-Z1} : inflectional suffix.
- Inflectional suffixes are always final in the morpheme groups to which they belong.
Examples:
a.
She phoned me {-D1} : inflectional morpheme.
b.
Two books {-Z1} : inflectional
morpheme.
c.
I’m writing a book {-ing1}:
inflectional morpheme
- Derivational suffixes always change the parts of speech of the stem, while inflectional suffixes never do.
Examples:
a.
mean (verb) + {-ing2} (noun derivational
morpheme) -> meaning (noun).
b.
mean (verb) + {-ing1} (present participle
inflectional morpheme) -> meaning (verb).
c.
book (noun) + {-Z1} (plural inflectional
morpheme) -> books (noun).
D.
Derivational Suffixes
- Noun derivational suffixes.
Examples:
a. {-ee}: addressee, employee.
b. {-eer}: auctioneer,
mountaineer.
c. {-er}: baker, hunter.
d. {-ess}: hostess,
stewardess.
e. {-ist}: pianist, novelist.
- Adjective derivational suffixes.
Examples:
a. {-able}: eatable, reliable.
b. {-al}: brutal, cultural.
c. {-an}: Indonesian, Asian.
d. {-ed}: cultured, landed.
e. {-en}: golden, wooden.
- Verb derivational suffixes.
Examples:
a. {-en}: to darken, to
deepen.
b. {-fy}: to certify, to
signify.
c. {-ize}: Americanize,
macadamize.
- Adverb derivational suffixes.
Examples:
a. {-ly}: greatly, slowly.
b. {-wise}: lengthwise,
sidewise.
E. Examples of Morpheme Analysis
- Went = {go}(free morpheme) + {ed1}(inflection)
- Derivations = {de}(derivation) + {rive}(bound base) + {ation}(derivation) + {es1}(inflection)
- Beautifully = {beauty}(free base/morpheme) + {ful}(derivation) + {ly}(derivation), etc.
F. Kinds of Words Based on The Morphemes
Words are made up
of morphemes. Sometimes more than one words are combined to form another word.
Normally words can be classified into 4 types.
- A simple word is a word that consist of a single free base and a superfix with or without an inflection. A supefix is an allomorph which is composed of a stress phoneme, which seems to be auperposed on the segmental phoneme. Since an inflection is always final, a simple word consist of no or than two morphemes each.
Example : come, comes, came, longer,
longest, etc.
- A complex word is devided into two types :
I.
A complex
word with a bound stem, usually called a primary derivative. It consist of two
bound morphemes, one of which is a bound base and a superfix with or without an
inflection.
Example : disturb, disturbed, prepare,
prepares, etc.
II.
A complex
word with a free stem, usually called a secondary derivative. It consist of a
stem which is itself a word and a prefix or a derivational suffix and a
superfix with or without an inflection.
Example : undo, hopeful, lovely (with
a simple word as a stem); receiver, misconcieve, fissionable (with a complex
word as a stem)
- A compound word is a word that combines two or more simple or complex words and a superfix with or without an inflectiom. A compound word is different from a phrase, usually by certain characteristics such as stress, distribution or meaning. However, they are not clearly defined or distinguished.
Example : playboy, White House,
football, etc.
- A compound-complex word is a word that consist of a compound word as a stem and prefix or a derivational suffix and a superfix with or without an inflection. A compound-complex word is like a compound word. They differ in the processof combination. Look at the difference in the example : bottle + opener = bottle-opener ( a compound word) ; outland + er = outlander (a compound-complex word). Otehr example : footballer, old-maidish, side-winder, etc.
G. Morphophonemics
Morphophonemics is a branch of
linguistics dealing with various kinds of morphophonemic changes, when two or more morphemes
are combined into a single word.
Kinds of
Morphophonemic Changes
- Loss of phoneme
One or more phonemes that are present in the normal
allomorph may be missing in another allomorph.
Examples:
{in-} -> /i-/ in irregular, illegal.
{-Z2} -> /-0/ in students’, pianists’.
- Addition of phoneme
One phoneme which is not present in
the normal allomorph may be added to another allomorph.
Examples:
a.
The phoneme /-n-/ is added to
the normal form of {solemn} pronounced /solem/ in solemnize.
b.
The phoneme /-g-/ is added to
the normal form of {long} in {longer} and {longest}.
- Consonant change
A very common
type of consonant change is voicing, a voiceless consonant changes to a voiced
consonant.
Examples:
a.
The phoneme /-0/ is changed
into /-th-/ in {paths}
b.
The phoneme /-s-/ is changed to
/-z-/ in {resist}.
- Assimilation
A phonemic change which takes place when two morphemes
are combined results in neighbouring
phonemes becoming more like each other.
Examples:
a.
The negative prefix {in-}
becomes /im-/ in impossible, imbalance.
b.
The prefix {en-} becomes /em-/
in empower, embitter.
- Dissimilation
The dissimilation takes place when two morphemes are
combined results in neighbouring phonemes becoming less like each other.
Examples:
The negative prefix {in-} becomes
/ig-/ in ignoble, ignominious
- Synthesis
It is the fusion of two consonants
into a single new phoneme.
Examples:
a.
/-t-/ + /-y-/ becomes /-e/ in
nature
b.
/-s-/ + /-y-/ becomes /-s-/ in pressure
- Change of syllabic vowel or diphthong
It is the substitution of another
syllabic vowel or diphthong for the one which appears in the normal allomorph.
Examples:
a.
/-e-/ Ã /-ou-/ in swell becomes
swollen.
b.
/-iy-/ -> /-e-/
in please becomes pleasant.
8. Stress shift
It usually happens
when a certain affix is added to a word.
Examples:
a.
Syntax à Syntactic
b.
Linguist à Linguistic
- Gradation
When the process of derivation
involves a stress shift; it usually also involves certain types of vowel
change.
Examples:
a. Instrument à Instrumental
b. Refer à Reference
- Suppletion
It is the occurance of an allomorph
completely different in its phonemic structure from the normal form.
Examples:
a.
Ox + {-Z1} Ã Oxen
b.
Go + {-D1} Ã Went
This is all of paper about Morphosintax,you can click here!
