MORPHOLOGY
Morpheme:
A morpheme is the smallest identifiable grammatical unit. Phoneme denotes the unit of a
sound in a word and the morpheme denotes the unit of its structure. The word ‘unpredictable’
is a combination of three smaller pieces ‘un, predict, able’. Each of these three is a
morpheme of English which cannot be broken down any further in grammatical term and all
of them are minimal units. All these morphemes are used to build other English words.
Free morpheme: It is called free because it can stand alone. In the word ‘unhappy’ ‘happy’ is
a free morpheme. It is also called lexical morpheme because it has got a dictionary meaning,
it has a content and we can give a definition for it. But the word ‘Un’ can’t stand alone and
so we call it as bound morphemes. It is also called grammatical morphemes, because it
performs a grammatical function.
Allomorphs:
They are a set of forms that a morpheme may take. They are the variants of a morpheme.
Allomorphs are concerned with the sound of words without changing the meaning.
Affixes:
Morphemes such as –s, -ed, -Ing, un-, mis-, -hood, -ship etc. are called affixes. Here one or
more sounds occur as a bound form that are attached either to the beginning or to the end of
a base word. These forms like –s, or –ed, or un- are attached to a base word, which is called a
stem word. In the word unlikely, the affixes are un- and –ly, and the stem is like. In the word
knowing, the stem is know and the affix is –ing. The stem know cannot be split any further.
Such a stem which cannot be split any further is called a root. To a stem, affixes can be
attached and thereby producing a derivative word or an inflectional form.
Suffixes and Prefixes:
An affix is added to a root word or a stem and it is of two types. They are suffixes and
prefixes. Affixes which are attached at the beginning of the stem are called prefixes.
Examples:
In- inequal
Re- resurrect
De- degrade
Im- impassable
The affixes which are attached at the end of the stem are called suffixes
Examples:
ship (friendship)
Morpheme:
A morpheme is the smallest identifiable grammatical unit. Phoneme denotes the unit of a
sound in a word and the morpheme denotes the unit of its structure. The word ‘unpredictable’
is a combination of three smaller pieces ‘un, predict, able’. Each of these three is a
morpheme of English which cannot be broken down any further in grammatical term and all
of them are minimal units. All these morphemes are used to build other English words.
Free morpheme: It is called free because it can stand alone. In the word ‘unhappy’ ‘happy’ is
a free morpheme. It is also called lexical morpheme because it has got a dictionary meaning,
it has a content and we can give a definition for it. But the word ‘Un’ can’t stand alone and
so we call it as bound morphemes. It is also called grammatical morphemes, because it
performs a grammatical function.
Allomorphs:
They are a set of forms that a morpheme may take. They are the variants of a morpheme.
Allomorphs are concerned with the sound of words without changing the meaning.
Affixes:
Morphemes such as –s, -ed, -Ing, un-, mis-, -hood, -ship etc. are called affixes. Here one or
more sounds occur as a bound form that are attached either to the beginning or to the end of
a base word. These forms like –s, or –ed, or un- are attached to a base word, which is called a
stem word. In the word unlikely, the affixes are un- and –ly, and the stem is like. In the word
knowing, the stem is know and the affix is –ing. The stem know cannot be split any further.
Such a stem which cannot be split any further is called a root. To a stem, affixes can be
attached and thereby producing a derivative word or an inflectional form.
Suffixes and Prefixes:
An affix is added to a root word or a stem and it is of two types. They are suffixes and
prefixes. Affixes which are attached at the beginning of the stem are called prefixes.
Examples:
In- inequal
Re- resurrect
De- degrade
Im- impassable
The affixes which are attached at the end of the stem are called suffixes
Examples:
ship (friendship)
