Morphology
The Study of Word Structure
Morphemes: The smallest meaning units

Each word consists of a series of 1 or more
meaning units (morphemes).
un-happy

cat-s
green-ish
book-store
Morphemes ≠ Syllables
- Syllables are units of meter (rhythm).
- Morphemes are meaning units.
walk-ed: 1 syllable, but 2 morphemes
harvest: 2 syllables, but 1 morpheme
Compare: bold-est
gopher
No ‘cats’ in catastrophe
Catastrophe





has 4 syllables
but only 1 meaning unit
(‘disaster’).
Not all catastrophes involve
cats.
Ancient Greek
καταστροφή (katastrophḗ), from
katá ‘against’ + strophḗ ‘turn’,
i.e. 2 morphemes.
English borrowed this word as
one unit, so only 1 morpheme.
Muses > music, museum

Muses:
9 goddesses of
inspiration for art,
science, and literature

Musaeum (or Mouseion)
at Alexandria (Classical
Greek Μουσεῖον τῆς
Ἀλεξανδρείας), 3rd c. BC
Productivity
Morphemes: Classification by form

Free morphemes:
Able to stand alone as a word.
happy, cat, green, book, store, gopher

Bound morphemes:
un-, re-s, -ish

Cannot stand alone as words.
[Prefixes]
[Suffixes]
Numbers show the order how the word is built:
un-generous-ly
2
1
3
Prefix-Base-Suffix
sheep-ish-ness
1
2
3
Base-Suffix-Suffix
re-en-act
3 2 1
Prefix-Prefix-Base
Exercise: Dividing words into morphemes

Divide the following words into morphemes. Be sure to
label the type of each morpheme and to use numbers to
show the order in which the word is built.
1. unreliable
2. underestimated
3. renewal
4. pitchers
5. pictures
1. un-rely-able
3 1 2
Prefix-Base-Suffix
3. re-new-al
2 1 3
Pre-B-Suf
2. under-estimat-ed
2
1
3
Prefix-Base-Suffix
4. pitch-er-s
1 2 3
B-Suf-Suf
5. picture-s
1
2
B-Suf
Allomorphs:
The different looks of a morpheme

In different words, a morpheme may appear in
somewhat different shapes (allomorphs).
sleep → sleep-y → sleep-i-ness
nation [`ne∫ən] → nation-al [`næ∫ənəl]
cat-s [s] ↔ dog-s [z]
child
↔
child-ren
[t∫aild] ↔
[t∫ıld]-ren
creed [krid] → cred-ible [`krεdıbəl] → cred-ibil-ity [krεdı`bılıti]
(Compare: Your teacher looks slightly different
each class, wearing different clothes, etc.)
Morphemes: Classification by Function
Morphology has 2 basic purposes:

Forming new words
▪ Derivational morphology
walk → walk-er

allow → allow-ance
Expressing grammatical functions
flame → en-flame
[past, plural, …]
▪ Inflectional morphology
walk → walk-ed
allow → allow-ed
flame → flame-s
Morphemes: Classification by Function



Base: Root morpheme that affixes are attached to.
Derivational affixes: Create a new & different word.
Inflectional affixes: Required grammatical markers.
Contrast:
friend → friend-ly
friend → friend-s
friendly is a different word from friend.
The concept ‘friend’ is the same both times.
↓
-ly is a derivational affix, but
-s is an inflectional affix.
The 8 Inflectional Affixes of English
Name
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Plural
Possessive
Form
-s
’s
Goes with
Examples
Nouns
Nouns
hat-s
Jack’s car’s fender
3rd person present -s
Past tense
-ed
“Past” participle
-en, -ed
“Present” participle -ing
Verbs
Verbs
Verbs
Verbs
He snore-s.
He snore-ed.
He has eat-en.
He is eat-ing.
Comparative
Superlative
Adjectives
Adjectives
He is tall-er.
He is the tall-est.
-er
-est
Exercise: Dividing words into morphemes

Divide the following words into morphemes. Be sure to
label the type of each morpheme and to use numbers to
show the order in which the word is built.
1. formalities
2. greediness
3. prepayment
4. prepaid
5. inventors
6. replacements
7. mistaken
8. hyperactive
9. disobeyed
10. minimalls
11. intermarry
12. harmony
13. impressionable
14. realization
15. impersonal
16. reruns
Learning goals for morphology

Morphemes and their allomorphs
(Skill: Divide words into morphemes)

Productivity

Types of morphemes by form
(free vs. bound; base, prefix, suffix, …)

Types of morphemes by function
(base, inflectional, derivational)
Sample exam questions 1

Explain the difference between morphemes and
syllables and give an example of a word where
the two do not match.

We defined morphemes as the smallest
meaningful units in language. Why do we need
to do this? Wouldn’t it be easier to just say that
words are the smallest meaning units?

What is the difference between a bound
morpheme and a free morpheme?
Sample exam questions 2

In class we saw the word re-re-redistricting in a
newspaper headline. Explain how this word can
be used to explain the notion of productivity in
language.

What is an inflectional morpheme? How does it
differ from a derivational morpheme?

Explain why we consider the plural –s and the
past tense marker –ed inflectional affixes and
not derivational affixes?