MORPHOLOGY

TOPIC LEARING
DIFFERENTIATE LINGUISTIC TERMS IN MORPHOLOGY
(FREE VS. BOUND, DERIVATIONAL VS. INFLECTIONAL, ETC.);
-
ANALYZE MORPHOLOGICALLY WORD STRUCTURES TO
IDENTIFY THOUGHTFUL UNITS OF THE LANGUAGE;
-
USE CONTEXT CLUES AND VOCABULARY BUILDING

OUTCOMES
TECHNIQUES TO IDENTIFY AND ANALYZE ENGLISH WORDS;
AND CREATE A TEACHING-LEARNING MATERIAL (I.E. STORY
BOOK DICTIONARY) FOR MORPHOLOGY STUDY.
 TOPIC 1
MORPHEMES & INFLECTION
MORPHEMES
The smallest grammatical component of words.
 EXAMPLES
One Morpheme: Desire
Two Morpheme: Desirable (desire+able)
Three Morpheme: Boyishness (boy+ish+ness)
Four Morpheme: Gentlemanliness (gentle+man+li+ness)
More than Four Morpheme: Ungentlemanliness (un+gentle+man+li+ness)
INFLECTION
It is the change in the form of a word to express its
relationship or its meaning.
EXAMPLE
A woman can repair things.
VS

Women can repair things.

“UNBELIEVABLE”
SUBTOPIC 1
FREE VS BOUND MORPHEMES
(Content Words vs. Affixes)
FREE MORPHEMES
Morphemes that can stand alone as words with meaning.
FREE MORPHEMES
CONTENT WORDS FUNCTION WORDS
Free morphemes that make These words consist of
up the main meaning of a articles, demonstratives,
sentence are content words. auxiliaries, quantifiers,
prepositions, pronouns, and
conjunctions.
FREE MORPHEMES
CONTENT WORDS FUNCTION WORDS
·girl ·the
·hat ·this
·walk ·will
·eat ·some
·quick ·under
·fun ·he
or
BOUND MORPHEMES
Bound morphemes cannot stand alone and must be
attached to free morphemes to convey meaning.
BOUND MORPHEMES
INFLECTIONAL MORPHEMES DERIVATIONAL MORPHEMES
This type of morpheme A morpheme is considered
modifies the grammatical derivational when it alters the
function of a word, affecting semantic meaning of a word.
aspects such as verb tense, PREFIXES SUFFIXES
number, mood, or other Attached to Attached to
language inflections. the beginning the end of a
word
BOUND MORPHEMES
INFLECTIONAL MORPHEMES DERIVATIONAL MORPHEMES
s (-es) Affixes
s’/’s PREFIXES SUFFIXES
-er/-est pre- -ize
-ed/ -ng/ -en un- -ine
non- -ary
anti- -ate
dis- -ion
TERMS TO
REMEMBER
Free Morphemes: Can stand alone with its meaning.
Content Words: Nouns, verbs, and adjectives that carry the
main meaning.
Function Words: Articles, demonstratives, auxiliaries,
quantifiers, prepositions, pronouns, and conjunctions.
Bound Morphemes: These must attach to free morphemes to
convey meaning.
Inflectional Morphemes: Modify grammatical functions
such as tense, number, or mood.
Derivational Morphemes: Change the semantic meaning or
part of speech of a word, including prefixes (at the
beginning) and suffixes (at the end).
SUBTOPIC 2
INFLECTIONAL VS.
DERIVATIONAL MORPHEMES
INFLECTIONAL MORPHEME

An inflectional morpheme is
added to a noun, verb, adjective
or adverb to assign a particular
grammatical property to that
word such as: tense, number,
possession, or comparison.
 INFLECTIONAL MORPHEME

*-s (plural) as in cats (plural of cats).

*-ed (past tense) as in walked (past tense of walk).
*-ing (present participle) as in walking (present participle of walk).
*-er (comparative) as in taller (comparative of tall).
* -s (plural) as in cats (plural of cat).
* -est (superlative) as in tallest (superlative of tall).
DERIVATIONAL MORPHEMES

Derivational morphemes tend to

change the grammatical
category of a word but not
always!
DETERMINING
Derivational vs. Inflectional
MORPHEMES
 DETERMINING
Derivationall
MORPHEMES
If it changes the part of speech, it must be derivational.
If it is at the beginning of a word, it must be derivational
(Inflectional vs. Derivational Morphemes Handout Ling 201)
If it is followed by one of the inflectional morphemes listed
above, it must be derivational.
- This is related to productivity: if it is adding a grammatical property, it is productive. Determining Derivational vs. Inflectional Morphemes
 DETERMINING
Inflectional
MORPHEMES
If there is an inflectional morpheme, then every other morpheme
must be derivational (since only one inflectional morpheme is
allowed per word). Inflectional
If it adds a particular grammatical property like tense, number,
possession, or comparison, it must be inflectional
SUBTOPIC 3
LEXICAL AND GRAMMATICAL
MORPHEMES
LEXICAL
MORPHEMES
Independent dictionary meaning of their own.
LEXICAL
MORPHEMES
EXAMPLES:
Nouns: pen, man, mango
Adjectives: kind, beautiful
Main Verb: go, read, cheat
Adverbs: happily, homely
LEXICAL
MORPHEMES
In sentence:
Lexical Morphemes: "The cat sleeps." ("cat" and
"sleeps" are lexical morphemes)
GRAMMATICAL
MORPHEMES
-Refers to words such as a/an, the, some, that,
on, in, at, or, but, etc. Which do not have an
independent meaning of their own.
GRAMMATICAL
MORPHEMES
EXAMPLES:
Auxiliary Verb: is, can, may
Determiners: a, the, much, little
Prepositions: to, on, into, up, by
GRAMMATICAL
MORPHEMES
In sentence:
Grammatical Morphemes: "The cats are sleeping." ("-s"
in "cats" indicates plural, and "-ing" in "sleeping"
indicates ongoing action)
 TOPIC 2
WORD FORMATION PROCESS
 WORD FORMATION PROCESS

It is also called the morphological process, which is

a means by which new words are produced either
by modification of existing words or by complete
innovation, which in turn become part of the
language.
 DERIVATION

It is one of the significant word-formation on

process that attach derivation affixes to the main
form to create a new word
Example:

Base Form New Word

Appear Disappear
 BACK FORMATION

A word formation process that eliminates the

actual derivational affix from the main form to
create a new word.
Example:

Base Form Back Formation

Donation Donate
 CONVERSION

A word formation process in which a grammatical

form converts into another grammatical form
without changing any spelling or pronunciation.
Example:

Noun Verb

Ink Ink
-a colored liquid that we use for -to write your signature or to sign a
writing, printing, and drawing. paper.
 COMPOUNDING

Allows words to combine to make a new word.

Example:

Word Compounding Word

Class+Room Classroom
 CLIPPING

Reduces or shortens a word without changing the exact meaning.

·Back clipping- remove at the end part of a word
·Fore Clipping- remove at the beginning of a word
·Middle Clipping- reserve the middle position
·Complex Clipping- removes multiple pieces from multiple words
 CLIPPING

Words Clippings

Photograph Photo

Telephone Phone

Influenza Flue

Cable Telegram Cablegram

 BLENDING

The parts of two or more words combine to form a new word.

Example:

Word Blending

Breakfast+Lunch Brunch
 ABBREVIATION

A method used to shorten a word or phrase.

Example:

Word Abbreviation

Doctor Dr.
 ACRONYM

A word formation process in which an

initialism is pronounced as a word.
Example:

Acronym Word/Meaning

National Aeronautics
NASA and Space
Administration
 BORROWING

A word from one language is borrowed

directly into another language.
Example:

Words Borrowed From

Algebra Arabic

Pizza Italian
SUBTOPIC 4
PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND
ROOT WORDS
 INTERESTING FACT
Affixes such as prefixes and suffixes can entirely alter a root
word and form new words—they can even transform a word
you can “identify” and make them UNIDENTIFIABLE!
WHAT IS A
ROOT WORD?
Root words/Base words are small
parts of a word that provide the
central meaning of a word and can
be used to form new words by adding
affixes(prefixes, suffixes, etc.).
WHAT ARE
AFFIXES?
Affixes are part of a word with its
own meaning.
WHAT ARE
THE FOUR
TYPES OF
AFFIXES?
 WHAT ARE THE FOUR TYPES OF AFFIXES?

CIR
CU
MF
EFIXES ES
PR
FFIX INFIXES

IXE
SU

S
 Are letters or word parts that are

REFIXES attached at the end of certain (root)

P
words to enhance or alter its
meaning.
 Are letters or word parts that are
ES
FIX attached at the end of certain (root)
F
SU
words to change their meaning.
 A special type of affixes that comes
INFIXES
in the middle of a word.
CIR
CU

A pair of prefixes and suffixes that is

MF

always used together and

IXE

circumfixes are very rare in English.

S
 EXAMPLES

Prefix Root/Base Words Suffix

Dis- advantage -ous

In- sight -ful

Co- operate -s

Retro- active -ly

Re- absorb -ed

WHY DO WE USE AFFIXES?

English Grammar
Simplifying Communication
 KEY TERMS
Root Words/Base Words are the central meaning of a word and
can stand alone.
Affixes are atype of morpheme specifically, bound morphemes, a
part of a word with its own meaning.
Prefixes are added at the beginning of a root or base word.
Prefixes can sometimes change the root word’s meaning.
Suffixes are added at the end of a root or base word.
Suffixes are mainly used for grammar purposes.
Both prefixes and suffixes have their own meaning but can not
stand alone.
We use affixes for simplifying communication and for English
grammar.
SUBTOPIC 5
DECODABLE AND
SIGHT WORDS
 FUN FACT
Did you know that children can start recognizing some words by sight even
before they learn to fully decode them? This is because our brains are wired
to recognize patterns, making reading a mix of decoding and memory!
When children learn to read, they encounter two types of words: decodable
words and sight words. Understanding the difference between these two is
essential for helping kids develop strong reading skills.
 DECODABLE WORDS
Examples: "dog," "jump," "hat"
These words can be sounded out using basic phonics rules. For
instance, in "dog," each letter makes a predictable sound: /d/ for
"d," /o/ for "o," and /g/ for "g." By blending these sounds together,
a child can read the word.
 SIGHT WORDS
Examples: "the," "you," "have"
These words often have irregular spelling or sounds that don't
match typical phonetic patterns. For example, in the word "the,"
the "th" makes a unique sound, and the "e" is not pronounced as a
short vowel sound. Because of these irregularities, children need
to memorize sight words rather than decode them.
SUBTOPIC 6
CONTEXT CLUES AND
VOCABULARY
 CONTEXT CLUES

Context Clues are words or phrases that

help readers understand the meaning of
unfamiliar words.
ACCORDING TO THE VOCABULARY HANDBOOK (2021)

6 TYPES OF
CONTEXT CLUES
1. Definition are a type of context clue where the unknown word is directly defined within the
same sentence or paragraph.
Example: "The neophyte gardener, or beginner, struggled to plant the seedlings."
2. Synonyms are a type of context clue where the unknown word is replaced with a word that
has a similar meaning.
Example: "The intrepid explorer, or fearless adventurer, ventured into the uncharted wilderness."
3. Antonym are a type of context clue where the unknown word is contrasted with a word that
has the opposite meaning.
Example: "The timid rabbit, unlike the bold fox, preferred to hide in the bushes."
ACCORDING TO THE VOCABULARY HANDBOOK (2021)

6 TYPES OF
CONTEXT CLUES
4. Example are a type of context clue where examples are given to illustrate the meaning of the
unknown word.
Example: "The omnivorous animal, such as the bear, eats both plants and meat."
5. Appositive are a type of context clue where a word or phrase is placed next to another word to
define or explain it. This is often used to provide additional information about a noun.
Example: "The dog, a loyal companion, wagged its tail happily."
6. General clues are a type of context clue where the surrounding words or phrases provide a
general sense of the unknown word's meaning. This often involves understanding the overall topic
or theme of the text.
Example: "The astronomers studied the celestial bodies through their telescopes."
FOUR TYPES OF
VOCABULARY
 LISTENING VOCABULARY
Refers to the words that a person understands when they hear them spoken.
 Strategies for
improving listening
Factors that influence vocabulary:
Listen actively
listening vocabulary:
Take notes
Exposure to spoken
Practice listening
language
comprehension
Language proficiency
Key aspects of Read aloud
Context clues
Use a dictionary or
listening vocabulary: Background knowledge
thesaurus
Word recognition Practice with a language
partner
Word meaning
Word retrieval
SPEAKING VOCABULARY
Refers to the words that a person uses when they speak.
 Strategies for
improving speaking
Factors that influence vocabulary:
Read regularly
speaking vocabulary:
Write regularly
Vocabulary knowledge
Speak regularly
Grammar knowledge
Use a dictionary or
Fluency
Key aspects of thesaurus
Confidence
Record yourself speaking
speaking vocabulary: Practice
Practice with a language
Word choice partner
Word retrieval
Word fluency
Pronunciation
READING VOCABULARY
Refers to the words that a person understands when they read them.
 Strategies for
improving reading
Factors that influence vocabulary:
Read regularly
reading vocabulary:
Use a dictionary or
Vocabulary knowledge
thesaurus
Decoding skills
Read aloud
Fluency
Key aspects of Take notes
Comprehension skills
Discuss what you read
reading vocabulary: Background knowledge
Join a book club
Word recognition
Word meaning
Word retrieval
WRITING VOCABULARY
Rrefers to the words that a person uses when they write.
 Strategies for
improving writing
Factors that influence vocabulary:
Read regularly
writing vocabulary:
Write regularly
Vocabulary knowledge
Keep a vocabulary journal
Grammar knowledge
Use a dictionary or
Fluency
Key aspects of writing thesaurus
Style
Get feedback on your
vocabulary: Practice
writing
Word choice Join a writing group
Word retrieval
Word variety
Word precision
SUBTOPIC 7
SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS
 SYNONYM
The word derives from many different
dialects, the earliest being the Greek
sunonumon. Others include French
synonyme and Latin synonymum.
 SYNONYM
Here are some examples of synonyms used in sentences:
“The journey was long and tiring, but the trip was worth it in the end.”
“He was a brave soldier who faced danger with courage.”
“The house was large and spacious.”
“She was happy to see her friends, and she felt joyful to be with them.”
 ANTONYM
The etymology of “antonym” is traced back to
Greek roots “anti” + “onym”, but a modern
understanding of the term is drawn off of French
antonyme and German antonym, which are actually
older.
 ANTONYM
Here are some examples of antonyms used in sentences:
“She was happy to see her friends, but she felt sad when they left.”
“He was optimistic about the future, but his brother was pessimistic.”
“The old house was empty, but the new one was full of furniture.”
“He was generous with his time, but his neighbor was selfish.”
SUBTOPIC 8
MORPHOLOGY AND
SUPPORTING DETAILS
 MORPHOLOGY

The study of words and their various parts, as well as their structure,
connection to other words, and formation, is known as morphology. The
field of linguistics that studies the internal structure of complex words
known as forms. August Schleicher coined the term as the first use in
linguistics in 1859. It involves the study of the connections between
morphemes. The smallest grammatical unit in linguistics, the morpheme is
used as a standard analytical unit.
 MORPHOLOGY

Most approaches to morphology investigate the structure of words in

terms of morphemes, which are the smallest units in a language with some
independent meaning. Morphemes include roots that can exist as words by
themselves, but also categories such as affixes that can only appear as
part of a larger word
 MORPHOLOGY

Learning morphemes allows one to understand word meanings and

structures. Being knowledgeable in prefixes, suffixes, and basic words is
really beneficial. These frequently have a consistent meaning or purpose
and are often spelled the same way across words, even when the
pronunciation changes.
 2 TYPES OF MORPHEMES

FREE MORPHEME BOUND MORPHEME

It can stand alone as its Only occurs as part of a
own word. word, these must attach
to other morphemes to
convey meaning.
SUBTOPIC 9
LEXICOGRAPHY - THE
DICTIONARY
LEXICOGRAPHY
According to Laura Payne
Lexicography, the compiling,
editing, or writing of a dictionary. It
is distinct from lexicology, the
study of the words in a given
language, including their origins,
evolution, meanings, usage, and
contexts.
TYPES OF
DICTIONARIES
The different types of dictionaries
are vast and varied.

etymological medicine
pronunciation religion
vocabulary literature
biology economics
psychology fine arts.
law
LEXICOGRAPHY IN
THE DIGITAL AGE
The shift to digital dictionaries has added a new
dimension to the way lexicographers write
definitions and structure digital dictionary entries.
web analytics
digital dictionaries
hyperlinks
THANK YOU!