FREE and BOUND MORPHEMES, AFFIXES - INTRODUCTION to LINGUISTICS

Summary

In this informative video on morphology, the speaker introduces morphemes as the smallest units of meaning in language. Through various examples, they explain free and bound morphemes, emphasizing their roles in word formation. The video also covers prefixes, suffixes, and infixes, illustrating how they can alter or maintain the lexical category of words. Practice exercises encourage viewers to identify morphemes in different words, while the speaker hints at upcoming discussions on derivational and inflectional morphemes. Overall, the video serves as an engaging introduction to the fundamental concepts of morphology.

Takeaways

• 😀 A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in a language.
• 📚 Examples of free morphemes include words like 'train' and 'fat,' which have standalone meanings.
• 🔍 Bound morphemes cannot stand alone and must be attached to free morphemes, such as 'er' in 'fatter' or 's' in 'cats.'
• 📏 Morphemes can be classified into two types: free morphemes (independent) and bound morphemes (dependent).
• ✏️ Affixes are bound morphemes that include prefixes, suffixes, and infixes, and they modify the meanings of free morphemes.
• 🌐 Infixes, although not common in English, exist in other languages like Tagalog and can change the tense of words.
• 🧩 A tree diagram can be used to visualize the structure of morphemes in words.
• 🚀 Affixes can change the lexical category of words, such as turning 'vivid' (adjective) into 'vividly' (adverb).
• 💡 Derivational morphemes create new words and may change a word's category, while inflectional morphemes modify a word without changing its category.
• ❓ The script invites viewers to engage by asking questions and checking out additional resources on the topic.

Q & A

What is a morpheme?

A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in a language.

Can you provide examples of free morphemes?

Examples of free morphemes include words like 'train' and 'fat', which can stand alone and have specific meanings.

What are bound morphemes, and can you give an example?

Bound morphemes cannot stand alone and must be attached to free morphemes. Examples include the suffix '-er' in 'fatter' and the plural suffix '-s' in 'trains'.

How many morphemes are in the word 'tempting'?

The word 'tempting' consists of two morphemes: 'tempt' (the root) and '-ing' (the progressive suffix).

What distinguishes free morphemes from bound morphemes?

Free morphemes can function as standalone words, while bound morphemes require attachment to a free morpheme to convey meaning.

What are affixes, and what types exist?

Affixes are morphemes that attach to words to modify their meaning. They include prefixes (e.g., 'un-' in 'unkind'), suffixes (e.g., '-ly' in 'vividly'), and infixes (inserted within a word, as seen in some languages like Tagalog).

How does the morpheme '-ed' function in the word 'blackened'?

In 'blackened', '-ed' indicates the past tense of the verb 'blacken', which is formed from the base adjective 'black' and the verb-forming suffix '-en'.

What is the difference between derivational and inflectional morphemes?

Derivational morphemes change the lexical category of a word (e.g., 'black' to 'blacken'), while inflectional morphemes modify a word's form without changing its category (e.g., 'cat' to 'cats').

What are tree structures used for in morphology?

Tree structures are used to visually represent how morphemes combine to form words, illustrating the relationships between different morphemes.

What will be covered in the next session of the video series?

The next session will discuss the differences between derivational and inflectional morphemes, along with how morphemes function in various languages.