Episode 6 : Morphology - Inflectional v's derivational

Summary

This video explains the concepts of inflectional and derivational morphology. Inflectional morphology refers to grammatical changes, like adding 's' to make 'cats,' while derivational morphology involves altering a word’s class or meaning, such as turning the verb 'compete' into the noun 'competition.' The video explores examples of both types, clarifying how they affect word formation. It also covers how morphological changes can alter meaning, even when placed at the beginning or end of a word. The goal is to understand how these processes shape word classes, ultimately leading into a deeper exploration of nouns.

Takeaways

• 😀 Inflectional morphology refers to grammatical changes in a word, such as adding an 's' to 'cat' to indicate plural ('cats').
• 😀 Derivational morphology changes the meaning or word class, like turning 'compete' (verb) into 'competition' (noun) by adding 'tion'.
• 😀 Both inflectional and derivational morphology involve modifying words, but they serve different purposes—inflection for grammar, derivation for meaning and class.
• 😀 Derivational morphology can also involve adding prefixes, such as 'super-' to 'competitive', changing the meaning to 'super competitive'.
• 😀 Adding 'ing' to a word can be both a derivational change (turning a verb into a noun, like 'competing' as a gerund) and an inflectional change (indicating progressive tense).
• 😀 Inflectional changes are typically grammatical, while derivational changes impact the word's meaning or class.
• 😀 In the example 'jumped', the '-ed' suffix indicates past tense, which is an inflectional morphological change.
• 😀 In the word 'environmentalist', 'environment' becomes an adjective with '-al' and a noun with '-ist', both of which are derivational morphological changes.
• 😀 'Unbelievable' is derived from 'believe' with the prefix 'un-' to negate the meaning, which is a derivational morphological change.
• 😀 The possessive 's' in 'John's umbrella' is an inflectional change, indicating possession.
• 😀 The 'es' in 'goes' shows third-person singular agreement, which is an inflectional change for grammatical agreement in the sentence.

Q & A

What are the three key aspects to determine a word's class?

The three key aspects are semantics (what the word means), morphology (how the word changes), and syntax (how the word fits into a sentence).

What is the difference between inflectional and derivational morphology?

Inflectional morphology refers to grammatical changes in a word, such as adding 's' to form the plural, while derivational morphology involves changes that alter a word's class or meaning, such as turning a verb into a noun or adjective.

Can you give an example of inflectional morphology?

An example of inflectional morphology is the word 'cat' becoming 'cats' when we add 's' to indicate plurality. This change reflects a grammatical adjustment, not a change in the word's class.

What does derivational morphology do to a word?

Derivational morphology changes a word’s class or meaning, such as turning the verb 'compete' into the noun 'competition' or the adjective 'competitive'.

How does the addition of 'ation' to 'compete' change the word?

'Compete' becomes 'competition' after adding 'ation', changing it from a verb to a noun.

How does adding 'ly' to 'competitive' alter the word?

Adding 'ly' to 'competitive' turns it into the adverb 'competitively', changing the word’s class from an adjective to an adverb.

What is the effect of adding 'super' to 'competitive'?

Adding 'super' to 'competitive' intensifies the meaning, turning it into 'super competitive', which means exceptionally competitive. This is a derivational change affecting the meaning of the word.

What happens when we add 'ing' to the verb 'compete'?

Adding 'ing' to 'compete' can create either a gerund (noun form) or a present participle (progressive verb form), depending on the context. For example, 'competing' could act as a noun ('competing is serious') or as a verb ('she is competing tomorrow').

In the sentence 'I jumped into a puddle this morning', what type of morphological change is occurring?

The word 'jumped' is an example of inflectional morphology because the 'ed' ending indicates that the action happened in the past, which is a grammatical change.

What does the 'ist' suffix do to the word 'environmental'?

The 'ist' suffix turns the adjective 'environmental' into a noun, specifically referring to a person (an environmentalist). This is a derivational morphological change.