[Introduction to Linguistics] Derivational and Inflectional Morphemes, and Morphological Changes

Summary

In this engaging lecture on morphology, the speaker explores derivational and inflectional morphemes, explaining how they alter word categories and meanings. Key concepts such as internal change, suppletion, reduplication, and stress are illustrated with examples. Derivational morphemes transform verbs into nouns and adjectives, while inflectional morphemes denote grammatical features like tense and plurality. The speaker highlights the intricacies of English morphology, emphasizing its irregularities and complexities, ultimately encouraging learners to appreciate the diverse processes involved in word formation.

Takeaways

• 😀 Derivational morphemes change a word's category or meaning, such as turning 'sing' (verb) into 'singer' (noun).
• 😀 The suffix '-ous' can transform nouns like 'poison' into adjectives like 'poisonous' and can also attach to some verbs.
• 😀 Inflectional morphemes indicate grammatical features; for example, 'read' (verb) becomes 'reads' (third person singular).
• 😀 The comparative form of an adjective is created with suffixes like '-er,' turning 'great' into 'greater.'
• 😀 Internal change is a morphological process where the structure of a word changes without adding a morpheme, as seen in 'sing' becoming 'sang.'
• 😀 Suppletion involves a complete change in a word's form, like 'go' changing to 'went,' with no similarity in spelling.
• 😀 Reduplication is a morphological process where parts of a word are repeated to convey new meanings, more common in languages like Marshallese.
• 😀 English often differentiates nouns and verbs through stress patterns, with nouns typically stressed on the first syllable and verbs on the second.
• 😀 Understanding these morphological processes helps with language acquisition and highlights the irregularities of English.
• 😀 The lecture previews the next topic on word creation, inviting audience engagement through comments and questions.

Q & A

What is a derivational morpheme and how does it function?

A derivational morpheme changes the category or meaning of a word. For example, adding the suffix '-er' to the verb 'sing' creates the noun 'singer', changing the word from a verb to a noun.

What is the role of the suffix '-ous' in the word 'poisonous'?

The suffix '-ous' attaches to the noun 'poison' to create the adjective 'poisonous'. It changes the word's category from a noun to an adjective.

How does the word 'greater' differ from 'great' in terms of morphology?

'Greater' is formed by adding the suffix '-er' to 'great', which makes it a comparative adjective. This shows grammatical agreement, not a change in meaning.

What is the difference between derivational and inflectional morphemes?

Derivational morphemes change the meaning or category of a word, while inflectional morphemes indicate grammatical features such as tense, number, or possession without changing the word's category.

Can you explain the concept of partial suppletion with an example?

Partial suppletion occurs when part of a word changes internally to reflect grammatical features. For example, in the past tense of 'sing', the vowel changes from 'i' to 'a' to form 'sang'. This is an internal change rather than adding a suffix.

What is complete suppletion, and can you provide an example?

Complete suppletion occurs when an entirely different word is used to express a grammatical feature. For instance, 'go' becomes 'went' in the past tense, where 'went' has no resemblance to 'go'.

How does reduplication work in English and in other languages?

In English, reduplication involves repeating a part of a word for emphasis, such as 'itsy bitsy' or 'teeny weeny'. In languages like Marshallese, reduplication can change a word's meaning, like 'kagar' (belt) becoming 'kagargear' (to wear a belt).

Why is the past tense of 'jump' formed with the suffix '-ed' and 'sing' with an internal change?

This reflects the historical development of English. Some verbs form their past tense with internal changes (like 'sing' becoming 'sang'), while others add a regular suffix '-ed' (like 'jump' becoming 'jumped').

How does stress affect the meaning of words like 'record' and 'project' in English?

In English, stress can change a word's meaning. For example, 'record' (noun) has stress on the first syllable, while 'record' (verb) has stress on the second syllable. A similar pattern is seen with 'project' (noun) and 'project' (verb).

What is the significance of stress patterns for second language learners of English?

Stress patterns can be challenging for second language learners because they influence word meaning. Misplacing stress can lead to confusion, such as saying 'project' (noun) with the wrong stress. Practice and exposure are key to mastering these patterns.