Morpheme | Types of Morphemes | Free Morphemes & Bound Morphemes

Summary

This lecture provides an in-depth explanation of morphemes, the smallest meaningful units in language. It covers the two main types: free morphemes, which can stand alone (e.g., 'kind'), and bound morphemes, which cannot stand alone (e.g., prefixes like 'un-' in 'unkind'). The lecture further divides free morphemes into lexical (meaningful words) and functional (words with grammatical roles), while bound morphemes are split into derivational (forming new words) and inflectional (indicating grammatical features like tense or plurality). The session aims to help linguistics students grasp these core language components.

Takeaways

• 📚 Morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit in a language and cannot be divided without changing its meaning.
• 🔤 Words like 'kind' are morphemes, and a word like 'unkindness' contains three morphemes: 'un', 'kind', and 'ness'.
• ✂️ Morphemes are divided into two main types: free morphemes and bound morphemes.
• 🏷️ Free morphemes can stand alone as words, while bound morphemes cannot stand independently and must attach to other morphemes.
• 🧩 Free morphemes are divided into lexical morphemes (open-class words like 'boy', 'house') and functional morphemes (words like 'and', 'but').
• 🌀 Bound morphemes include derivational morphemes (which create new words or change word classes) and inflectional morphemes (which indicate grammatical aspects like tense or number).
• 🔄 Derivational morphemes can be prefixes or suffixes, as in 'unhappy' (prefix 'un') or 'pollution' (suffix 'ion').
• 📊 Inflectional morphemes modify a word's grammatical function without creating new words (e.g., plural 's', past tense 'ed').
• 🔗 Prefixes like 'un-' change the meaning of base words, while suffixes like 'ness' or 'ion' can change word categories.
• ✅ Inflectional morphemes also include forms like comparatives ('-er') and superlatives ('-est') for adjectives.

Q & A

What is a morpheme?

A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit in a language that cannot be divided further without altering its meaning.

What are the two main types of morphemes?

The two main types of morphemes are free morphemes and bound morphemes.

What is a free morpheme?

A free morpheme is a type of morpheme that can stand alone as a single word, carrying meaning on its own.

How are free morphemes further divided?

Free morphemes are divided into lexical morphemes and functional morphemes.

What are lexical morphemes?

Lexical morphemes are content words with meaning, such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Examples include 'boy', 'house', and 'tiger'.

What are functional morphemes?

Functional morphemes are words that serve a grammatical purpose, such as conjunctions, prepositions, and articles. Examples include 'and', 'but', and 'on'.

What is a bound morpheme?

A bound morpheme cannot stand alone as a word. It must be attached to another form, such as a prefix or suffix, to convey meaning.

How are bound morphemes divided?

Bound morphemes are divided into derivational morphemes and inflectional morphemes.

What are derivational morphemes?

Derivational morphemes are used to create new words or change the grammatical category of a word. They include prefixes and suffixes, like 'un-' in 'unhappy' or '-ness' in 'kindness'.

What are inflectional morphemes?

Inflectional morphemes do not create new words but modify a word's grammatical properties, such as tense, number, or comparison. Examples include '-s' for plurals, '-ed' for past tense, and '-er' for comparative adjectives.