Group 10 Phonetics & Phonology - Derivation

Summary

This video explores the process of derivation in language, distinguishing it from inflection and discussing how new words are formed. The presenters explain the concepts of derivation versus inflection, the nature of derivation, and its different types, including lexical expansion and grammar-based derivation. They also delve into morphological symmetry, word formation, and how derivation impacts meaning. The video touches on productivity in language, highlighting how derivation can be both regular and unpredictable. Additionally, the presenters explore Susan Rhman’s Type-Based Derivational Morphology (TBDM), offering insights into how word formation follows flexible patterns rather than fixed rules.

Takeaways

• 😀 Derivation creates new words with new meanings, while inflection only changes a word's form for grammatical purposes without altering its core meaning.
• 😀 Inflection is regular and predictable, often following grammatical patterns like tense or plurality, whereas derivation is more variable and can change word classes.
• 😀 Derivation and inflection are traditionally seen as separate processes in theories like Lexicalism, with derivation occurring in the mental lexicon and inflection in syntax.
• 😀 While inflection doesn’t change the core meaning of a word, derivation adds new meanings and can change a word's part of speech, like turning a verb into a noun.
• 😀 Derivation can involve lexical selection, where affixes are chosen to combine with words, or morphological operations that change a word’s form, like reduplication or vowel changes.
• 😀 The concept of synthetic compounds, such as 'truck driving,' shows how derivation and compounding can overlap in word formation, sometimes blurring their boundaries.
• 😀 Some words exhibit 'zero morphology,' where no affix is visibly added, but the meaning still changes, demonstrating how form and meaning don’t always align.
• 😀 There are two types of derivation: lexical stock expansion (creative and free) and lexical derivation (grammar-based and regular).
• 😀 Type-Based Derivational Morphology (TBDM) suggests that word formation follows flexible, pattern-based rules rather than rigid, exceptionless rules.
• 😀 The theory of TBDM emphasizes that words are grouped into types based on shared features, and new words are created by matching these patterns, explaining both regular and irregular forms.

Q & A

What is the difference between derivation and inflection?

Inflection changes the form of a word for grammatical purposes, such as tense, number, or person, but does not change the core meaning. Derivation, on the other hand, creates new words with new meanings and often changes the word class, such as 'happy' to 'happiness' (adjective to noun) or 'drive' to 'driver' (verb to noun).

How do derivation and inflection interact in traditional theories?

In traditional theories like lexicalism, derivation and inflection are seen as separate processes. Derivation occurs in the lexicon (mental dictionary), while inflection takes place in syntax (sentence structure). Derivation can change the word class, while inflection cannot.

What are some key differences between derivation and inflection?

1. Derivation can change the word class, whereas inflection cannot. 2. Inflection tends to be regular and predictable, while derivation is more variable. 3. Inflection does not alter the core meaning, but derivation does. 4. Derivation can be stored in the dictionary, but inflection cannot.

What are the different types of derivation discussed in the transcript?

The two main types of derivation are: 1. Lexical stock expansion (creative word formation methods like backformation, clipping, blending, and acronyms). 2. Lexical derivation or grammar-based (regular, rule-based derivation like feature derivation, functional derivation, transposition, and expressive derivation).

What is meant by 'zero morphology' in word formation?

Zero morphology refers to cases where there is no visible change in a word, but its meaning still changes. For example, 'fish' as a noun and 'fish' as a verb, where the word itself remains the same, but its function shifts.

What is the significance of morphological symmetry?

Morphological symmetry refers to how form and meaning don't always align. In some languages, a single suffix can have multiple meanings (e.g., gender, case, or number in Russian), or one meaning can be expressed in various ways. This highlights the complexity of form-meaning relations in different languages.

What is the difference between productive and less productive derivational forms?

Productive derivational forms are used frequently in language, such as adding 'un-' to create negation (e.g., 'happy' to 'unhappy'). Less productive forms, like 'eon' or 'it', are harder to use and less common in everyday language.

What is 'type-based derivational morphology' (TBDM) and how does it work?

TBDM is an alternative approach to word formation that organizes words into types based on shared features (e.g., transitive verbs, adjectives with specific endings). These types are arranged hierarchically to explain both regular and irregular word formation patterns. This system accounts for exceptions and allows for the creation of new words by matching them to established patterns.

How does type-based derivational morphology explain word formation with the suffix 'able'?

In TBDM, the suffix 'able' is used to form adjectives from transitive verbs (e.g., 'understand' to 'understandable'). This process is productive in English, meaning it can be applied to many verbs to create adjectives, like 'predictable' and 'avoidable'. TBDM helps explain how both regular and irregular formations follow recognizable patterns.

What is the 'dual mechanism theory' in morphology?

The dual mechanism theory suggests that regular inflection forms are stored in the mind and generated automatically during speech, while irregular forms (such as 'fell' instead of 'goed') are stored in memory. This theory separates regular and irregular forms in terms of cognitive processing and storage.