21. Word-structure. Types of morphemes.

Word is an autonomous unit of the language, minimum free form. It consists ofroot morphemes & affixes. Morpheme defined as the smallest indivisible two-facet language units. Like a word a morpheme is a two-facet language unit, an association of a certain meaning with a certain sound-pattern. Unlike a word a mor­pheme is not an autonomous unit and can occur in speech only as a con­stituent part of the word.

The term morpheme is derived from Greek morphe “form ”+ -eme. The Greek suffix –eme has been adopted by linguistic to denote the smallest unit or the minimum distinctive feature.

Morphemes are subdivided into root - morphemes and affixational morphemes. The root morpheme is the lexical center of the word. It is the semantic nucleus of a word with which no grammatical properties of the word are connected, Affixational morphemes include inflections and derivational affixes.

Morphemes which may occur in isolation and function as independent words are called free morphemes (pay, sum, form).

Morphemes which are not found in isolation are called bound morphemes (-er, un-, -less)

Inflection is an affix morpheme has grammatical meaning.

Derivational morpheme is responsible for word-formation.

22. Structural Types of Words. Morphemic structure vs Derivational structure.

According to the member and the type of morpheme that words possess we can define several structural types of the word. Only one morpheme – monomorphic, more – polymorphic. All the polymorphic are devided into derived and compound (wo stems) words. This compound words may be root (blackbird) or derivational (blue-eyed, pen-holder).

Morphemic analysis. The aim of it is to find out all the morphemes (especially derivational) which are in the language: 1) Immediate constituent; 2) Ultimate constituent. The procedre may take several stages: un (UC) – ubelievably – believably (IC) – believable (IC) – ly (UC) – able (UC) – believe (UC). Derivational analysis. The aim is to establish structural patterns of the words. The basic of this pattern is stem. Any word can be presented in any way. N – Noun, V – Verb... rewrite – Prf + V – Prf V; driver – V Sf – N; blackness – Adj Sf – N; to pocket – N+conversion – V; matchbox – N+N – N.

23. Affixation.

Affixation is the formation of new words by means of suffixes and prefixes to stems.

Affixes may be divided

1) according to the parts of speech.

N- -ment, -ness;

A- -full, -al, -less

V- - ate, -ise

D- -ly, -ward

2) according to their etymology

• Native: ish, hood, dom

• Borrowed: -tion,able, ious, ment.

3) productive or non-productive

productive suffixes:

Noun – er, ing, is, ist, ance

Adj – y, ish, ed, able, less

Adv – ly

Verb - ize, /ise, ate

Prefixies - un, die, re

4) semantic classification

Prefixes:

Negative: dis

Denoting repetition of the action: re

Denoting space & time relations: pre-, post-

Suffixes:

a) the agent of an action, e.g. -er, -ant (baker, dancer, defendant, etc.);

b) appurtenance, e.g. -an, -ian, -ese, etc. (Arabian, Elizabethan, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, etc.);

c) collectivity, e.g. -age, -dom, -ery (-ry), etc. (freightage, official­dom, peasantry, etc.);. .

d) diminutiveness, e.g. -ie, -let, -ling, etc. (birdie, girlie, cloudlet, squirellng, wolf ling, etc.).