CLASS TASK - ENG 211 - WEEK 4

  ๐Ÿ“ŒWEEK FOUR

 ๐Ÿ“– Reading

CHAPTER 2, Pages 14–26 of Understanding Morphology (Available on the Resources Page of The Word Lounge)

๐Ÿ“‘ Individual Task: Exploring Basic Concepts

As you read, identify and make a list of all morphological concepts you come across (e.g., affixes, allomorphs, morphemes, roots, etc.). For each concept:

  • Clearly define it in your own words.

  • Explain the types, where applicable.

  • Give one accurate example to illustrate it.

SUBMIT YOUR ANSWERS AS COMMENTS ON THIS POST.

๐Ÿ—“️ Presentations of assigned topics begin next week. Since no specific dates have been assigned to individuals, be always prepared.

Comments

  1. THE BASIC MORPHOLOGICAL CONCEPTS.

    1️⃣ Morpheme

    Definition:
    A morpheme is the smallest meaningful part of a word that cannot be divided any further without losing its meaning.

    Types:

    i. Free morpheme: Can stand alone as a complete word (book, happy).

    ii. Bound morpheme: Cannot stand alone; it must attach to another form (un-, -s, -ness).

    Example:
    In unhappiness → un- (prefix), happy (root), -ness (suffix) are three morphemes.


    2️⃣ Free Morpheme

    Definition:
    A free morpheme is a meaningful unit that can appear independently as a word.

    Example:
    Dog, run, and play are free morphemes because they can stand alone.

    3️⃣ Bound Morpheme

    Definition:
    A bound morpheme is a meaningful unit that cannot stand by itself and must attach to another form.

    Example:
    The -ed in walked shows past tense but cannot appear alone.

    4️⃣ Lexeme

    Definition:
    A lexeme is the abstract “dictionary form” of a word representing all its grammatical forms.

    Example:
    The lexeme WRITE includes write, writes, writing, and wrote.


    5️⃣ Word-form

    Definition:
    A word-form is a specific version of a lexeme that shows particular grammatical information such as tense, number, or person.

    Example:
    Writes is the third-person singular present word-form of the lexeme WRITE.


    6️⃣ Word-token

    Definition:
    A word-token is the actual occurrence of a word each time it appears in speech or writing.

    Example:
    In the sentence Books are books, the word books appears twice — two word-tokens, one word-form.

    7️⃣ Paradigm

    Definition:
    A paradigm is the full set of word-forms belonging to a single lexeme, showing all its grammatical variations.

    Example:
    The Greek noun filos (“friend”) has this paradigm:

    Singular: filos (nom.), filo (acc.), filu (gen.)

    Plural: fili (nom.), filus (acc.), filon (gen.)

    8️⃣ Word Family

    Definition:
    A word family is a group of related lexemes built from the same base or root through derivation.

    Example:
    Read, reader, reread, readable, and readability belong to one word family.

    9️⃣ Inflection

    Definition:
    Inflection changes the form of a word to show grammatical information such as tense, number, or case, but does not create a new word.

    Example:
    Cat → cats (plural) or talk → talked (past tense).


    ๐Ÿ”Ÿ Derivation

    Definition:
    Derivation is the process of creating a new word (new lexeme) by adding an affix to a base or root, often changing the word class or meaning.

    Example:
    Happy → unhappiness (adjective → noun, new meaning).

    (A). Affix

    Definition:
    An affix is a bound morpheme attached to a base or root to modify its meaning or function.

    Types:

    i. Prefix: before the base (un-happy)

    ii. Suffix: after the base (hope-ful)

    iii. Infix: inserted inside a word (rare in English; Tagalog sulat → sumulat)

    iv. Circumfix: placed around a base (German ge-liebt, “loved”)

    Example:
    Re- in rewrite means “again.”


    (B). Root

    Definition:
    The root is the core part of a word that carries its main meaning and cannot be broken down further.

    Example:
    In unfriendly, friend is the root.


    (C). Base / Stem

    Definition:
    A base is any form that an affix can attach to.
    A stem is a base that can take inflectional endings.

    Example:
    In readers, the base is read, the stem is reader, and the plural suffix -s is inflectional.


    (D). Allomorph

    Definition:
    Allomorphs are different spoken or written versions of the same morpheme that appear in different contexts.

    Example:
    The English plural -s has three allomorphs:
    /s/ as in cats, /z/ as in dogs, and /ษชz/ as in buses.

    (E). Monomorphemic vs. Polymorphemic Words

    Definition:

    Monomorphemic: Consist of one morpheme (no internal structure).

    Polymorphemic: Contain more than one morpheme.

    Example:
    Boy is monomorphemic; boys is polymorphemic (boy + -s).

    Contributed by: Bilal S. O.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oladimeji Favour IfeoluwaNovember 13, 2025 at 11:17 AM

    1. Morpheme
    Definition: The tiniest unit of language that carries meaning and can’t be split further.
    Types:
    - Free morpheme – can stand alone (e.g., _tree_, _fast_).
    - Bound morpheme – must attach to something else (e.g., _re‑_, _‑ed_, _‑ness_).
    Example: _unhelpful_ → un‑(bound), help (free), ‑ful(bound).

    2. Free Morpheme
    Definition: A morpheme that can appear as a word by itself.
    Example: _sun_, _run_, _blue_.

    3. Bound Morpheme
    Definition: A morpheme that never stands alone; it needs a host word.
    Example: The ‑ly in _quickly_ or pre‑ in _preview_.

    4. Lexeme
    Definition: The abstract dictionary entry that groups all related word forms under one heading.
    Example: LEXEME:
    _speak_ → includes _speak_, _speaks_, _spoke_, _spoken_, _speaking_.

    5. Word‑form
    Definition: A specific realization of a lexeme showing tense, number, etc.
    Example: _spoke_ is the past‑tense word‑form of speak

    6 Word‑token
    Definition: Each individual occurrence of a word in a text or speech.
    Example: In “I saw a cat6 and the cat ran,” cat appears twice → 2 word‑tokens.

    7. Paradigm
    Definition: The full set of word‑forms for a lexeme, showing all grammatical variations.
    Example: run → run, runs, ran, running.

    8. Word Family
    Definition: A group of lexemes derived from the same root.
    Example: _happy_, _happiness_, _unhappy_, _unhappiness_.

    9. Inflection
    Definition: A change that signals grammatical info (tense, number, case) without creating a new lexeme.
    Example: _dog → dogs_ (plural), _walk → walked_ (past).

    10. Derivation
    Definition: A change that builds a new lexeme by adding affixes, often shifting word class or meaning.
    Example: _teach → teacher_ (verb → noun).

    11. Affix
    Definition: A bound morpheme attached before or after a base.
    Types:
    - Prefix (_re‑_ in _rewrite_)
    - Suffix (_‑ness_ in _kindness_)
    - Infix (rare in English; e.g., Tagalog _sulatin_ → _sumulat_)
    - Circumfix (German _ge‑…‑t_ in _geliebt_).

    12. Root
    Definition: The core morpheme that holds the primary meaning, cannot be broken down.
    Example: In _disagreeable_, agree is the root.

    13. Base / Stem
    Definition: Base– any form that can take an affix. Stem – the base ready for inflectional endings.
    Example: _players_: play (base), player (stem), ‑s (inflection).

    14. Allomorph
    Definition: Variant shapes of the same morpheme conditioned by phonological context.
    Example: Plural ‑s: /s/ in _cats_, /z/ in _dogs_, /ษชz/ in _buses_.

    15. Monomorphemic vs. Polymorphemic
    Definition: Monomorphemic – one morpheme (e.g., _jump_).
    Polymorphemic – two or more morphemes (e.g., _jump‑ed_, _un‑break‑able_).

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    1. Good effort, Ifeoluwa. However, even when using Meta AI for assignments, you must remove all formatting giveaways such as underscores (italics) and asterisks (bold) before submission.

      Delete
  3. ADEBAYO KAYODE AYOMIDENovember 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM

    1. Morphemes
    • Definition: The smallest meaningful unit of language that cannot be divided further without losing or changing its meaning.
    • Example:
    o cats → cat (root morpheme) + -s (plural morpheme).
    • Types:
    o Free morphemes (can stand alone: book, run, happy)
    o Bound morphemes (must attach to others: -s, -ed, un-)


    2. Monomorphemic
    • Definition: A word consisting of only one morpheme.
    • Example: boy, run, chair, blue.


    3. Word-forms
    • Definition: The different inflected forms that a lexeme can take.
    • Example: go, goes, went, gone, going → all are word-forms of the lexeme GO.


    4. Lexemes
    • Definition: The abstract unit of meaning that represents all related word-forms of a word.
    • Example: RUN represents run, runs, ran, running.
    • It’s the entry you’d find in a dictionary.


    5. Word Token
    • Definition: The actual occurrence or instance of a word in speech or writing.
    • Example: In “The boy saw the boy,” there are 4 word tokens but only 3 word types (the, boy, saw).



    6. Paradigm
    • Definition: The complete set of inflected forms of a lexeme.
    • Example: For “walk” → walk, walks, walked, walking.



    7. Word Family
    • Definition: A group of words derived from the same root or base.
    • Example: Teach, teacher, teaching, re-teach, unteachable.


    8. Inflection
    • Definition: The process of adding grammatical information (such as tense, number, case) without changing the word’s core meaning or category.
    • Example: walk → walks → walked → walking.
    • Types:
    o Number: boy → boys
    o Tense: play → played
    o Case: he → him → his


    9. Derivation
    • Definition: The process of forming a new word by adding an affix that changes meaning or grammatical category.
    • Example: happy → unhappy; teach → teacher.


    10. Compounding
    • Definition: The process of combining two or more free morphemes (words) to create a new word.
    • Example: blackboard, toothpaste, bedroom.


    11. Affix
    • Definition: A bound morpheme attached to a base or root to modify its meaning.
    Types: Prefix, Suffix, Infix, Circumfix


    a. Suffix
    • Definition: An affix attached to the end of a word.
    • Example: teach → teacher; quick → quickly.


    b. Prefix
    • A prefix is an affix added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
    • Example: un- + happy → unhappy (meaning “not happy”).


    c. Infix
    • Definition: An affix inserted within a word.
    • Example: Rare in English, but seen in informal speech like un-freaking-believable.
    • Common in other languages, e.g. Tagalog: sulat (“write”) → sumulat (“wrote”).

    d. Circumfix
    • Definition: An affix that surrounds the root (one part before, one part after).
    • Example: In German: ge–spiel–t (“played”) from spielen (“to play”).


    12. Bases
    • Definition: The form to which an affix is attached; it can be a root or a stem.
    • Example: kindness → base is kind.
    • unkindness → base is unkind.


    13. Roots
    • Definition: The core morpheme that carries the primary meaning and cannot be broken down further.
    • Example: act in react, actor, action.


    14. Stem
    • Definition: The form of a word to which inflectional affixes are added.
    • Example: talked → stem is talk.
    • nationalization → stem is nationalize before adding -ation.


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  4. ADEBAYO KAYODE AYOMIDENovember 13, 2025 at 1:41 PM

    15. Bound Stem
    • Definition: A stem that cannot stand alone as a word.
    • Example: receive (root ceive cannot stand alone); conceive, deceive.


    16. Morphemes
    • (Same as #1) The smallest unit of meaning or grammatical function.
    • Example repeated: cats → cat + -s.


    17. Allomorphs
    • Definition: The different phonetic or spelling variants of a morpheme.
    • Example: Plural morpheme “-s” has these allomorphs:
    o /s/ in cats,
    o /z/ in dogs,
    o /ษชz/ in horses.


    18. Alternation
    • Definition: Morphological change within the root involving vowel or consonant change to indicate grammatical contrast.
    • Example: sing → sang → sung; goose → geese.


    19. Phonological Allomorphs
    • Definition: Allomorphs that vary due to phonological (sound) environment, not meaning.
    • Example: Past tense -ed → /t/ in walked, /d/ in played, /ษชd/ in wanted.


    20. Morphophonological Rule
    • Definition: Rules that describe how morphological processes interact with phonological changes.
    • Example: The plural /s/ becomes /ษชz/ after sibilant sounds (bus → buses).


    21. Suppletion
    • Definition: When an inflected form of a word is replaced by an entirely different root.
    • Example: go → went; good → better.


    22. Weak Suppletion
    • Definition: A mild form of suppletion where the word forms are somewhat related in sound or structure.
    • Example: teach → taught; bring → brought.


    23. Strong Suppletion
    • Definition: A complete replacement where the forms are unrelated.
    • Example: go → went; good → better.


    24. Morphological Conditioning
    • Definition: When the form of an allomorph depends on the morphological context (such as the presence of another morpheme).
    • Example: -en plural appears only in certain nouns: ox → oxen, not cat → caten.


    25. Lexical Conditioning
    • Definition: When the choice of allomorph depends on the specific lexeme or word involved, rather than phonological or grammatical rules.
    • Example: child → children; ox → oxen.
    (The plural form depends on the word itself, not sound patterns.)


    Contribute by:
    ADEBAYO KAYODE AYOMIDE

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. ๐Ÿ‘ Thumbs up for the effort, Kayode! Your neat outline and detailed examples are really impressive!

      Delete


  5. 1. Morphemes

    Definition:
    The smallest indivisible unit of meaning in a language.

    Types:

    Free morpheme: can stand alone (book)

    Bound morpheme: it can not stand alone must attach to others (-s, un-)


    Example:
    Unfaithful
    Un (bound), faith (Free), full (bound)

    2. Word Token

    Definition:
    Every individual occurrence of a word in a text.

    Example:
    The boy saw the boy.
    boy appears twice : word tokens.

    3. Lexeme

    Definition:
    The abstract vocabulary item that includes all its forms.

    Example:
    Lexeme: RUN
    runs, ran, running

    4. Word Form

    Definition:
    The physical or actual form a lexeme takes in context.

    Example:
    running is a word form of the lexeme RUN.

    5. Paradigm

    Definition:
    The complete set of forms a lexeme can take.

    Example:
    SIT
    Sit, sat, sitting

    6.Word Family

    Definition:
    A group of words related by a common root.

    Example:
    act, action, active, react

    7.Inflection

    Definition:
    Changing a word to express grammatical information without changing its word class.

    Example:
    walk → walked (past tense)

    8.Derivation

    Definition:
    Forming a new word by adding an affix; meaning or class changes.

    Example:
    happy → happiness

    9.Affix

    Definition:
    A bound morpheme added to a base or stem.

    Types:

    Prefix before the base.(Rewrite)

    Suffix after the base.(Kindness)

    Infix (rare in English)


    Example:
    un- in unfair

    10.Base

    Definition:
    Any form to which an affix is added.

    Example:
    kind + -ness → kindness
    (kind is the base)

    11. Stem

    Definition:
    The form of a word to which inflectional affixes attach.

    Example:
    work in working (inflected)

    12.Root

    Definition:
    The core of a word carrying the basic meaning; cannot be broken further.

    Example:
    agree in disagreements.

    13. Allomorph

    Definition:
    Different pronunciations or forms of the same morpheme.

    Example:
    Plural -s → /s/, /z/.

    14.Monomorphemic / Poly monorphemic.

    Definition:
    Morphemic ( consist of one morpheme).
    Polymorphic (contain more than one morpheme).

    15. Free morpheme

    Definition:
    A free morpheme is a morpheme that can stand alone as a complete word.

    Examples: book, run, girl.

    16. Bound morpheme.

    Definition: A bound morpheme cannot stand alone.It must be attached to a root to carry meaning.

    Examples: _ un, _ re.

    17. Suffix

    Definition:

    A suffix is an affix added after the base or root of a word to change its meaning or grammatical function.

    Types:

    Derivational suffix: Changes the word class or meaning.

    Inflectional suffix: Marks grammatical categories (tense, number, etc.).


    Example:

    quick → quickly (derivational suffix)

    18. Prefix

    Definition:

    A prefix is an affix added before the base or root of a word to modify its meaning.

    Types:

    Derivational prefix: Changes the meaning but usually not the word class.

    Example:

    kind → unkind

    19. Infix

    Definition:

    An infix is an affix inserted inside a root or base rather than before or after it.

    Types:

    Derivational infix (rare in English)

    Common in languages like Tagalog, Arabic, and Bantu languages


    Example (Tagalog):

    sulat (“write”) → sumulat (“wrote”)
    -um- is inserted inside the base.

    20.Circumfix

    Definition:

    A circumfix is an affix made of two parts—one added at the beginning and one at the end of a base simultaneously.

    Types:

    Derivational circumfix

    Inflectional circumfix (common in some languages)


    Example (German):

    lieb (“love”) → geliebt (“loved”)




    ReplyDelete
  6. 20.Circumfix

    Definition:

    A circumfix is an affix made of two parts—one added at the beginning and one at the end of a base simultaneously.

    Types:

    Derivational circumfix

    Inflectional circumfix (common in some languages)


    Example (German):

    lieb (“love”) → geliebt (“loved”)

    21.Bound Stem

    Definition:

    A bound stem is a stem that cannot stand alone as an independent word; it must combine with an affix.

    Example:

    receive, conceive, deceive → the stem -ceive cannot appear alone.

    22.Alternation

    Definition:

    Alternation refers to changes within a morpheme’s internal sound structure that signal grammatical or semantic differences.


    Example:

    sing → sang (vowel alternation)

    23.Phonological Allomorphs

    Definition:

    Allomorphs are different pronunciations or forms of the same morpheme caused by phonological (sound) environments.

    Example (plural -s):

    /s/ in cats

    /z/ in dogs

    /ษชz/ in buses
    All three are allomorphs of the plural morpheme.

    24.Morphological Rules

    Definition:

    Morphological rules describe how morphemes combine to form words or change their grammatical forms.

    Types:

    Inflectional rules (add tense, number, etc.)

    Derivational rules (form new words)


    Example:

    Rule: “Add -ed to a verb to show past tense”

    play → played

    25. Suppletion

    Definition:

    Suppletion occurs when two forms of the same lexeme are completely unrelated in shape but express grammatical contrast.

    Types:

    Strong suppletion (forms are totally unrelated)

    Weak suppletion (forms are partly related)


    Example (strong):

    go → went

    26. Weak Suppletion

    Definition:

    Weak suppletion happens when forms of a lexeme show some small similarity but are not purely regular.

    Example:

    teach → taught
    They differ, but retain some phonological relationship.

    27.Strong Suppletion

    Definition:

    Strong suppletion occurs when forms of a lexeme are completely different, with no phonological similarity.

    Example:

    good → better

    28. Lexical Conditions

    Definition:

    Lexical conditions are rules that apply only to specific words or lexical items, not to the entire language.

    Example:

    Only some verbs allow the irregular past form in English, e.g.:

    sing → sang,
    while others simply take -ed (talk → talked).
    The irregular pattern is lexically conditioned.



    CONTRIBUTE BY:
    ABDSALAM BALQEES ADEPEJU.

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    1. 28! You deserve a trophy for submitting the highest number of morphological terms. Well done, Balqees!

      Delete
  7. CONTRIBUTE BY:
    OYEDELE OYINDAMOLA OLUWASHIKEMI

    1. Morpheme
    Definition:
    The smallest meaningful unit in a language.

    Types:

    Free morpheme: Free morphemes are that can stand alone they are also called dependent morphemes.(Eg. kind, write).
    Bound morpheme: Bound morphemes are that cannot stand alone without been attached to the free morphemes and can also be called independent morphemes.(Eg. Comfortable, Agreement).
    Example:
    “Books” → "book" (free) , "books" (bound).

    2. Segmented
    Definition:
    Segmented means dividing words into individual morphemes.

    Example:

    “Unhappiness” → un + happy + ness.

    3. Metamorpheme
    Definition:
    Is not a standard term; it might refer to complex forms built from multiple morphemes.

    Example:

    “Antidisestablishmentarianism”.

    4. Word-Token
    Definition:
    Refer to each occurrence of a word in text/speech.

    Example:

    In “the cat sat on the mat,” “the” is a word-token appearing twice.

    5. Lexeme
    Definition:
    Refer to the base form of a word without inflection.

    Example:

    “Run” is a lexeme of “runs,” “ran,” “running”.

    6. Word-Form
    Definition:
    Is a specific form of a lexeme.

    Example:

    “Running” is a word-form of the lexeme “run”.

    7. Grammatical Meaning
    Definition:
    refer to meaning given by grammar (tense, number, case).

    Example:

    “Cats” implies plural via “-s”.

    8. Paradigm
    Definition:
    Refer to a set of related word forms.

    Example:

    go, goes, going, gone.

    9. Word Family
    Definition:
    They are words related by root.

    Example:

    teach, teacher, teaching.

    10. Derivation
    Definition:
    Means forming a new word by adding affixes.

    Example:

    “Happy” → “unhappy”.

    11. Inflection
    Definition:
    Means changing a word’s form to express grammar.

    Example:

    “Walk” → “walked”.

    12. Compounding
    Definition:
    Means joining two words to form one.

    Example:

    “Toothbrush” = tooth + brush.

    13. Affix
    Definition:
    A bound morpheme attached to a root.

    Types:

    Prefix, suffix, infix, circumfix.

    Example:

    “Un” in “undo”.

    14. Prefixes
    Definition:
    An affix at the beginning.

    Example:

    “Re” in “replay”.

    15. Suffixes
    Definition:
    Refer to an affix at the end.

    Example:

    “-ed” in “walked”.

    16. Infix
    Definition:
    An affix inserted inside a word.

    Example:

    Rare in English, e.g., “fan-bloody-tastic”.

    17. Circumfix
    Definition:
    Is an affix that surrounds the root.

    Example:

    Common in German: ge-lieb-t (loved).

    18. Root
    Definition:
    The core part of a word carrying main meaning.

    Example:

    “Run” in “runner”.

    19. Bound Stem
    Definition:
    Refer to a root that cannot stand alone.

    Example:

    “Ceive” in “receive” or “conceive”.

    20. Allomorph
    Definition:
    They are variants of a morpheme with the same meaning.

    Example:

    Plural “-s”, “-es”, “-en”.

    21. Phonological Allomorph
    Definition:
    Allomorphs are based on sound.

    Example:

    “Cats” (/s/), “dogs” (/z/), “horses” ( / ษชz / ).

    22. Complementary Distribution
    Definition:
    Allomorphs are word that can never appear in the same environment.

    Example:

    English plural allomorphs.

    23. Alternation
    Definition:
    Refer to internal changes in a word.

    Example:

    “Sing” → “sang” → “sung”.

    24.COMPOUND
    Definition:
    Refer to the result of compounding.

    Example:

    "notebook".

    25.BASE
    Definition:
    Refer to any form to which an affix is attached.

    Example:

    In unhappiness, the base of "un" is "happy", and the base of "ness" is "unhappy".

    26:Rule
    Definition:
    A rule in linguistics is a guideline that describes how sounds, words, or structures change or behave in a language.

    Types:

    Phonological rules (sound changes).
    Morphological rules (word formation).
    Syntactic rules (sentence formation).

    Example:

    Phonological rule:
    /n/ becomes [m] before a bilabial sound → "in" + "possible" "impossible".

    27. Surface Representation (SR)
    Definition:
    The surface representation is how a word is actually pronounced after rules apply.

    Example:

    UR: /kรฆt + s/
    SR: [kรฆts].



    ReplyDelete
  8. 28. Underlying Representation (UR)
    Definition:
    The underlying representation is the mental form of a word before any phonological rules apply.

    Types:

    Phonemic UR (they are based on phonemes).
    Morphemic UR (they are based on morphemes).

    Example:

    UR of “cats” = /kรฆt + s/.

    29. Suppletion
    Definition:
    Suppletion occurs when a word uses completely different forms that are not phonologically related.

    Types:

    Strong suppletion
    Weak suppletion

    29. Strong Suppletion
    Definition:
    Forms are totally unrelated and cannot be predicted.

    Example:

    "go" → "went".
    (no similarity in form).

    30. Weak Suppletion
    Definition:
    Forms are different but still show some small similarity.

    Example:

    "teach"→ "taught".
    (related but irregular).

    31. Conditioning
    Definition:
    Conditioning explains why a sound or form changes, based on the environment.

    Types:

    Phonological conditioning.
    Morphological conditioning.
    Lexical conditioning.

    32. Phonological Conditioning
    Definition:
    A change happens because of a sound environment.

    Example:

    Plural in English:
    after voiceless sounds → /s/ (cats)
    after voiced sounds → /z/ (dogs).

    33. Morphological Conditioning
    Definition:
    A change depends on the morpheme or grammatical structure.

    Example:
    Past tense of "keep" → "kept",
    but "sleep" → "slept"
    (tense morpheme causes change).

    34. Lexical Conditioning
    Definition:
    A change happens only in specific words; it must be memorized.

    Example:
    Plural of "child" → "children"
    Not predicted by sound rules—just a lexical item.

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  9. Ajemide Ashaolu VictoriaNovember 13, 2025 at 6:32 PM

    Basic Morphological concepts: definition and examples
    1. Morpheme: it is the smallest meaningful unit of a linguistic expression. It is a unit of language that cannot be furtherly broken. Example: Word: teacher
    a. teach → to instruct
    b. -er → the person who does the action
    teacher = a person who teaches
    2. Monomorphemic: this is a single word made up of single morpheme. Example: book, charisma, ec.
    Lives, lived, living are different concrete instantaneous of the same word "live"
    3. Lexeme: this is a dictionary word. It is a word that is not tied to any grammatical variation. (Like number, tense or case). Example:Lexeme: BEG Forms:beg, begs, begging, begged) All these are forms of the lexeme BEG
    4. Word-form: is a word that can be tied to any grammatical variation. Every word form belongs to one lexeme.
    5. Paradigm: the complete set of related word forms that belong to a single leexeme. Example: RUN>> run, running, runs
    6. Word family: words that share same root and similar meaning. Eg: Word Family for “HELP” help, helps, helping, helped, helper, helpful,helpless
    7. Morphological relationship: connection between words that are relayed in form and meaning, because they share a common root or morpheme.
    Kinds of Morphological relationship: a. Inflection: the relationship between word forms of a lexeme b. Derivation: the relationship between lexemes of a word family.

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    1. You have attempted the task, but the work is insufficient. Only seven morphological processes were highlighted; more examples are needed to fully demonstrate understanding of the topic.

      Delete
  10. 1. Segmented Morphemes:
    Morphemes that can be divided into smaller units, like "unhappiness" (un- + happy + -ness).

    2. Monomorphemic Word:
    A word consisting of a single morpheme, like "dog" or "run".

    3. Token
    An instance of a word or phrase, e.g., two instances of the word "the" in "the big the dog".

    4. Lexeme:
    An abstract unit of meaning, e.g., "run" is a lexeme with various forms like "runs", "running", "ran".

    5. Word Form:
    A specific form of a lexeme, e.g., "running" is a word form of the lexeme "run".

    6. Grammatical Meaning:
    Meaning conveyed through grammatical structure, like tense or plurality, e.g., "-s" in "cats" indicates plural.

    7. Paradigm:
    A set of word forms related by inflection, e.g., "go", "goes", "going", "went", "gone".

    8. Word Family:
    A group of words related by derivation, e.g., "happy", "happiness", "unhappy", "unhappiness".

    9. Inflection:
    Modification of a word to express grammatical function, e.g., "cat" -> "cats" (plural).

    10. Derivation:
    Process of forming new words by adding affixes, e.g., "happy" -> "happiness".

    11. Derivative:
    A word formed by derivation, e.g., "happiness" is a derivative of "happy".

    12. Compounding:
    Combining words to form new words, e.g., "blackboard", "toothbrush".

    13. Word Formation:
    Processes like derivation, compounding, and conversion that create new words.

    14. Affix:
    A morpheme attached to a base, like prefixes (un-) or suffixes (-ed).

    15. Suffixes:
    Affixes attached to the end, e.g., "-ly" in "quickly".

    16. Prefixes:
    Affixes attached to the beginning, e.g., "re-" in "rewrite".

    17. Base:
    The core part of a word, e.g., "happy" in "unhappiness".

    18. Stem:
    The part of a word to which affixes are attached, e.g., "run" in "running".

    19. Root:
    The core morpheme, often not a standalone word, e.g., "ceive" in "receive".

    20. Bound Stems:
    Stems that can't stand alone, e.g., "-mit" in "submit".

    21. Allomorphs:
    Variant forms of a morpheme, e.g., "-s" and "-z" in "cats" and "dogs".

    22. Complementary:
    Allomorphs that can't occur in the same environment, e.g., "-s" in "cats" vs. "-en" in "oxen".

    23. Morphonological Alternation:
    Changes in morpheme form due to phonological context, e.g., "knife" -> "knives".

    24. Suppletion:
    Using unrelated forms for grammatical variation, e.g., "go" -> "went".

    25. Suppletive:
    Forms involving suppletion, like "be" -> "am", "is", "are".

    26. Morphological Conditioning:
    Allomorph choice influenced by morphological context.

    27. Surface Representation:
    The actual form of a word, e.g., "cats".

    28. Underlying Representation:
    The abstract form, e.g., "cat + s".

    29. Phonological Allomorphs:
    Allomorphs determined by phonological context, e.g., "-s" in "cats" vs. "-z" in "dogs".

    Contribute by:
    Zainab Abdulrazaq

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    1. ๐Ÿ‘ Great job, Zainab! You outdid Balqees by one morphological term. That’s the spirit. Keep pushing yourself like this!

      Delete
  11. CONTRIBUTE BY:
    Akanbi Martha Oluwadamilare
    1. Morpheme
    The smallest unit of meaning in a word.
    Example: “book-s” has two morphemes: book (meaning) + -s (plural).
    2. Segmented
    Breaking a word into its meaningful parts (morphemes).
    Example: “unhappy” → un- + happy.
    3. Word Token
    A single appearance of a word in a text. If a word appears 5 times, it has 5 tokens.
    Example: In “I love school because school is fun,” school = 2 word tokens.
    4. Lexeme
    The basic dictionary form of a word.
    Example: “run,” “runs,” “ran,” “running” are all forms of one lexeme: RUN.
    5. Word Form
    The different shapes a lexeme takes.
    Example: “run,” “running,” “ran” are different word forms of RUN.
    6. Grammatical Meaning
    Meaning given by grammar, not by the root word.
    Example: “-ed” in “walked” shows past tense.
    7. Paradigm
    All the word forms of a lexeme arranged together.
    Example: RUN → run, runs, ran, running.
    8. Word Family
    Words formed from the same base or root.
    Example: act, action, active, actor, reaction.
    9. Derivative
    A new word formed by adding an affix to change meaning or word class.
    Example: happy → unhappiness.
    10. Inflection
    Changing a word’s form to show grammatical information (tense, number, etc.) without changing the word class.
    Example: boy → boys; talk → talked.
    11. Compounding
    Joining two independent words to form one new word.
    Example: sun + light = sunlight.
    12. Compound
    The actual word formed through compounding.
    Example: toothpaste, classroom, football.
    13. Word Formation
    The processes through which new words are created.
    Example: derivation, compounding, borrowing, blending.
    14. Affix
    A morpheme added to a base to create meaning.
    Types: prefix, suffix.
    Example: un-, -ment, -s.
    15. Suffix
    An affix added at the end of a word.
    Example: teach → teacher (-er).
    16. Prefix
    An affix added at the beginning of a word.
    Example: happy → unhappy.
    17. Base (or Root/Base Form)
    The core part of a word that carries the main meaning.
    Example: play in “playful,” “replay,” “plays.”
    18. Bound Stem
    A root that cannot stand alone as a word; it needs an affix.
    Example: “-ceive” in receive, deceive, perceive.
    19. Morphophonological
    How sounds change when morphemes combine.
    Example: plural “-s” sounding different in cats (/s/) and dogs (/z/).

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    1. ๐Ÿ‘ Well done attempting the task. Do remember to always insert proper spacing in your work; it greatly improves clarity and presentation.

      Delete
  12. 1. Morpheme


    The smallest part of a word that has meaning.

    There are two main types:

    1. Free morpheme – can stand alone

    Example: book



    2. Bound morpheme – cannot stand alone

    Example: -s in cats




    Example of a morpheme in a word

    cats → cat + -s



    2. Free Morpheme


    A morpheme that is a complete word by itself.

    Example

    house

    3. Bound Morpheme


    A morpheme that needs a base; cannot appear alone.

    Example

    -ed in played




    4. Allomorph

    Different forms of the same morpheme that express the same meaning.

    Example

    Plural:

    /s/ in cats

    /z/ in dogs

    /ษชz/ in buses





    5. Root

    The core meaning unit of a word that cannot be broken down further.

    Example

    unhappiness → root = happy


    6. Base


    Any form you can attach a morpheme to (root or bigger form).

    Example

    In unhappiness, the base for un- is happiness


    7. Stem


    The form to which inflectional morphemes attach.

    Example

    In cats, stem = cat



    8. Affix



    A bound morpheme added to a base.

    Types

    Prefix – before the base (e.g., un-)

    Suffix – after the base (e.g., -ness)

    Infix – inserted inside (found in languages like Tagalog)



    Example

    un- in unfair




    9. Inflection

    Changing a word to express grammar (tense, number, case), NOT to create a new word.

    Example

    walk → walked




    10. Inflectional Value

    The specific grammatical meaning added by inflection.

    Example

    Plural, past tense, 3rd person singular, etc.


    11. Derivation

    Using morphemes to create new words.

    Example

    teach → teacher




    12. Derivational Meaning

    The new meaning added by derivation.

    Example

    -er adds “person who does the action.”



    13. Word-Form


    One grammatical version of a word.

    Example

    RUN has: run, runs, ran, running.



    14. Lexeme


    The “dictionary word” behind all its forms.

    Example

    Lexeme WRITE → write, writes, wrote, writing.




    15. Paradigm

    All word-forms of a lexeme shown together.

    Example

    Walk > walk, walks, walked, walking.




    16. Morphophonological Alternation

    A sound change caused by morphology.

    Example

    electric - electricity (stress shift)




    17. Syncretism


    Different grammatical categories share the same form.

    Example

    Latin insulae = genitive singular AND nominative plural.




    18. Empty Morph


    A piece of form that adds no meaning.

    Example

    Found in some case forms in Lezgian language.




    19. Zero Morph / Zero Morpheme



    A meaningful morpheme with no sound.

    Example

    sheep-sheep (plural)




    20. Compound


    A word made by joining two lexemes.

    Example

    toothbrush




    21. Head of a Compound

    The part that determines the category of the compound.

    Example

    babysit → head is sit (so the whole word is a verb)




    22. Clitic

    A small word that attaches to a host word.

    Example

    English ’s in John’s book




    Contributed by:
    Bello Joseph

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