WORD FORMATION

LEXICAL CLASSES
Words are divided into two kinds of
lexical classes:
Function Words
Content Words

LEXICAL CLASSES
Function Words:
Conjunctions
Pronouns
Articles
Prepositions

They are Closed classes

They cannot be extended by regular wordformation patterns.

LEXICAL CLASSES
Content Words:
Nouns
Adjectives
Adverbs
Verbs
Content words are Open classes:
They can be extended by means of wordformation.

WORD RELATIONS
Words can be related to other words
For example: build" rebuild
build" builder"
The rules that relate such sets of words are
called
Word Formation Rules

WORD RELATIONS
Morphology contains:
fundamental elements morphemes
rules of combination word formation
rules

Morphemes
The MORPHEME is the smallest unit that relates
sound and meaning.
Morphologically complex words:
words which consist of more than one morpheme
unhappy: "happy" + "un-" (meaning "not")
happier : "happy" + "-er" (meaning "more")
unhappier: "happy" + "un-" (= not) + "-er" (=
more)

Morphemes
Relative position of the morphemes.
Here "un-" is a prefix (it attaches to the
beginning of the stem, "happy")
"-er" is a suffix (it attaches to the end of
"unhappy")

Morphemes
Thus, we know three things about every
morpheme:

its meaning ;

its form (the sounds that make it up);

its rule of combination

(before/after the stem)

Morphemes
Bound and Free Morphemes
In the word trees" there are two
morphemes:
tree" and "-s"
The morpheme tree" can be used by
itself, so it is called a FREE morpheme.
But the morpheme "s" cannot be used by
itself: "s" is called a BOUND morpheme.

Morphemes
Affixes
Morphemes added to free forms to make
other free forms are called affixes.
prefixes (at beginning) "un-" in
"unable"
suffixes (at end) "-ed" in "walked"

Inflectional morphology
Nouns: {-s} plural (the birds)
Noun phrases: {-s}
genitive/possessive (the birds song)
Adjectives/Adverbs:
{-er} comparative (faster)
{-est} superlative (fastest)

Inflectional morphology
Verbs:
{-s} 3rd person singular present tense
(plays)
{-ed} past tense (played)
{-ing} progressive/present participle
(playing)

Rules of Combination
Rules for Forming some English
Words
ADJECTIVES

VERBS

dark

darken

black

blacken

sharp

sharpen

weak

weaken

Rules of Combination
What generalization (rule) can we
make?
Form: "en
Combination: At the end of Adjectives
(suffix) to make Verbs
Meaning: "to make (more) Adjective"

Rules of Combination
VERB

NOUN

play

player

write

writer

use

user

compute

computer

Add "-er" to the end of Verbs to make

Nouns with the meaning "someone (or
something) that does something

Compounds

The combination of two free forms is called

a COMPOUND formed by Juxtaposition
blackboard
/\
adjective (black) + noun (board)
||
noun

Compounds

EXAMPLES:
moonlight
sunflower
homework
fireman
handbag
blackbird

Morphemes
Number of morphemes in the
following words:
1- successful =
success + ful
2- agreements =
agree + ment + s
3- uncomfortably =
un + comfort + able + ly
4- nicer =
nice + er

Morphemes
5- neighborhood =
neighbor + hood
6- friendship =
friend + ship
7- uselessness =
use + less + ness
8- computation=
compute + ation