This paper deals with a fundamental branch of linguistic research. The term fundamental is justified insofar as the ability to analyse a continuous string of sounds into discrete units constitutes a central part of language comprehension. The analysis of morphological structures is situated right at the basic level of a language because it reveals deeper insight into how the smallest meaningful parts of a language are organized. A morphological description includes information about the internal structure of words, the rules that govern these structures and the relationship among words. Furthermore, the linguists′ interest in morphology is not just concerned with a mere description of that what already exists – it is also aimed to show in how far a language may be viewed as potentially creative with regard to the invention of new words on the basis of a given set of rules. This process is traditionally referred to as productivity and equated with “linguistic creativity” or “creativity in language”. The corresponding field of linguistic reserach deals with the study of words which goes beyond the limitations of dictionary entries. In this context words, phrases and texts must be seen as larger, complex or non-primitive units that are built up from morphemes in successive stages.
Table of Contents
1 MORPHOLOGY
1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.2 LANGUAGE STRUCTURE
1.2.1 Signs (Saussure)
1.3 PEIRCE
1.3.1 The mental dictionary
1.3.2 Function and content words
1.3.3 Morphemes
1.4 LEXICAL MORPHOLOGY
1.4.1 Derivation
1.4.2 Word-Coinage
1.4.3 Compounds and Phrases
1.4.4 Conversion (zero-derivation)
1.4.5 Blends (portmanteau words)
1.4.6 Acronyms
1.4.7 Back-formation
1.4.8 Clippings (abbreviations)
1.5 INFLECTIONAL (GRAMMATICAL) MORPHOLOGY
1.5.1 Inflection
1.5.2 Inflectional morphemes
1.5.3 meaning-based approaches (Bybee, Beard, Szymanek)
1.6 MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX
1.7 PRODUCTIVITY IN MORPHOLOGY
1.7.1 What is productivity?
1.7.2 How does it work?
1.7.3 Acceptance and Indicators of productivity
Objectives and Topics
This paper aims to provide a fundamental overview of morphology as a branch of linguistic research, focusing on the internal structure of words, the rules governing these structures, and the relationships among words. It explores how language is structured and how new words are created through morphological processes, while also examining the connection between morphology and syntax.
- Fundamental concepts of morphology and language structure.
- Theoretical perspectives from Saussure and Peirce on signs and semiology.
- Lexical morphology, including derivation, word-coinage, and blending.
- Inflectional morphology and the distinction between inflection and derivation.
- Morphology-syntax interface and the productivity of morphological processes.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 Introduction
This paper deals with a fundamental branch of linguistic research. The term fundamental is justified insofar as the ability to analyse a continuous string of sounds into discrete units constitutes a central part of language comprehension. The analysis of morphological structures is situated right at the basic level of a language because it reveals deeper insight into how the smallest meaningful parts of a language are organized. A morphological description includes information about the internal structure of words, the rules that govern these structures and the relationship among words. Furthermore, the linguists' interest in morphology is not just concerned with a mere description of that what already exists – it is also aimed to show in how far a language may be viewed as potentially creative with regard to the invention of new words on the basis of a given set of rules. This process is traditionally referred to as productivity and equated with “linguistic creativity” or “creativity in language”.
The corresponding field of linguistic reserach deals with the study of words which goes beyond the limitations of dictionary entries. In this context words, phrases and texts must be seen as larger, complex or non-primitive units that are built up from morphemes in successive stages.
Summary of Chapters
1 MORPHOLOGY: An introduction to the fundamental concepts of linguistic structure and the basic definition of morphology as the study of word formation.
1.1 INTRODUCTION: Sets the foundation for the paper by defining morphology as the study of internal word structures and linguistic productivity.
1.2 LANGUAGE STRUCTURE: Discusses the categorization of languages into isolating, inflecting, and agglutinative systems.
1.2.1 Signs (Saussure): Analyzes Saussure’s theories on the sign, distinguishing between signifier, signified, and the three levels of language (langage, langue, parole).
1.3 PEIRCE: Introduces Peirce’s semiotic triangle as a triadic alternative to Saussure’s binary model.
1.3.1 The mental dictionary: Defines the lexicon as the storage of word forms, meanings, and syntactic categories.
1.3.2 Function and content words: Explains the distinction between open-class content words and closed-class function words.
1.3.3 Morphemes: Details the elemental units of grammatical form and the conditioning of allomorphs.
1.4 LEXICAL MORPHOLOGY: Examines word-formation processes that systematically expand a language's vocabulary.
1.4.1 Derivation: Describes the attachment of morphemes to roots to change word meaning or category.
1.4.2 Word-Coinage: Explores the universal process of compounding to enlarge vocabulary.
1.4.3 Compounds and Phrases: Analyzes the conceptual and structural differences between compound words and syntactic phrases.
1.4.4 Conversion (zero-derivation): Explains shifting word class without morphological markers.
1.4.5 Blends (portmanteau words): Defines the creation of new words by combining overlapping parts of existing ones.
1.4.6 Acronyms: Outlines the derivation of words from initials of phrases.
1.4.7 Back-formation: Discusses the creation of shorter words based on incorrect or simplified morphemic analysis.
1.4.8 Clippings (abbreviations): Covers the shortening of long-form words to show familiarity.
1.5 INFLECTIONAL (GRAMMATICAL) MORPHOLOGY: Focuses on how grammatical markers signal syntactic relations without changing word class.
1.5.1 Inflection: Discusses inflectional rules and the word-paradigm model.
1.5.2 Inflectional morphemes: Lists and categorizes the eight bound inflectional morphemes in modern English.
1.5.3 meaning-based approaches (Bybee, Beard, Szymanek): Reviews alternative perspectives on how semantic elements drive morphological expression.
1.6 MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX: Investigates the complex overlap between word-level structures and sentence-level grammar, including bracketing paradoxes.
1.7 PRODUCTIVITY IN MORPHOLOGY: Examines how speakers create an uncountable number of new words using rule-based and analogical processes.
1.7.1 What is productivity?: Critically analyzes Schultink’s definition of morphological productivity.
1.7.2 How does it work?: Explains the role of influential words and semantic components in making new morphological combinations familiar.
1.7.3 Acceptance and Indicators of productivity: Addresses the difficulty of measuring productivity and the resistance to use for certain forms.
Keywords
Morphology, Word-formation, Lexemes, Morphemes, Semiology, Ferdinand de Saussure, Charles Sanders Peirce, Derivation, Inflection, Compounding, Productivity, Syntax, Semiotics, Mental Dictionary, Linguistic Creativity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
This paper focuses on morphology, specifically investigating the internal structure of words, the rules governing word-formation, and the relationship between different words and their constituent morphemes.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The core themes include language structure, the history of semiotic thought (Saussure and Peirce), lexical and inflectional morphology, the interface between morphology and syntax, and the concept of productivity in language.
What is the main objective of the research?
The objective is to explain how language operates as a system for both description and creation, revealing how words are built and how their structures relate to meaning and syntax.
Which scientific methods are employed in this analysis?
The paper employs a descriptive and theoretical linguistic approach, synthesizing models from structuralism, generative grammar, and meaning-based semantics to analyze how morphological systems function.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main sections cover Saussurean semiology, Peircean triadic relations, the mental lexicon, specific word-formation processes (derivation, compounding, blending), inflectional patterns, and the mechanisms of productivity.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Morphology, Semiology, Derivation, Inflection, Productivity, Lexeme, and Linguistic Creativity.
How does Saussure distinguish between langue and parole?
Saussure distinguishes 'langue' as the underlying system of rules and conventions independent of the user, while 'parole' refers to the individual speaker's specific and actual use of the language.
What does the "post-Morris syndrome" refer to in the context of semiotics?
It refers to an inconsistency in semiotic terminology, which Nadin describes as an "intellectual disaster" where varying definitions of the sign's components hinder the progress of applied semiotic research.
Why are synthetic compounds significant in the study of morphology?
Synthetic compounds are significant because they demonstrate a quasi-syntactic relationship within a single word, challenging the clear separation between morphological word-internal rules and syntactic sentence-level rules.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Hanno Frey (Autor:in), 2000, An overview paper about: Morphology (word-formation processes), München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/15411
