Derivational vs. Inflectional Morphology

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the lecture, students will be able to: Distinguish between derivational and inflectional morphology. Distinguish between roots and bases. Identify the 8 cases of inflectional morphology. Analyze words into morphemes. Analyze sentences into morphemes.

Root, derivational, and inflectional morphemes P.4 Besides being bound or free, morphemes can also be classified as root, derivational, or inflectional. A root morpheme is the basic form to which other morphemes are attached. It provides the basic meaning of the word. The morpheme {saw} is the root of sawers. Derivational morphemes are added to forms to create separate words: {‑er} is a derivational suffix whose addition turns a verb into a noun, usually meaning the person or thing that performs the action denoted by the verb. For example, {paint}+{-er} creates painter, one of whose meanings is “someone who paints.” Inflectional morphemes do not create separate words. They merely modify the word in which they occur in order to indicate grammatical properties such as plurality, as the {-s} of magazines does, or past tense, as the {ed} of babecued does. English has eight inflectional morphemes, which we will describe below.

Morphemes Free (F) Bound (B)

Free morphemes Roots Bases

Pick out the stem(s) and root in each of the following words: morphemic wireless Landings Illness fearfulness

Bound morphemes: Affixes Prefix Suffix

Derivational vs inflectional morphology

Derivational Morphology Derivational morphemes are added to roots to create separate words: {‑er} is a derivational suffix whose addition turns a verb into a noun, usually meaning the person or thing that performs the action denoted by the verb. For example, {paint} (v.) +{-er} creates painter (n.), one of whose meanings is “someone who paints.” However, sometimes derivational morphology does NOT change the part of speech but it does change the meaning especially prefixes. e.g. happy (adj.) + un/ happy (adj.) but the meaning changes. react (verb) + overreact (verb)

EXERCISE: DETERMINING THE ‘MEANING’ OF DERIVATIONAL AFFIXES. Rule: Produce a formula like "noun +-ly ===> adjective" for each group of words. In other words, determine (i) what part of speech the root words were before the affix was added and (ii) what part of speech the words are after the affix has been added. 1. -ness: friendliness, happiness, restlessness, deviousness __________ + ness ====> __________ 2. -al: national, fictional, colonial, mortal,1 emotional __________ + -al ====> __________ 3. re-: reuse, rework, redo, reanalyze, replay re- + ____________ ====> __________ 4. mis-: misspell, misanalyze, mistrust, miscalculate mis- + ____________ ====> __________ 5. un-: untie, unroll, unwrap, undo, unlock un- + ____________ ====> __________ 6. un-: 2 unhappy, unresponsive, unlucky, ungrammatical

Roots vs. Bases The root of a word is the morpheme left over when all the derivational and inflectional morphemes have been removed. For example, in immovability, {im-}, {-abil}, and {-ity} are all derivational morphemes, and when we remove them we are left with {move}, which cannot be further divided into meaningful pieces, and so must be the word’s root. We must distinguish between a word’s root and the forms to which affixes are attached. In moveable, {-able} is attached to {move}, which we’ve determined is the word’s root. However, {im-} is attached to moveable, not to {move} (there is no word immove), but moveable is not a root. Expressions to which affixes are attached are called bases. While roots may be bases, bases are not always roots.

Can English words have more than one prefix? Give examples If we understand the term base, then YES and here are some examples: uncomplicated = un + com + plicated unintimidating = un + in + timidating reinvestigate = re + in + vestigate unsupported = un + sup + ported unimproved = un + im + proved unanticipated = un + anti + cipitated inconsequential = in + con + sequential irrespective = ir + re + spective unilluminated = un + il + luminated misappropriated = mis + ap + propriated reconstituted = re + con + stituted

Can English words have more than one suffix? Give examples You can add various derivational and inflectional suffixes on to most English words to create new longer words (or forms of words). But is there a definite or theoretical maximum that can be added in the case of English? If not is there rough upper limit in typical vocabulary? Trying to think of examples the best I can come up with is “egoistically” ego + ist + ic + al + ly

Inflectional Morphology Inflectional morphemes do not create separate words. They merely modify the word in which they occur in order to indicate grammatical properties such as plurality, as the {-s} of magazines does, or past tense, as the {ed} of babecued does. English has eight inflectional morphemes (the next slide will show all cases of inflectional morphology).

There are 8 cases of Inflectional morphology nouns: {-s} plural (the birds) noun phrases: {-s} genitive/possessive (the bird’s song) adjectives/adverbs: {-er} comparative (faster) {-est} superlative (fastest) verbs: {-s} 3rd person singular present tense (proves) {-ed} past tense (proved) {-ing} progressive/present participle (is proving) {-en} past participle (has proven)/(was proven)

Exercise 1: Identify the roots, prefixes, suffixes and state whether they are derivational or inflectional morphemes: prefixes roots suffixes words --- word -s kitchens --- --- --- Arizona --- --- --- faster --- --- --- reworking --- --- --- cucumbers --- --- --- Policeman --- --- ---

Exercise 2: Identify the roots, prefixes, suffixes and state whether they are derivational or inflectional morphemes: reconnections triliteral reformations bookkeepers informality reaction graphically

Exercise 3: A big Challenge Break up the following sentences into morphemes stating if they are Free or Bound/ / suffixes or prefixes and Derivational or Inflectional: Fred finds the old elevator unbearable. The manager listened impatiently as the clerk’s claims became increasingly incredible.