1. Word Classes and Affixes
MORPHOLOGY
Word Classes and Affixes
READ 7370: Linguistics for Educators
Dr. Melissa Comer

2. Main Divisions of Word Classes (Parts of Speech):
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs
Content Words
Function Words
Conjunctions
Prepositions
Articles
Pronouns

3. Morpheme: The minimal unit of meaning
Free morpheme: a single morpheme that constitutes a word and can stand alone. Bound morpheme: a morpheme that must be attached to another morpheme.

4. Example of Bound/Free Morphemes
Retroactive = retro + act + ive
Free morpheme = act
Bound morpheme = retro-, -ive

5. English Affixes (based on the position)
Prefix: An affix that occurs before a morpheme
Suffix: An affix that occurs after a morpheme

6. English Prefixes
Examples of Negative Prefixes: un- non- dis- a- Examples of size and degree prefixes: mini- sub- over- super-

7. English Suffixes
Class preserving suffixation: -er  lecturer -ian librarian -ist  scientist -let  piglet
Class changing suffixation:
Verb  Noun
perform performance
Adjective  Adverb
nice  nicely
Adjective  Noun
active  activity

8. Affixes (based on the function)
Inflections vs. Derivations

9. Definition
Derivational morpheme: deriving (creating) a new word with a new meaning.
Inflectional morpheme: changing the form of a word because of the rules of syntax.

10. English Inflectional Morphemes
Nouns
–s plural
–’s possessive
Verbs
–s third person singular present
–ed past tense
–en past participle
–ing progressive
Adjectives
–er comparative
–est superlative

11. Some examples of English Derivational Morpheme
-ic : Noun  Adj ; alcohol  alcoholic
-ance : Verb  Noun ; clear  clearance
-ly : Adj  Adv ; exact  exactly
-ity : Adj  Noun ; active  activity
-able : Verb  Adj ; read  readable
-ship : Noun  Noun ; friend  friendship
re : Verb  Verb ; cover  recover
in- : Adj  Adj ; definite  indefinite

12. Describe the italic affixes:
Derivational prefix
Inflectional suffix
Derivational suffix
impossible
terrorized
terrorize
desks
dislike
humanity
fastest

13. Describe the italic affixes:
premature
untie
darken
fallen
oxen
faster
lecturer
Derivational prefix
Derivational suffix
Inflectional suffix