LT5903 Chap.4 Word Structure and Morphological Analysis
Word Structure and Morphological Analysis
Words have internal hierarchy
Morphology distinguishes open and closed categories, inflection from derivation, free roots from bound affixes and morphemes from their allomorphs. English plural and past-tense patterns show how phonological rules derive surface variants and why rule ordering matters.
Cross-linguistic processes include affixation, alternation, compounding, reduplication, metathesis, templatic and suprasegmental morphology. Word trees reveal selection restrictions and explain why one surface string can have more than one interpretation.
Segment forms by recurring meaning
A morpheme is a minimal pairing of form and function, not simply any syllable that can be cut from a word.
Compare several related forms and identify the smallest recurring contrast that carries a stable contribution. A root can stand alone in some languages but be bound in others; an affix is defined by its structural dependence, not by visual length. Avoid segmenting accidental sound overlap.
A proposed boundary becomes credible when the same pieces recur with comparable meanings or grammatical functions across the dataset.
Separate inflection from derivation
Inflection normally expresses grammatical information required by a syntactic context without creating a new lexeme or changing the basic category. Derivation more often changes meaning, category or lexical identity and may be less productive.
These are tendencies that must be applied through evidence. State the base category, affix contribution and output category. If multiple affixes occur, selection restrictions can determine order: an affix that selects verbs must attach when its sister is verbal, before a later operation changes the category.
Represent attachment as hierarchy
Linear order alone cannot show which morphemes combine first.
Build a tree from the root outward, label every intermediate category and verify that each affix receives an input it can select. Two readings of the same string may arise from different attachment orders. Paraphrase each reading and connect it to one tree. Brackets can provide a quick check, but the explanation should still identify the constituent formed at each step.
If a proposed tree creates an unattested intermediate word, reconsider the analysis.
Analyse allomorphy with two linked levels
Allomorphs realise the same morpheme in different phonological shapes. First establish shared meaning or grammatical function, then determine whether the distribution is phonologically predictable, lexically selected or irregular.
For a phonological analysis, choose an underlying form and apply a rule in the relevant environment. English plural and past-tense patterns demonstrate why voicing and sibilance matter.
Do not list variants as separate suffixes if a compact rule accounts for them, but do not force unrelated exceptional forms into an unsupported regular rule.
Describe diverse processes without an English template
Languages may express morphology through prefixes, suffixes, infixes, circumfixes, compounding, reduplication, internal alternation, metathesis, templates or suprasegmental changes.
Identify what material changes and what meaning accompanies that change. Full and partial reduplication must be distinguished by the copied domain. Templatic morphology requires attention to how consonantal and vocalic patterns interleave. A descriptive answer should fit the data presented rather than assuming that every grammatical contrast appears as a separable affix at a word edge.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Lexical categories
- 02
Inflection against derivation
- 03
Morphemes and allomorphs
- 04
Word-formation processes
- 05
Hierarchical word trees
Worked example · free
Choose an attachment order
- 2Label the root category.
- 2Apply the selecting prefix.
- 3Apply the category-changing suffix.
Key terms
- Inflection
- Formation of a grammatical variant of the same lexeme.
- Derivation
- Formation of a different lexeme, often with a category change.
- Allomorph
- One of several forms realising the same morpheme.
- Suppletion
- Allomorphy not derivable by a regular phonological rule.
- Reduplication
- Formation by copying all or part of a morpheme.
- Polysynthesis
- Formation of complex words from several stems and affixes.
Word Structure and Morphological Analysis FAQ
How can I distinguish inflection from derivation?
Check whether the operation creates a new lexeme and whether it changes lexical category. Inflection normally expresses grammatical information while keeping the lexeme and category; derivation creates a new lexical item and frequently changes category.
Why does rule ordering matter in allomorphy?
Applying devoicing before vowel insertion can create a different intermediate form from applying insertion first. List the underlying form, each rule and the resulting output on separate lines, then reject an order that produces the wrong surface form.
What does a morphological tree add?
A tree records which pieces combine first and the category produced at each stage. That hierarchy explains selection restrictions and ambiguity, whereas a hyphenated string only shows linear order and may hide two different derivations.
Exam move
Build trees from the root outward and annotate every intermediate category. For allomorphy, write derivations as ledgers with one rule per line and compare competing orders against the observed surface form. Check that every affix receives the category it selects and that each proposed morpheme recurs with stable meaning.
Redraw ambiguous words with one changed attachment and paraphrase the interpretation licensed by each hierarchy.
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