Introduction to Linguistics

Derivational Morphology

Inflection vs. Derivation



Inflection

linguistic means of

indicating grammatical

information



Derivation

linguistic means of

creating new lexical

elements in the

language

Inflection vs. Derivation

Consider the following groups of words. In which of

these do you observe the following:

-additional of grammatical information

-addition of lexical information

- change of meaning

-change of the lexical category

A

B

lady → ladies

lady →

ladylike

compute → computed

compute →

computer

wise → wiser

wise –>

wisely

dog → dogs

dog →

doggy

Inflectional morphemes vs. Derivational

morphemes

Inflectional morphemes



carry grammatical

information



do not create new

meaning when they attach

to a base



their attachment does not

result in creating a unit

that belongs to a category

different than the category

of the base



attach after the

derivational morphemes

Derivational morphemes



carry lexical information



create new meaning when

they attach to a base



their attachment may

result in creating a unit

that belongs to a category

different than the

category of the base



attach before inflectional

morphemes

Productivity and Blocking



Productivity

Probability of being a

word from speaker's

active vocabulary



Blocking

Non-occurrence of one

form due to simple

existence of another

Structure of complex words: roots, bases and

stems

Consider the word

INDECIPHERABILITY

Let's divide into moprhs.

Structure of complex words: roots, bases and

stems

IN – DE – CIPHER – ABIL – ITY

Which of these morphs carry the essential (basic)

meaning?

Structure of complex words: roots, bases and

stems



The morph that carries the basic meaning is



-CIPHER-



As far as the structure of complex words is

concerned, we will call such morphs the ROOTS



In INDECIPHERABILITY the morph -CIPHER- is the

root

Structure of complex words: roots and bases



Roots can combine with derivational affixes and

inflectional affixes



When a root serves as the element to which a

derivational affix attaches then we call it the BASE

for that affix.



e.g. DECIPHER

DE + CIPHER

affix + root (in DECIPHER) and BASE (for DE-)

Structure of complex words: roots and bases



BASES can be complex units and be contained in

each other.

Consider

DECIPHERABLE



DE-CIPHER-ABLE



DE + CIPHER

affix + root (in DECIPHER) and BASE (for DE-)



DECIPHER + ABLE

base + suffix

Structure of complex words: stems



When a root or a base serves as the element to which

an inflectional morph attaches we call it a STEM



DOGS = DOG + S

stem + suffix

Structure of complex words: tree structure

N

cipher [ROOT]

Structure of complex words: tree structure

V

de- N [BASE] for DE-

cipher [ROOT]

Structure of complex words: tree structure

A

V [BASE] for -ABLE -able

de- N [BASE] for DE-

cipher [ROOT]

Structure of complex words: tree structure

A

in- A [BASE] for IN-

V [BASE] for -ABLE -able

de- N [BASE] for DE-

-cipher- [ROOT]

Structure of complex words: tree structure

N

-ity

A [BASE] for -ITY

in- A [BASE] for IN-

V [BASE] for -ABLE -able

de- N [BASE] for DE-

cipher [ROOT]

Structure of complex words



The structure of a complex word has its internal

structure which is not random.



This structure is hierarchical



Each level in the structure is created with respect to

the constraints on affixation.

Structure of complex words: constraints on

affixation



Consider the following pairs:

broad → broaden

white → whiten

dark → darken

beautiful → *beautifullen

Why can have the first three and cannot have the last

one?

Structure of complex words: constraints on

affixation



The fact that we can create pairs such as:

broad → broaden

white → whiten

dark → darken



But we cannot create pair such as beautiful →

*beautifulen is connected with the phonological shape

of the base to which a given suffix is to attach.



BROAD, WHITE and DARK are monosyllabic (they are

built from one syllable). BEAUTIFUL is polysyllabic (it

is composed of more than one syllable)



Suffix -en attaches only to monosyllabic adjectives

Structure of complex words: constraints on

affixation



Now, consider the paris such as those below.

(to) apply → reapply

(to) do → redo

(to) connect → reconnect

a child → *a rechild

a computer → *a recomputer

long → *relong

barbarous → *rebarbarous



Why can we REAPPLY, REDO and RECONNECT but

we cannot create *RECHILD, *RELONG,

*REBARBAROUS, and *RECOMPUTER?

Structure of complex words: constraints on

affixation



We can create REAPPLY, REDO and RECONNECT

but we cannot create *RECHILD, *RELONG,

*REBARBAROUS, and *RECOMPUTER because

RE- attaches only to verbs



The attachment of RE- illustrates another constraint.



We may call this the requirement that the base needs

to be of a proper lexical category

Structure of complex words: constraints on

affixation



Now, consider the following two groups of words.



Why does the suffix -ANT attach to the base in A but

to those in B?

A

B

dependant

*bulidant

defendant

*teachant

assistant

*wit(e)ant

inhabitant

*singant

Structure of complex words: constraints on

affixation



The attachment of the suffix -ANT is regulated by the

origin of the base.

-ANT can attach to bases of Latinate origin (group A)

but it cannot be attached to bases of Germanic

descent (group B)



The origin of the base illustrates the third constraint

on affixation.

Exercise



Draw tree structures of the following words. Mind

the right order of the attachment of affixes.

disappearance

impersonal

oversimplification

misunderstandable

inconclusive

manliness

Remaining word-formation processes



Consider the following words



airplane



deathblow



lipstick



Wortbedeutungslehre [word+meaning+theory] =

semantics (Ger)



These words were formed by a process known as

COMPUNGING by which two or more free roots and

associated affixes are combined together.

Remaining word-formation processes



Consider the words such as:



papa, zigzag, ping-pong or goody-goody



These words are formed by doubling the entire word

or the initial syllable with our without phonological

change. This process of doubling a word or the initial

syllable to create a new word is known as

REDUPLICATION.

Remaining word-formation processes



Now, consider these:



smog < sm(oke) + (f)og



motel < mo(tor) + (ho)tel



sprig < spr(ay) + (tw)ig



twirl < tw(ist) + (wh)ril



In these words two free roots are combined together

and the end of the first root and the beginning of the

second root are clipped.

The process by which these words were created is

known as BLENDING

Remaining word-formation processes



Consider the words in group A. These words were

created from words in group B by removing the

supposed derivational suffix on the basis of

overextension of derivational and inflectional patterns in

English. This process of word formation is known as

BACK FORMATION



A B



Self-destruct

self-destruction



resurrect resurrection



(to) emote emotion



transcript transcription

Remaining word-formation processes

Verb

Noun



con’duct

‘conduct



re’bel ‘rebel



per’mit

‘permit



re’cord

‘record



ob’ject

‘object



In all of the examples above, we can observe the

change in lexical category and meaning without the

addition of any derivational morphemes. Such

process of word formation is known as CONVERSION

or FUNCTIONAL SHIFT or ZERO DERIVATION.

Remaining word-formation processes



Clipping

A process by which we cut off the beginning, the

ending or both the beginning and the ending of the

word.



rehabilitation > rehab



facsimile > fax



fanatic > fan

Remaining word-formation processes

ACCRONIMIZATION is a type of shortening by which

only the initial letters of the root are left out. These

letter are then pronounced as a single word.



North Atlantic Treaty Organization > NATO



acquired immune deficiency syndrome > AIDS



radio detecting and ranging > radar



Durability, Reliability and Excellence > Durex

Remaining word-formation processes



NITIALISM is a type of shortening by which only the

initial letters of the roots are left out and theses

letters are then pronounced separately e.g.



compact disc > CD



Anno Domini > A.D.



before Christ > B.C.



id est > i.e.