Morphology Morphological analysis Linguistics 200 Spring 2003

Ann Landers: linguistic issues What are the rules for forming words in English? e.g. What are the rules for forming words in English? e.g. which words can be suffixed with –est? which words can be suffixed with –est? which words can be prefixed with re-? which words can be prefixed with re-? Variation among native speakers Variation among native speakers

Morphological competence What native speakers know about well-formed words What native speakers know about well-formed words Possible vs. impossible words Possible vs. impossible words Prevent Los Angelization Now (PLAN) Prevent Los Angelization Now (PLAN) “Kinko’s, the new way to office” “Kinko’s, the new way to office” Properties of words Properties of words appropriate context for use (part of speech) appropriate context for use (part of speech) meanings; e.g. unfoldable meanings; e.g. unfoldable ‘not foldable’ or ‘capable of being unfolded’ ‘not foldable’ or ‘capable of being unfolded’

Defining ‘word’ Problems with white space definition Problems with white space definition Inconsistency in languages with writing systems Inconsistency in languages with writing systems footnote footnote road rage road rage time-depth time-depth Languages without writing systems Languages without writing systems Syntactic tests Syntactic tests Answer to questions: Answer to questions: what is that an example of? road rage what is that an example of? road rage Phonological tests Phonological tests

Morphemes (signs) Smallest form (sound, sign) associated with a particular meaning Smallest form (sound, sign) associated with a particular meaning  spoken languages, ‘morpheme’  [fl  wr  ]   [liv-z]   sign languages, ‘sign’ 

Examples of morphemes kind 1 morpheme: kind under 1 morpheme: under unkind 2 morphemes: kind, un- redden 2 morphemes: red, -en Los Angelization 3 morphemes: Los Angeles, -ize, -ation

Morpheme  syllable # morphemes # syllables cat11 cats (cat, -s) 21 carton12 smarten (smart, -en) 22 sycamore13 hamamelidanthemum17

Free vs. bound morphemes free: can stand alone as separate words certain, able, carton, finch, pinch, sycamore bound: cannot stand alone as separate words /  n/- negative (unkind); reverse (unfold) /  n/- negative -/  yz/ ‘to cause to become’ -/z/ plural bound morphemes represented with hyphen

Affix vs. root morphemes Roots can be bound or free can be bound or free major (referential) component of word meaning major (referential) component of word meaning phonology: typically have longer, more complex shapes than affixes phonology: typically have longer, more complex shapes than affixes stadium, sycamore, hamamelidanthemum stadium, sycamore, hamamelidanthemum most words contain a root morpheme most words contain a root morpheme

Affix types  Prefixes--added to the left of a root: /  n/- (un) negative  Prefixes--added to the left of a root: /  n/- (un) negative  Suffixes---added to the right of a root: -/ayz/ ‘to cause to become’, -/z/ plural  Infixes---added within a root  Not all words contain affixes  Words may contain more than one affix

Some common morphological processes Affixation Affixation root – suffix root – suffix prefix – root prefix – root r- infix -oot r- infix -oot Compounding Compounding

Sahaptin verbs   Identify all morphemes. Long vowels are transcribed here [  ] (instead of [  :]).  n  wiš  š 'I'm hungry'  n  wiš  m 'you're hungry'  i  n  wiš  'he/she is hungry'  n  wiš  t  š 'we are hungry'  n  wiš  p  m 'you (folks) are hungry' p  n  wiš  'they're hungry' p  yúwiš  m ‘you’re sick, hurt’ p  yúwiš  š ‘I’m sick, hurt’ p  p  yúwiš  ‘they’re sick, hurt’

Morphological analysis

More Sahaptin verbs  ipnúš  ‘he/she is sleeping’  ipnún  ‘he/she usually sleeps’  ipnút  ‘he/she will sleep’  ipnún  ‘he/she slept’ pnún  m ‘you slept’ pnut’  w  s ‘bed’ pnu  ‘sleeper, one who sleeps’ pnun  ‘insomniac’ wšnwšnwšnwšn ‘wild horse’ túp  n p  w  š  š  ? ‘what are they riding on?’ w  š  t’  w  s ‘saddle’  [  ] = voiceless uvular fricative

Revised morphological analysis

Compounding [root] [root] [root] [root] nounverbadjective noun ground crew gift wrap skin-deep verbthinktankstirfry? adjective high school dry-cleanred-hot

Compounds in Sahaptin k't  t pšw  ‘shale’ k’t  t ‘solid, hard’ pšw  ‘rock’ k'  nk pc  š ‘gate’ k’  nk ‘barricading’ pc  š ‘door’  tin siil ‘flannel’  tiin ‘diaper cloth’ siil ‘fabric’  p  p t  mn  ‘palm of hand’  p  p ‘hand, arm’ t  mn  ‘heart’

Allomorphs of a morpheme A morpheme may have more than one phonological shape. English plural suffix: -[  z] -[s]-[z] [f  nc  z] [kæts] [d  gz] [pr  s  z] [s  ks] [šuz][šuz][šuz][šuz] [  z] [  z] [d  f  nd  nts] [loyr  z]

Allomorphs sibilant___voiceless___voiced___ -[  z] -[s]-[z] English sibilants = [s z š ž c   ] Distribution of allomorphs of English plural suffix:

Underlying representation The forms of the English plural suffix are predictable from context. The forms of the English plural suffix are predictable from context. The plural suffix has a basic representation: -/z/ The plural suffix has a basic representation: -/z/ Phonology /z/  [s] / voiceless___ (assimilation) Ø  [  ] / sibilant ___ sibilant (epenthesis)

Allomorphs Phonological rules can also convert one phoneme into another (morphophonemics) /z/  [s] / voiceless___

Sahaptin perfect suffix imperfectiveperfect iyíkiyíkšiyíkiyíkš ‘he/she is sitting’ iyíkiyíkšiyíkiyíkš ‘he/she has sat’  iw  np   iw  npš  ‘he/she is receiving’  iw  np  iw  npš ‘he/she has received’  iq’  w   iq’  wš  ‘he/she is burping’  iq’  w  iq’  wš ‘he/she has burped’  iw   iw  š  ‘he/she is rejecting’  iw  y  ‘he/she has rejected’  ipnú   ipnúš  ‘he/she is sleeping’  ipnúw  ‘he/she has slept’  ip  w í   ip  w íš  ‘he/she is thinking’  ip  w íy  ‘he/she has thought’

Allomorphs of perfect suffix allomorph context

/  /  [š] /š/  [  ] Underlying representation of perfect suffix

Underlying representations of perfect suffix -/š/ is added to consonant final roots -/š/ is added to consonant final roots -/ya/ is added to vowel final roots -/ya/ is added to vowel final roots /y/  [w] / u ___ (assimilation) /y/  [w] / u ___ (assimilation)

Summary of morphology (so far) New terminology: morpheme, root, affix, bound, free New terminology: morpheme, root, affix, bound, free Morphological processes: affixation, compounding Morphological processes: affixation, compounding Morphological analysis Morphological analysis Allomorphs of morphemes Allomorphs of morphemes