Morphology & Lexicology

Question 1

What is a free morpheme?

Answer 1

can stand alone

Question 2

What is a bound morpheme?

Answer 2

can’t stand alone

Question 3

What is a derivational morpheme?

Answer 3

1. word class
2. change meaning

Question 4

Are prefixes always derivational or inflectional?

Answer 4

derivational - change meaning

Question 5

What is an inflectional morpheme?

Answer 5

1. change grammar
   e.g. tense, aspect, number, person, comparative, superlative, possessive

Question 6

What is an affix?

Answer 6

a bound morpheme that can be added (affixed) to a base word

Question 7

What are the three types of affix?

Answer 7

1. suffix
2. prefix
3. infix
   (circumfix)

Question 8

What is a suffix?

Answer 8

a morpheme added to the end of a base word

Question 9

What is a prefix?

Answer 9

a morpheme added to the front of a base word

Question 10

What is an infix?

Answer 10

a morpheme added in the middle of a base word e.g. abso-BLOODY-lutely

Question 11

What is meant by “number”?

Answer 11

Singular - one
Plural - two or more

Question 12

How is plural most commonly marked in English? What other plural markers are there?

Answer 12

1. -s (-es)
2. also -en, -i, -ae

Question 13

What is meant by “person”?

Answer 13

1. first person
2. second person
3. third person

Question 14

What is “first person”? Provide examples

Answer 14

directly involves/includes the speaker
e.g. I, we, us, our, me, my

Question 15

What is “second person”? Provide examples

Answer 15

directly involves/addresses the receiver
e.g. you, your

Question 16

What is “third person”?
Provide examples

Answer 16

refers to some other not-present entity
e.g. they, he, she, it, them

Question 17

What is meant by “comparative”? Which morpheme marks this?

Answer 17

directly compares two or more things
-er
(more)

Question 18

What is meant by “superlative”? Which morpheme marks this?

Answer 18

the superlative is the best of a group of things
-est
(most)

Question 19

What is meant by “possession”? Which morpheme marks this?

Answer 19

shows belonging/ownership
-‘s

Question 20

When is person marked in English?

Answer 20

third person singular subject
e.g. he walkS

Question 21

What is a morpheme?

Answer 21

smallest meaningful unit in a word

Question 22

What is morphology concerned with?

Answer 22

parts of words

Question 23

What is lexicology concerned with?

Answer 23

whole words

Question 24

Morphological word formation processes

Answer 24

affixation
abbreviation
shortening
compounding
blending
backformation
conversion
initialism
acronym
contraction

Question 25

Lexical word formation processes

Answer 25

neologism borrowing commonisation nominalisation

Question 26

What other name are hypocoristic suffixes known by?

Answer 26

diminutive endings

Question 27

What other name are diminutive endings known by?

Answer 27

hypocoristic suffixation

Question 28

What are the hypocoristic suffixes?

Answer 28

-i -ie -y -o -a

Question 29

Affixation

Answer 29

attaching an affix to create a new word

Question 30

shortening

Answer 30

creating a new word by shortening an older one e.g. gym from gymnasium e.g. rizz from charisma

Question 31

compounding

Answer 31

joining two whole free morphemes together to create a new word e.g. holy + day = holiday

Question 32

blending

Answer 32

joining parts of two free morphemes together to create a new word (can be one whole + one part OR two parts) e.g. chill + relax = chillax

Question 33

backformation

Answer 33

removing an assumed affix to create a new word e.g. burgle from burglar

Question 34

conversion

Answer 34

creating a new word by using it as a new word class e.g. google n > v

Question 35

initialism

Answer 35

creating a new word by taking the initials of a phrase you must pronounce each initial e.g. PTO / FML

Question 36

acronym

Answer 36

creating a new word by taking the initials of a phrase you pronounce it as a single word e.g. FOMO

Question 37

contraction

Answer 37

creating a word by joining two words together with an apostrophe to show the missing letter e.g. do + not = don't

Question 38

neologism

Answer 38

creating an entirely new word

Question 39

borrowing

Answer 39

adopting a word from another language into English

Question 40

commonisation

Answer 40

using a brand name as a common term to refer to an item e.g. google > search engine e.g. biro > pen e.g. kleenex > tissue