LANE 333

1. LANE 333 -
MORPHOLOGY
2012 – Term 1
WORDS 9
By: http://SBANJAR.kau.edu.sa/
Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar http://wwwdrshadiabanjar.blogspot.com
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2. A. Definition of “word”
• Words are genuine linguistics units.
•In written texts, words are recognized by the white
spaces between them.
•In linguistic analysis, we are interested in spoken
words.
•“A word’ is a free morpheme or a combination of
morphemes that together form a basic segment of
speech” . Norman C. Stageberg
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3. cont., Definition of “word”
“A word is…any segment of a sentence
bounded by successive point at which
pausing is possible”
Charles F. Hockett
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4. Words can be identified by the pauses
between them:
p p p p p p p
Since the streetlamp is out, I must
p p p p
call up our councilman.
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5. B. Simple and Complex Words
•English words may be classified on the
basis of the kinds and combinations of
morphemes of which they are composed.
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6. Classification of English Words
WORDS
Simple Complex Compound
Words Words Words
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7. 1. Simple words consist of a single
free morpheme.
EXAMPLES: flea, long, spirit
2. Complex words contain, as their
immediate constituents (ICs), either
two bound forms or a bound and a
free form.
EXAMPLES: televise ,telephone
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8. Complex Words contain two Bound
Forms:
tele | vise
Complex Words contain Bound and
free Forms:
tele | phone
eras | er
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9. C. Compound Words
• Compound words have free forms, usually
two as their ICs:
ICs:
green | house
out | side
• A small number of compound words have
three or four free forms as coordinate ICs.
Example: happy|-go|-lucky
happy| go|
spic| and| span
| |
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10. cont., Compound Words
Compounds words resemble grammatical
structures in that they imply, though they do
not state, a grammatical relationship.
Words
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11. Implied Grammatical Structure
Sample
Implied Grammatical
No.
Structure
Examples
1. Subject + verb earthquake (…earth quakes)
2. Verb + object killjoy (kills joy)
3. Verb + adverbial stopover (stops over)
4. Subject + be + adjectival highchair (chair is high)
Adjective modified by
5. carefree (… free from care)
prepositional phrase
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12. cont., Compound Words
Compound words can be distinguished from
grammatical structures in three ways:
1. Compound words cannot be divided by the
insertion of intervening materials between
the two parts, but grammatical structures can
be so divided.
COMPARE:
She is a sweetheart.
She has a sweet heart.
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13. cont., Compound Words
2. A member of a compound word cannot participate
in a grammatical structure. COMPARE:
hard ball to base | ball
modifier noun compound word
‘very’ can be added:
It was a very hard ball.
but not
* It was a very baseball.
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14. cont., Compound Words
3. Some compound nouns have different
stress patterns than grammatical structures.
Example:
Blúebìrd blûe bírd
Compound Word Grammatical Structure
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