Module 2: Linguistics
2.2 Morphology
Morphology is very closely related to phonology in that it is concerned with the structure of language. Specifically, however, morphology deals with the structure of language morphemes, phonemes, and other linguistic units. The English language relies heavily on morphology, especially regarding English language acquisition. Understanding the morphological relationship between two words can help an individual recognize a similar morphological relationship between two different words, which helps them better understand new words and phrases. For example, if an individual can recognize the morphological relationship between the words “heart” and “monitor” in the phrase “heart monitor,” then he or she can use that to understand other complex nouns. Using this knowledge, an English language learner can take an educated guess to determine what the phrase “hall monitor” means.
2.2.1 Basics of morphology
To truly understand morphology, one must fully understand morphemes, which are the basis of the area of study. While phonemes refer to the sounds that make up the structure of words, morphemes are the physical structural units in a word.
Morphemes: Morphemes are sometimes referred to as the smallest linguistic unit that carries meaning. While phonemes are smaller, they essentially build towards pronunciation rather than meaning. Breaking a word into its morphemes allows an individual to separate and (better understand) the root words, prefixes, and suffixes. Here is an example:
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