Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In linguistics, morphology (mor-FOL-ə-jee [1]) is the study of words, including the principles by which they are formed, and how they relate to one another within a language. [2] [3] Most approaches to morphology investigate the structure of words in terms of morphemes, which are the smallest units in a language with some independent meaning.
Morphophonology bridges the gap between morphology and phonology, offering insights into the dynamic interactions between word formation and sound patterns. It continues to evolve as a field, integrating innovative approaches and broadening our understanding of linguistic systems globally.
Phonology is the branch of linguistics that studies how languages systematically organize their Phonemes or, for sign languages, their constituent parts of signs.The term can also refer specifically to the sound or sign system of a particular language variety.
Syntax refers to the linguistic structure above the word level (for example, how sentences are formed) – though without taking into account intonation, which is the domain of phonology. Morphology, by contrast, refers to the structure at and below the word level (for example, how compound words are formed), but above the level of individual ...
For example, in Irish, an adjective undergoes lenition after a feminine singular noun: unmutated mór [mˠoːɾˠ] ' big ', mutated in bean mhór [bʲan woːɾˠ] ' a big woman ' In Welsh, a noun undergoes soft mutation when it is the direct object of a finite verb: unmutated beic [bəik] "bike", mutated in Prynodd y ddynes feic.
In morphology, two morphemes are in contrastive distribution if they occur in the same environment, but have different meanings. For example, in Korean , noun phrases are followed by one of the various markers that indicate syntactic role: /-ka/, /-i/, /-(l)ul/, etc. /-ka/ and /-i/ are in complementary distribution.
Phonology, the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language (natural language or constructed language); Morphology, the structure of meaningful units of a language, such as words and affixes; Lexicology, the study of words; Syntax, the principles and rules for constructing phrases, clauses, and the like in human languages;
The example of flammable, having the same meaning as inflammable, is an example of analogical creation, as the word flammable has been created and added to the language system. Analogical maintenance occurs when a regular sound change is prevented from occurring on the basis of analogy.