Introduction to Linguistics - Unit 2: Morphology

These flashcards cover key concepts in morphology, including definitions of morphemes, allomorphs, and types of morphemes, as well as structural elements related to word formation.

Morpheme

The basic unit of word structure that has meaning and cannot be further subdivided.

Allomorph

Variant forms of a morpheme that may differ in pronunciation or spelling but have the same meaning.

Free morpheme

A morpheme that can stand alone as a word, e.g., 'hunt'.

Bound morpheme

A morpheme that cannot stand alone and must attach to another morpheme to convey meaning, e.g., '-er'.

Root

The most significant morpheme in a word, which carries the core meaning.

Affix

A morpheme that attaches to a root or to a root + affix, modifying its meaning.

Prefix

An affix that attaches to the beginning of a base.

Suffix

An affix that attaches to the end of a base.

Infix

An affix that is inserted within a base, splitting it into two.

Morphological structure

The way morphemes are organized and combined to form words.

Ambiguity

The existence of two or more possible meanings or interpretations of a word or phrase.