Morphology and Derivation — Video Notes Review

Flashcards based on the lecture notes covering fixation/infixation, affixation (prefixes/suffixes), Semitic roots, intercalation, tones, irregular verbs, compounding, the mental lexicon, and principles for building morphological trees.

What is fixation (infixation) as described in the notes?

Putting something inside of another stem; an infix inside a stem.

What general strategy helps solve fixation problems in morphology?

Describe what is happening in the clearest way, talk about consonants and vowels, decide the first syllable, and divide words into syllables to determine the solution.

What is a Semitic root and how does intercalation relate to it?

A consonant root (e.g., ktb) whose meaning is altered by inserting particular vowel patterns and consonant sequences; intercalation is the insertion of vowels/patterns between root consonants to form related words.

What is an example of a root that can't stand alone?

Roots that derive from a basic meaning (like 'piece') and require additional morphological material to form valid words.

How can tones function in some languages according to the notes?

Tone changes can carry grammatical differences, not just lexical distinctions; for example, tone can distinguish meanings like different subjects or tenses.

Explain the irregular past tense go/went as described.

Went is formed from a different verb historically; irregular past tense reflects historical borrowing/combination of unrelated verbs (similar reasoning used for wind/winded).

What is derivation in morphology?

The process of forming a new word from an existing one by adding prefixes or suffixes, often changing the part of speech.

What is a compound word?

Two separate words combined into a single stem (e.g., railroad, bookseller, Sixth Street).

Why is Sixth Street treated as a compound vs two words in syntax?

Because it behaves as a single unit with a fixed meaning and can function as a noun; stress and syntax patterns distinguish the compound from simply two separate words.

What is the mental lexicon as described in the notes?

A mental store of words with their meanings, parts of speech, and morphological structure; productivity drives entry generation (e.g., railroad from rail + road).

What is meant by the 'order of derivation' in syntax trees?

Prefixes attach first, then the root, then suffixes; different orders can yield different trees and potentially different meanings.

What does 'productivity' mean in this linguistic context?

The rate or ease with which derivational processes generate new dictionary entries and novel words in the mental lexicon.

How are 'friendly' and 'unfriendly' derived in the Morphological Function handout?

Friend (noun) + suffix -ly → friendly (adjective); prefix un- + friendly → unfriendly (adjective); demonstrates how prefixation and suffixation alter meaning and POS.

What is the difference between prefixation and suffixation in English morphology?

Prefixation adds material to the left (prefixes) and suffixation adds material to the right (suffixes); both modify meaning/grammatical function without always changing the root.