The English Language System
Lesson
4
Morphology: Words
Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you can:
1. illustrate understanding on the key concepts in the study of
the structure of words: morpheme, morph, allomorph;
2. explain the main types of morpheme;
3. show how the structure of words in a language can be
described;
4. apply morphological rule in analyzing the structure of the
words.
Introduction
Word is the most noticeable unit in grammar of human languages, and to the
speakers. Since the limits of words in spoken utterances are not clearly marked, we
need criteria for identification. The internal structure of words can be divided into
smaller units. The scientific investigation of this domain is called morphology.
Activity 16: Your Own Concept of Word
Directions:
1. Form a group of five members, make a concept map
and list all your ideas about word.
2. You can follow the example below or create your own
graph.
3. Complete this group activity in 10 minutes.
4. Select a representative from your group to present
your work to the class.
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The English Language System
Morphology
Morphology is a system of categories and rules involved in
word formation and interpretation. There are two basic goals in
studying morphology:


to isolate the component parts of words; and
to determine the rules by which words are formed
Morphemes, allomorphs and morphs
Although a morpheme is an abstract unit of meaning, a morph is a formal unit
with a physical shape. A morpheme is the description of what a morph is or does to a
word.
Morphs are the actual forms used to realize morphemes.
Example:


mats [mat + (-s)]
ashes [ash + (-es)]
On the other hand, allomorphs are any of the different forms of a morpheme.
Example:


Past Tense: rolled [-d], walked [-t], gifted [-ed]
o Morpheme: [-d]
o Allomorphs: /-d/ /-t/ /-ed/
Plural Formation: flasks [-s], wars [-z], glasses [-ez]
o Morpheme: [-s]
o Allomorphs: /-s/ /-z/ /-ez/
Activity 17: Writing Morphemic Rules
Directions:
1. You will do this activity individually.
2. Write your answer on the space provided.
3. Here are the tasks you will be doing:
a. Determine the allomorphs of this prefix.
b. Write a morphemic rule, specifying the underlying form,
allomorphs, and conditioning environments.
c. State the meaning of the morpheme, if possible.
4. Complete the tasks in 15 minutes.
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Form a group with five members. Using a graph (venn
diagram, table, concept map, etc.), illustrate your own
understanding on the key concepts of morphology (morpheme,
The English Language System
collect
correct
connect
commute
combat
compute
compare
cohabit
coalesce
collate
commend
contend
consent
condemn
collide
corrode
confess
cohere
coexist
coincide
Samples taken from Brinton, L. J., & Brinton, D. (2010). The linguistic structure of
modern English. John Benjamins Publishing. Retrieved from
https://benjamins.com/sites/z.156/exercise/c4q5
Morphology: Words
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The English Language System
Activity 18: A Brief History of Plural Word…s
Directions:
1. We will be watching a video about the story
behind
the
plural
morpheme…s
from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gwJHuEa9
Jc&t=4s
2. Share your insights and realizations about it in
three (3) paragraphs with no more than five (5)
sentences each.
3. Write your answer on the space provided.
4. Complete this activity within 10 minutes.
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The English Language System
Morphology: Words
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The English Language System
Activity 19: Types of Morpheme
Directions:
1. Find two companions, get ideas from the figures
above, and explain the main types of morpheme.
2. Write your answer on the space provided.
3. Select a representative from your group to present your
work.
4. Finish this activity in five (5) minutes.
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The English Language System
Activity 20:
Directions:
1. With your companions and complete the chart about
the major differences between derivational and
inflectional morphology.
2. Write your answer on the chart provided.
3. Select a representative from your group to present
your work.
4. Finish this activity in five (5) minutes.
Derivational
Inflectional
position
addable on to?
changes stem?
productive?
meaning?
Morphology: Words
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The English Language System
Morphological Description
Word
Free/
Bound
Open/
Closed
engage
-ment
-s
Free
Bound
Bound
Open
discharge
-d
Bound
Free
Bound
Open
Inflectional/
Derivational
Root/Affix
(prefix/suffix)
engagements
Derivational
Inflectional
Root
Suffix
Suffix
discharged
Derivational
Inflectional
Prefix
Root
Suffix
The table above shows how to describe morphemes.
Activity 21: Morphological Description
Directions:
A. On the space provided below, identify and describe the
following morphemes based on how the sample morphemes
on the table above were identified and described.
B. DIY (Do it yourself)
C. You have 10 minutes to complete this task.
Word
Free/
Bound
Open/ Inflectional/ Root/Affix (prefix/suffix)
Closed Derivational
1. Unexpectedly
2. Rearrangements
3. Insufficiencies
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The English Language System
The Hierarchical Structure of Words
Affixes cannot be not attached to the root
simultaneously. Morphemes in words have a strict and
systematic linear order. Within words, morphemes are also
organized in highly patterned ways.
To provide a more complete representation of the
structure of a word, we need to consider the following:
 The fact that every simple word contains one root.
 The derivational affixes in the word contain meanings.
 The fact that each lexical item represents a part of speech.
To visualize the hierarchical structure of words we can use trees, just as
we can with sentences and grammar.
Morphology: Words
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The English Language System
Activity 22: The Hierarchical Structure of Words
Directions:
A. On the sheet provided below, illustrate the hierarchy of the
affixes attached to the root words.
a. Misconceptions
b. Underestimated
c. Rearrangements
B. Do it individually.
C. You have 10 minutes to complete this task.
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The English Language System
References
Text books:
Brinton, L. J. (2000). The structure of modern English: A linguistic introduction (Vol.
1). John Benjamins Publishing.
Carstairs-McCarthy, A. (2017). Introduction to English Morphology: Words and their
Structure. Edinburgh University Press.
Haspelmath, M., & Sims, A. (2013). Understanding morphology. Routledge.
Lieber, R. (2015). Introducing morphology. Cambridge University Press.
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The English Language System
McGregor, W. B. (2009). Linguistics: an introduction. Continuum International
Publishing Group.
Online Sources:
Brinton, L. J., & Brinton, D. (2010). The linguistic structure of modern English. John
Benjamins Publishing. Retrieved from
https://benjamins.com/sites/z.156/exercise/c4q5
McWorther, J. (2013, July 22). A brief history of the plural…s [TED-Ed]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gwJHuEa9Jc&t=4s
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