Language and its structure: Morphosyntax – lesson
16 October 2023
I Consider the following words:
(a) tigers
(b) untimely
(c) decorating
speakers
uniquely
decentralising
(d) wholesome
(e) consumed
(f ) leucocyte
gruesome
consumption
erythrocyte
1. Divide them into morphemes, noting any instances where you are unsure. What differences are there between
the words in each pair?
2. Are there any morphemes here which have two or more allomorphs?
3. Which of these morphemes are free and which are bound? Are the bound morphemes all affixes, or are some
of them roots or combining forms?
4. Do any problems arise here for the view that morphemes are ‘the smallest units of language that can be
associated with meaning’ or ‘the minimal units of meaning’?
II Swahili
Swahili is a Bantu language which is spoken primarily in East Africa. There are approximately 800,000 native
speakers of Swahili, and some 30,000,000 people (!) worldwide speak Swahili as a second language.
anapenda 'he likes'
atapenda 'he will like'
alipenda 'he liked'
amependa 'he has liked'
alinipenda 'he liked me'
alikupenda 'he liked you'
alimpenda 'he liked him'
alitupenda 'he liked us'
aliwapenda 'he liked them'
nitampenda 'I will like him'
Pronouns
he:
me:
you:
him:
us:
them:
I:
alimona 'he saw him'
alimsaidia 'he helped him'
alimpiga 'he hit him'
alimchukua 'he carried him'
alimua 'he killed him'
ananitazama 'he looks at me'
atakusikia 'he will hear you'
alitupanya 'he cured us'
ninakupenda 'I like you'
nitawapenda 'I will like them'
Tenses
[present]:
[future]:
[past]:
[past part.]:
Verbs
see:
help:
hit:
carry:
kill:
look:
hear:
cure:
like:
Translate the following English sentences into Swahili:
i. He has hit me.
ii. He helps us.
iii. I will look at you.
III Try to determine the morphological constituency (if any) of the following English words: colleague, cordial,
correlate, electrometer, elongation, evaporate, eternity, euphemism, habitual, happy, music, negotiable, performance,
theology. To what extent do these words raise problems for morphological analysis?
IV Consider the following English verbs: forbid, forget, forgive, forgo, forswear. What evidence can you adduce for
these verbs being complex?