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3.3 Classifications of morphemes
• Free vs. bound morphemes in terms of their capacity of occurring alone
• Derivational vs. inflectional morphemes applying to affixes only
Section C Word Formation I
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➢ Objectives:
– Discuss morphemes, their classification and identification; – Explain the relationship between morphemes and word-
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3.1 Morpheme
• What is a morpheme？ It is the minimal meaningful unit of language. Or it is the smallest functioning unit in the composition of words. 语素是最小的有意义的单位。它是语言中最小 的构词单位
• 自由语素都是词根, 也叫自由词根, 能用作词或作 为构成新词的构词要素。
• Bound morphemes consist of either roots (bound roots) or affixes.
• 粘着语素包括词根（粘着词根）和词缀。
• E.g., bound root: -dict-, -ced-
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Derivational vs. inflectional morphemes 派生语素与屈折语素
• What are derivational and inflectional morphemes?
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➢ Derivational morphemes are used to derive new words when they are added to another morpheme. In English derivatives and compounds are all formed by such morphemes.
formation
➢ Teaching focus:
– Definition of morphemes – Definition of allomorphs – Types of morphemes
free morpheme bound morpheme
– Definitions of root, stem and base
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3.2 Morph and allomorph
➢The definition of morphs：
The phonetic or orthographic strings or segments which realize morphemes are termed ‘morphs’. 语素的语音或拼写法的体现叫形素。
• 语素/形位变体是同一个语素的不同形式。
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For example
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When the plural marker {s} is added to cat, dog, and horse, it is pronounced differently as /-s, -z,
-iz/ and thus has three phonological forms; the three forms are just the variants of the same morpheme {s}, i.e. the allomorphs of morpheme {s}.
• 粘着语素不能独立成词，只能依附于其他语素上 以构成词或担当一定的语法功能。
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• Free morphemes are all roots /free roots, which are capable of being used as words or as wordbuilding elements to form new words.
➢ 自由语素是能独立运用的语素，它有完整的意 义，在句中充当一个自由的语法单位。
➢ E.g., man, wind, open, tour
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• Morphemes which cannot occur as separate words are bound. They are bound to other morphemes to form words or to perform a particular grammatical function.
Morphs are actual spoken, minimal carriers of meaning. 形素是口语中最小的意义载体。
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What is an allomorph?
• An allomorph is one of the variants of the same morpheme.
affix: -ion, -ist, -ic
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A multitude of words made up of merely bound morphemes, eg: ante-ced-ent. ➢-ced- 是词根，‘接近’， ➢ante- 是前缀，‘在…前’， ➢-ent 是后缀，‘人，物’，
• Content / lexical vs. grammatical morpheme on a semantic and syntactic basis
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Free vs. bound morphemes 自由语素与粘着语素
➢ Morphemes which are independent of other morphemes are free. Free morphemes have complete meanings in themselves and can be used as free grammatical units in sentences.