Morphology and Word Categories

Posted on Oct 9, 2024 in Language

Morphology

Exploring Word Components

Morphology examines the combinations of word components, known as morphemes. Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a word.

Types of Morphemes

  1. Lexical Morpheme/Lexeme: The root of the word, carrying the core meaning.
  2. Morphological Theme/Stem: The part of the word that remains after removing inflections.
  3. Inflectional Morphemes: Word endings indicating grammatical meanings (gender, number, tense, etc.).
  4. Derivational Morphemes/Affixes: Attached before (prefixes), after (suffixes), or within (infixes) the root, modifying its meaning.

Types of Morphology

  1. Inflectional Morphology: Deals with grammatical meanings like gender and number in nouns, adjectives, and verbs.
  2. Derivational and Compound Morphology: Studies affixes and how they create new words.

Word Categories

Determiners

Determiners have a limited and precise meaning, specifying the noun they accompany. Types of determiners include:

  • Articles (definite and indefinite)
  • Demonstrative Adjectives
  • Possessive Adjectives
  • Numerals (cardinal and ordinal)
  • Indefinite Adjectives
  • Interrogative Adjectives

Characteristics of Determiners

  1. Generally do not combine with quantifiers, except for little, more, less, which can be quantified with adverbs.
  2. Can precede common nouns, especially in preverbal subject positions.
  3. Nouns can exist without determiners.
  4. Non-count nouns require a determiner when functioning as a subject after the verb.
  5. Plural nouns can function as subjects without a determiner.

Articles

Characteristics of Articles

  1. Always precede the noun or noun phrase.
  2. Are unstressed words.
  3. Can have a pointing (deictic) or generalizing value.

Articles can be followed by other words like adverbs, adjectives, or prepositional phrases. They are never preceded by other determiners except all and its variants. Exceptions:

  • Before nouns starting with ‘h’ or ‘a’ with a tonic accent, the feminine article is used.
  • Always used before feminine nouns starting with a tonic syllable.

Demonstratives

Demonstratives can combine with possessives, numerals, and some indefinite adjectives (e.g., another, much), always preceding them. Only all and its variants precede demonstratives. They indicate beings in space, time, or context.

Forms of Demonstratives

  • Masculine: este, ese, aquel (singular); estos, esos, aquellos (plural)
  • Feminine: esta, esa, aquella (singular); estas, esas, aquellas (plural)
  • Neuter: esto, eso, aquello

Demonstratives agree in number with the noun and have a present value. The feminine form is always used before nouns with a tonic accent.

Possessives

Short Forms

  • Singular: mi, tu, su
  • Plural: mis, tus, sus

Mi and tu are used for both singular and plural possessors. Su can refer to one or more possessors. Short forms are unstressed and must rely on another word phonetically. They are not compatible with other determiners except demonstratives, another, much, and numerals.

Full Forms

  • Masculine Singular: mío, tuyo, suyo
  • Feminine Singular: mía, tuya, suya
  • Masculine Plural: míos, tuyos, suyos
  • Feminine Plural: mías, tuyas, suyas

Characteristics of Full Forms

  1. Show gender and number agreement, differentiating between one and multiple possessors.
  2. Tonic and always follow the noun, especially when the noun is singular and modified by another determiner.
  3. Never substantiate an adjective with the article but can function as pronouns.
  4. Always modify the noun like an adjective.
  5. Nuestro/a/os/as and vuestro/a/os/as can function as modifiers or determiners.

Relative Possessive “Whose”

The relative possessive whose does not replace the accompanying noun but a different one.

Quesuísmos

: slang that which occurs at substitute, and its variants, for which + su. It is wrong to use the possessive whose and its variants meaningless posesivo.En some constructions, the relative which presents a demonstration value, not possessive (these buildings have been condemned by the grammarians) Before feminine nouns that begin with the determinative ao has tonic which has its normal form female.