Morphological structure of words Plan What is morphology.? 2

Roots and Affixes

Complex words such as annotation, builder, professor, and others have internal structure. It is necessary not only to identify each component of the morphemes but also to classify them according to their contribution to the meaning and function of complex words. Typically, complex words consist of a root and one or more affixes. The root constitutes the core of the word and carries the major component of its meaning. Roots belong to a lexical category such as noun (N), verb (V), adjective (Adj), adverb (Adv), and preposition (P). Unlike roots, affixes are bound morphemes, and they do not belong to a lexical category. Affixes are subdivided into prefixes and suffixes. For example, when the suffix –er combines with the root build, the noun builder is coined to denote ‘one who builds.’ The internal structure of this word can be shown in a diagram, which O’Grady, Archibald, Aronoff, and Rees-Miller call “a tree structure”. When an affix is attached to the root, the form is called a base or a stem (The terms base and stem may be used interchangeably). Sometimes a base corresponds to the word’s root; for example, in cat, the root is cat, and it is also a base.

Stems

A stem is the actual form to which an affix (a suffix or a prefix) is added. In blacken, for example, the affix -en is added to the root black. Sometimes, an affix can be added to the form, which is larger than a root, e.g., authorization (n).