Introduction
Definition :
Morphology[1] is the study of how words are built from smaller units called morphemes, which are the smallest meaningful parts of a word. It examines how words are constructed from these smallest meaningful units.
Fundamental :
Morphemes carry meaning or grammatical function and cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts. Morphology analyzes how these units combine to form words and how they interact with other linguistic elements, such as syntax and phonology.
Example :
Example of morphemes: un- (prefix), happy (root), -ness (suffix) in the word unhappiness.
Example of interaction with syntax: How morphological markers (e.g., verb endings) indicate grammatical roles in a sentence.
Reminder :
To avoid confusion between phonetics, phonology, and morphology, remember:
Phonetics: The study of the physical production and perception of speech sounds (e.g., how the sound /p/ is produced).
Phonology: The study of how sounds function within a particular language or languages (e.g., the rules for how /p/ and /b/ contrast in English).
Morphology: The study of how words are built from morphemes4[2], the smallest units of meaning (e.g., how un-, happy, and -ness combine to form unhappiness).
While phonetics and phonology focus on sounds, morphology focuses on meaningful units (morphemes) and how they form words.