The structure of a language, like a building, is constructed from separate "bricks" - language units that have lexical meaning. These units - morphemes - are studied by a section of linguistics called morphemics. And word formation, as a larger area of linguistics, includes it.
What are words made of?
Whatever word we study, it consists of morphemes - one or more. For example, in the noun “menu” there is only 1 morpheme - the root, and in the adjective “attracted / attracted / a / body / th” there are 5 of them: a prefix, a root, two suffixes and an ending.
Morfemics (and word formation as a subject of linguistics) defines the indivisible parts of a word, considers the specifics of their structure and studies their functions in words.
Classification of morphemes
When a teacher offers a student to parse a word by composition, it is about highlighting the morphemes that make it up. The Russian language has a root, a prefix, a suffix, an ending.
The root is an obligatory part, without which the word simply cannotbe. Some - consist only of a root (adverbs, conjunctions and prepositions, interjections, invariable nouns).
A prefix is a derivational morpheme, it is placed before the root (on/run) or before another prefix (re/start/start). It creates tokens with new meanings.
Suffix is another morpheme that forms new words. Located after the root (cat/enok, bugle/east).
The ending is a part of a word that can change its form, but not its meaning. It is placed after the suffix or immediately after the root. Indicates gender, case, number and other changing signs (memorable / th meeting / a).
Semantic foundation
In morphemics and word formation there is the concept of "basis". This component of the verbal structure contains the semantics of the word. The basis is everything except the ending, which does not carry a lexical meaning. For a word that has no ending, the entire lexeme is the stem.
How are words born?
We have seen what is the subject of morphemic study. What is word formation? Firstly, this is the “procedure” for constructing new words, and secondly, the linguistic section that studies this process. And if the systematization of word parts and the scheme of morphemic division is the task of morphemics, then word formation aims to determine whether a particular word is derivative, and if so, from what and how it is formed.
Science knows three ways to create new words:
1. With the help of word-forming morphemes - a prefix method (think - re/think),suffix (cut - cut / sya) and prefixed-suffix (glass - under / glass / nickname);
2. The way of operations with the basics is their addition (pipe + wire \u003d pipe / o / wire), reduction of the basics (deputy - deputy) and addition with reduction (head of household - supply manager).
3. The method of mixing the two above methods, when word-forming morphemes and actions with stems are used simultaneously. This is how the word “standard-bearer” appeared (banner + wear=sign / e / nose / ets).
Sometimes the word-formation of the Russian language and morphemic is not even required for a new semantic unit to emerge. This is how nouns appear from participles and adjectives: “commander”, “ice cream”, “control”. Many adverbs originated from other parts of speech.
Now that we have figured out what word formation is, let's move on to parsing models.
Two versions of morphemic parsing
In linguistics, there are two approaches to dividing a word into morphemes: structural and semantic. The first suggests that after highlighting the ending and stem, it is necessary to isolate the root of the word, and then other morphemes.
Every student knows this method:
1. Let's write the word out of the text without changing its form;
2. Let's single out the ending and the stem: the part that changes during declension or conjugation is the ending, the rest is the stem. The invariable parts of speech consist only of the stem.
3. By selecting single-root lexemes, we determine the root of the word;
4. Find a prefix or several, if any;
5. Select a suffix or several, if any.
Another way of parsing a word by composition does not separate morphemic articulation from word-formation analysis. The study of the lexeme is based on the principle of gradual “exposing” of the root:
1. Let's determine from which lexeme and in what way the given word arose;
2. Separate the stem from the ending;
3. Remove the prefix from the lexeme;
4. Select the suffix;
5. Let's find the root.
This method of parsing seems to be more productive, because, understanding how a word is formed, it is much easier to discern word-forming morphemes in it - prefixes and suffixes. This is for lovers of morphemics and word formation a test for the skill of synchronous analysis of the composition of a word and its etymology.
How to do derivational parsing?
Research takes place according to the scheme:
1. Let's name the part of speech to which the word refers;
2. Let's select lexemes close in form and meaning to it, make a chain in which it is clear from which word our object comes from;
3. Let's find a means of word formation: the lexeme appeared with the help of a suffix, a prefix, their simultaneous use, or in other known ways.
4. Let us indicate what processes (if any) accompanied word formation: alternation of consonants, interfixation by connecting vowels, stem truncation.
When working on the composition and origin of lexemes, one should not forget about aspect linguistic dictionaries specializing in word formation andmorphemic structure of words.
