INTRODUCTION TO
MORPHOLOGY AND
SYNTAX
Lecture by Ms. Sana Urooj
MORPHOLOGY
• Morphology is the study of the structure and formation of
words. It looks at how smaller units of meaning (called
morphemes) combine to form words.
• In linguistics, morphology is the study of the internal
structure of words and how they are formed by combining
smaller meaningful units called morphemes. It examines
the various forms of words and how they change to
express grammatical information, such as number or
tense (inflection), or to create new words (derivation).
MORPHOLOGY
Key Concepts
Morpheme: The smallest meaningful unit in a language.
Example: un-happy (two morphemes: un- = “not” + happy).
- Types of Morphemes:
• Free morphemes: Can stand alone as words (e.g., book,
run, happy).
• Bound morphemes: Cannot stand alone; they attach to
other morphemes (e.g., -s, -ed, un-, re-).
BRANCHES OF
MORPHOLOGY
- Inflectional Morphology: Changes the form of a word to
express grammatical features such as tense, number,
case, or degree. Example: walk → walked, cat → cats.
- Derivational Morphology: Creates new words by adding
prefixes or suffixes, often changing word class or
meaning. Example: happy → happiness, play → replay.
IMPORTANCE OF
MORPHOLOGY
It helps in learning relationships between words, including
how they sound, how they're spelled, and what their
morphological structure is, contributes to vocabulary
knowledge as well as reading comprehension.
- Helps us understand word formation.
- Explains why words change form in different contexts.
- Provides the foundation for vocabulary building.
SYNTAX
Syntax is the arrangement of words and phrases in a specific
order, shaping meaning and impact
Syntax is the study of how words combine to form phrases,
clauses, and sentences. It deals with the rules of sentence
structure.
In linguistics, syntax is the set of rules that governs how
words, phrases, and clauses are combined to form well-
structured, meaningful sentences
KEY CONCEPTS:
1. Phrase: A group of words that function as a single unit in a sentence.
Example: the tall man (noun phrase), very quickly (adverb phrase).
2. Clause: A group of words with a subject and predicate. Example: She
runs fast (independent clause), because she was late (dependent
clause).
3. Sentence: A complete structure expressing a thought. Example: The
child is playing outside.
4. Word Order: English generally follows SVO (Subject–Verb–Object).
Example: She (S) eats (V) an apple (O).
5. - Syntactic Functions: Subject, Predicate, Object, Complement,
Adverbial modifiers.
IMPORTANCE
Syntax is vital in linguistics because it provides the rules
for arranging words into meaningful sentences, making
language clear, understandable, and effective for
communication.
- Ensures clarity and correctness in communication.
- Explains how the same words can create different
meanings depending on order/structure.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
SYNTAX AND MORPHOLOGY
Morphology deals with word-internal structure, while Syntax deals
with sentence-level structure.
They work together:
- Morphology provides the correct word forms for syntax.
- Syntax arranges those words into meaningful sentences.
Example:
- Morphology: cats (plural form)
- Syntax: The cats are playing outside
SUMMARY
• Morphology = word formation (study of morphemes,
inflection, derivation).
• Syntax = sentence formation (study of rules for
combining words).
• Together, they form the backbone of grammar in any
language.
THANK YOU.
