The structure of the language, like a building, is constructed from separate "bricks" - language units that have lexical meaning. These units - morphemes - are also studying a section of linguistics called morphemic. And word formation, as a larger area of linguistics, includes it.
What do the words consist of?
Whatever word we investigate, it consists of morphemes - one or more. For example, in the noun “menu” there is only 1 morpheme - the root, and in the adjective “with / attract / body / body” there are 5 of them: the prefix, root, two suffixes and the ending.
Morphemic (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 the teacher offers the student to parse the word according to the composition, we are talking about the allocation of morphemes from which it is composed. In Russian, there is a root, prefix, suffix, ending.
The root is an obligatory part, without which the words simply cannot be. Some - consist only of a root (adverbs, conjunctions and prepositions, interjections, unchangeable nouns).
A prefix is a word-forming morpheme, it is located in front of the root (on / to run) or in front of another prefix (re / for / to let). She creates tokens with a new meaning.
The suffix is another morpheme that forms new words. It is located after the root (cat / enok, horn / east).
The ending is the part of the word that can change its form, but not the meaning. It is located after the suffix or immediately after the root. Indicates gender, case, number, and other changing characteristics (commemorative meeting).
The semantic foundation
In morphemic and word formation there is the concept of "basis". This component of the verbal structure contains the semantics of the word. The basis is called everything except the ending, which does not carry lexical meaning. For a word without end, the whole token is the basis.
How are words born?
We saw what is the subject of morphemic study. And what is word formation? Firstly, it is the “procedure” of constructing new words, and secondly, the linguistic section that studies this process. And if the systematization of parts of a word and the scheme of morphemic division is a morphemic task, then word formation aims to determine whether a particular word is derived, and if so, from what and how it is formed.
Science knows three ways to create new words:
1. Using word-forming morphemes - the prefix way (think - re / think), suffix (cut - cut / sya) and prefix-suffix (glass - under / glass / nick);
2. The way of operations with the fundamentals is their addition (pipe + wire = pipes / o / wire), reduction of the bases (deputy - deputy) and addition with reduction (the head of the farm is the supply manager).
3. The method of mixing the two above methods, when word-forming morphemes and actions with the basics are used simultaneously. So the word “standard bearer” appeared (banner + wear = banner / e / nose / ets).
Sometimes the word formation of the Russian language and morphemic does not even require a new semantic unit to arise. So there are nouns from participles and adjectives: “commander”, “ice cream”, “control”. From other parts of speech many dialects have sprung.
Now that we’ve figured out what word formation is, let's move on to parsing models.
Two versions of morpheme parsing
In linguistics, there are two approaches to dividing words into morphemes: structural and semantic. The first assumes that after isolating the ending and the base, it is necessary to isolate the root of the word, and then other morphemes.
This method is known to every student:
1. We write out the word from the text without changing its shape;
2. We single out the ending and the foundation: the part that changes when declining or conjugating is the ending, the rest is the foundation. The immutable parts of speech consist only of a foundation.
3. By selecting cognate tokens, we determine the root of the word;
4. Find the prefix or several, if any;
5. Select a suffix or several, if any.
Another way to parse a word by composition does not tear off morphemic division from word-formation analysis. The study of the lexeme is based on the principle of gradual “exposure” of the root:
1. We determine from which token and in what way the word arose;
2. Separate the base from the end;
3. Remove the prefix from the token;
4. Select the suffix;
5. Find the root.
This method of analysis 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 a test for the skill of synchronous analysis of word composition and its etymology for lovers of morphemic and word formation.
How to make word formation analysis?
The study takes place according to the scheme:
1. We name the part of speech to which the word refers;
2. We will select lexemes close in form and meaning to it, compose a chain in which it is clear from which word our object comes from;
3. Find a word-formation tool: the token appeared using the suffix, prefix, their simultaneous use, or other known methods.
4. We indicate which processes (if any) were associated with word formation: alternation of consonants, interfixation with connecting vowels, truncation of the stem.
When working on the composition and origin of lexemes, one should not forget about aspectual linguistic dictionaries specializing in word formation and morpheme structure of words.