Morpheme - Revision history

Wohlgemuth: /* Polysemy */

2024-06-06T06:44:39Z

Polysemy

Hartmut Haberland: /* Reference */

2018-09-13T16:42:16Z

Reference

Hartmut Haberland: /* Reference */

2018-09-13T16:39:51Z

Reference

NBlöcher: /* Other languages */

2014-07-13T16:51:11Z

Other languages

Wohlgemuth: + utrecht

2009-02-17T19:14:00Z

+ utrecht

New page

A '''morpheme''' is the smallest meaning-bearing unit of language. The term thus refers to the smallest component of a word that (a) seems to contribute some sort of meaning, or a grammatical function to the word to which it belongs, and (b) cannot itself be decomposed into smaller morphemes.

===Examples===
''Kangaroo'' is one morpheme. ''Kangaroos'' is two morphemes, ''kangaroo'' and plural ''-s''. The ''-s'' expresses the meaning 'many' or 'more than one' in this example.

===Polysemy===
''Morpheme'' may also be used for 'grammatical morpheme', see [[morpheme (i.e. grammatical morpheme)]].

===Synonym===
*[[moneme]] (Martinet)

===Origin===
The term ''morpheme'' was coined by [[Jan Baudouin de Courtenay]] in c. 1880. It is based on Greek ''morph-'' 'form' and the suffix -eme, on the analogy of the term ''phoneme''. See Mugdan (1986) for detailed discussion.

===Controversy===
The concept "morpheme" is not uncontroversial. A number of linguists dispute the explanatory power of the morpheme as a theoretical construct, and also dispute the notion that the morpheme has any psychological reality (cf. Bochner). Consider, for example, the following singular~plural pairs in English: "kangaroo"~"kangaroos"; "mouse"~"mice"; "child"~"children"; "sheep"~"sheep"; "person"~"people".

===related terms===
*[[formative]]
*[[morph]]
*[[amorphous]]

===Reference===
Mugdan, Joachim. 1986. Was ist eigentlich ein Morphem?

=== Links ===

[http://www2.let.uu.nl/UiL-OTS/Lexicon/zoek.pl?lemma=Morpheme&lemmacode=562 Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics]

===Other languages===
German [[Morphem]] Spanish [[morfema]] Chinese [[语素]] Russian [[морфема]]

{{dc}}
[[Category:Morphology]]

Russky1802: added russian term

2008-07-06T04:07:54Z

added russian term

Luo: /* Other languages */

2008-06-15T18:07:02Z

Other languages

Haspelmath at 12:17, 11 January 2008

2008-01-11T12:17:28Z

Haspelmath at 12:16, 11 January 2008

2008-01-11T12:16:07Z

Haspelmath at 12:15, 11 January 2008

2008-01-11T12:15:46Z

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ===Reference===
-Mugdan, Joachim. 1986. Was ist eigentlich ein Morphem? Was ist eigentlich ein Morphem? In: Zeitschrift für Phonetik,
+Mugdan, Joachim. 1986. Was ist eigentlich ein Morphem? In: ''Zeitschrift für Phonetik, Sprachwissenschaft und Kommunikationsforschung'' 39(1): 29–43.
 === Links ===

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 ===Polysemy===
-''Morpheme'' may also be used for 'grammatical morpheme', see [[morpheme (i.e. grammatical morpheme)]].
+''Morpheme'' may also be used for 'grammatical morpheme', see [[grammatical morpheme]].
 ===Synonym===

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 ===Other languages===
-German [[Morphem]] Spanish [[morfema]] Chinese [[语素]] Russian [[морфема]]
+*German [[Morphem]] <br>
 {{dc}}
 [[Category:Morphology]]

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 ===Origin===
 The term ''morpheme'' was coined by [[Jan Baudouin de Courtenay]] in c. 1880. It is based on Greek ''morph-'' 'form' and the suffix -eme, on the analogy of the term ''phoneme''. See Mugdan (1986) for detailed discussion.
 ===Reference===

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:15, 11 January 2008
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	A morpheme is the smallest unit of language ~~that holds meaning~~.	+	A '''morpheme''' is the smallest meaning -bearing unit of language.

−	~~For example;~~ '~~kangaroo~~' is one morpheme.'Kangaroos' is two morphemes, 'kangaroo' and '~~plural~~-s'. The s ~~holds~~ the meaning 'many' or 'more than one' in this example.	+	===Examples===
		+	''Kangaroo'' is one morpheme. ''Kangaroos'' is two morphemes, ''kangaroo'' and plural ''-s''. The ''-s'' expresses the meaning 'many' or 'more than one' in this example.
		+
		+	===Polysemy===
		+	''Morpheme'' may also be used for 'grammatical morpheme', see [[morpheme (i.e. grammatical morpheme)]].
		+
		+	===Synonym===
		+	*[[moneme]] (Martinet)
		+
		+	===Origin===
		+	The term ''morpheme'' was coined by Jan Baudouin de Courtenay in c. 1880. It is based on Greek ''morph-'' 'form' and the suffix -eme, on the analogy of the term ''phoneme''. See Mugdan (1986) for detailed discussion.
		+
		+	===Reference===
		+	Mugdan, Joachim. 1986. Was ist eigentlich ein Morphem?
		+
		+	===Other languages===
		+	German Morphem Spanish morfema
		+
		+	{{dc}}
		+	[[Category:Morphology]]