What is morphology in language?

What is morphology in language?

• A. The study of sentence structure.
• B. The smallest units of meaning in words.
• C. The sounds of speech.
• D. The arrangement of words in a sentence.

Answer: (B)

Morphology looks at the structure of words and how they are formed from meaningful parts called morphemes. Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in words—some can stand alone, like “cat” or “play,” while others must attach to a base, such as prefixes “un-” or suffixes “-ed,” “-ing,” or “-s.” By breaking words into morphemes, you can see how meaning changes with different endings and prefixes, like how “dog” becomes “dogs” to show plural, or how “unhappiness” adds negation and a state. This focus is different from sounds of speech (phonology) and from how words are put together in sentences (syntax).

Morphology looks at the structure of words and how they are formed from meaningful parts called morphemes. Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in words—some can stand alone, like “cat” or “play,” while others must attach to a base, such as prefixes “un-” or suffixes “-ed,” “-ing,” or “-s.” By breaking words into morphemes, you can see how meaning changes with different endings and prefixes, like how “dog” becomes “dogs” to show plural, or how “unhappiness” adds negation and a state. This focus is different from sounds of speech (phonology) and from how words are put together in sentences (syntax).