24
Introduction to Word-Structun
Morpnemes: ine nmauesi vnus oj Meaning
plays is attributable to the difference in lexical meaning between /boi/ am /g3:17. Likewise, the difference in grammatical function between play-i (present tense) and play-ed (past tense) is responsible for the difference if meaning between The girl plays and The girl played.
DEFINITION: The morpheme is the smallest difference in the shape of I word that correlates with the smallest difference in word or sentenc< meaning or in grammatical structure.
The analysis of words into morphemes begins with the isolation o morphs. A morph is a physical form representing some morpheme in a language. It is a recurrent distinctive sound (phoneme) or sequence o| sounds (phonemes).
Study the data in [2.6] and identify the morphs:
[2.6]   a. I parked the car. e.
b. We parked the car. f.
c. I park the car. g.
d. He parks the car. h.
She parked the car. She parks the car. We park the car. He parked the car.
The morphs are: Morph
/ai/ T /Ti:/ 'she' /hi:/ 'he' /Ö3/ 'the' /ka:/ 'car' /pa:rk/ 'park'
/Xl '-eď /s/ '-s'
Recurs in
[2.6a] and [2.6c] [2.6e] and [2.6f] [2.6d] and [2.6h] in all the examples in all the examples
park is found in all the examples, sometimes with an -el suffix, sometimes with an -s suffix and sometimes on its own
suffixed to park in [2.6b, e, h] suffixed to park in [2.6d, f]
For our next example, we shall perform an analysis similar to the one w« have just done for English on data from a less familiar language. Now studj the data in [2.7] which are taken from Luganda and list all the morphs, (Although Luganda is a tone language, tone is omitted for simplicity's sake as it is not relevant here.)
Ilililaba	kitabo	'we will see a book'
luligula	katabo	'we will buy a little book'
hualaba	bitabo	'they saw books'
lulilaba	butabo	'we will see little books'
hnlilaba	kitabo	'they will see a book'
lulilaba	bitabo	'we will see books'
bautunda	butabo	'they sold little books'
baligula	bitabo	'they will buy books'
buagula	katabo	'they bought a little book'
tutunda	bitabo	'we sell books'
yjjjjj; n. The word meaning 'book' appears in all the sentences but in some it is singular and in others plural.
b. 'Book' sometimes refers to a normal size book, and in other cases to a little book.
0. We have three different verbs. (I. The verbs are in different tenses.
c. The verbs have different subjects.
umwer to [2.7] is given in [2.8].
I'd)   -tabo 'book', tu- 'we', ki- 'singular' (normal size) noun prefix •laba 'see', ba- 'they', bi- 'plural' (normal size) noun prefix -gula 'buy', -li- 'future', ka- 'singular' (small size) noun prefix -tunda 'sell', -a- 'past', bu- 'plural' (small size) noun prefix
In (2,8], each different morph represents a separate morpheme. But this is Mill always the case. Sometimes different morphs may represent the same irplicme. For instance, the past tense of regular verbs in English which is lli'tl cd is realised in speech by /id/, lál or Ixl. The phonological properties mI ilif last segment of the verb to which it is attached determine the choice:
'!   It is realised as:
/id/ if the verb ends in lál or It/ e.g. /mend/ -/mendid/   /pemt/ -/peintid/ 'mend'   'mended'   'paint' 'painted' lál after a verb ending in any voiced sound except lál e.g. /kli:n/ ~ /kli:nd/    /wei/ ~ /weid/
'clean'   'cleaned'   'weigh' 'weighed' It/ after a verb ending in any voiceless consonant other than Ixl e.g. /pa:k/ ~/pa:kt/    /mis/ ~ /mist/ 'park'   'parked'   'miss' 'missed'