Consider the sets of verbs below from Diegueño (Yuman)...

Consider the sets of verbs below from Diegueño (Yuman) (Langdon 1970: $80-7)$ a'ap 'to lay down a long object' aks. 'to of with a kife' a'mar' to sweep' anar 'to lawer a long object, to dyown' aimas 'to cover over a lang object, to buy someone' ail to lay a long object an top of cu'kat 'to bite off' ci'par 'to emit a victory yell' cuikuw 'to bite' cu'ya'y 'to hum' cu'sip 'to smoke' (e.g, a pipe) cu' $k^*$ is 'to chatter (like squirrel)' $\begin{array}{ll}\text { tu'kat. } & \text { 'to at with scissoss or ax, to cut in chunks' } \\ \text { tu'mi] } & \text { 'to hang (small round object)' } \\ \text { tu'po' } & \text { 'to crack acoms' } \\ \text { tu'ul } & \text { 'to put on (egs, a hat)' } \\ \text { tu'mar } & \text { 'to cover over a small object' } \\ \text { tu'pum } & \text { 'to put a round smal object in sur' }\end{array}$ (i) Divide the words above into prefixes and roots and try to assign meanings to each morpheme. (ii) Is the process you see illustrated here one of inflection or derivation? Give evidence to support your answer.

Consider the sets of verbs below from Diegueño (Yuman) (Langdon 1970: $80-7)$
a'ap 'to lay down a long object'
aks.
'to of with a kife'
a'mar'
to sweep'
anar 'to lawer a long object, to dyown'
aimas 'to cover over a lang object, to buy someone'
ail to lay a long object an top of
cu'kat 'to bite off'
ci'par 'to emit a victory yell'
cuikuw 'to bite'
cu'ya'y 'to hum'
cu'sip 'to smoke' (e.g, a pipe)
cu' $k^*$ is 'to chatter (like squirrel)'
$\begin{array}{ll}\text { tu'kat. } & \text { 'to at with scissoss or ax, to cut in chunks' } \\ \text { tu'mi] } & \text { 'to hang (small round object)' } \\ \text { tu'po' } & \text { 'to crack acoms' } \\ \text { tu'ul } & \text { 'to put on (egs, a hat)' } \\ \text { tu'mar } & \text { 'to cover over a small object' } \\ \text { tu'pum } & \text { 'to put a round smal object in sur' }\end{array}$
(i) Divide the words above into prefixes and roots and try to assign meanings to each morpheme.
(ii) Is the process you see illustrated here one of inflection or derivation? Give evidence to support your answer.

Key Concepts

Inflectional Morphology

Inflectional morphology refers to modifications of a word to express grammatical functions such as tense, number, or case without changing its core meaning or creating a new word. The question contrasts this with derivational processes by seeking to determine whether the observed morphological processes merely adjust grammatical features or actively form new lexical items. The evidence provided in the analysis of verb forms helps decide which process is at work.

Roots

Roots are the core morphemes of words that carry the central semantic content. They serve as the base to which affixes like prefixes or suffixes can attach, thereby expanding the range of meanings and grammatical functions. Recognizing roots allows linguists to trace the origin of meanings and identify how additional elements alter or refine that meaning.

Derivational Morphology

Derivational morphology involves the process by which new words are created through the addition of affixes, altering the meaning or grammatical category of the root. This process is central to the study described, as it examines how adding prefixes to a core root produces words with specifically nuanced meanings. Evidence such as changes in semantic content supports the interpretation of these processes as derivational rather than merely inflectional.

Morpheme Segmentation

This concept involves breaking down words into their smallest meaningful units, known as morphemes. By identifying prefixes, roots, and inflections, linguists can determine how meaning is constructed and modified within a language. This analysis is fundamental for understanding the structure of words and how different parts contribute to their overall semantic and grammatical properties.

Prefixes

Prefixes are morphemes attached to the beginning of a root that modify its meaning or create a new word. Their identification in morphological analysis helps reveal systematic patterns in language, such as indicating direction, negation, or other nuanced meanings, which are key to understanding word formation processes.

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