In Section 3.3, we discussed the meanings (or lack thereof)...

Name: Problem 6, Chapter 3: Introducing Morphology
Uploaded: 2020-04-30T23:15:03-08:00
Duration: 27 s
Channel: Amy Jiang
Description: In Section 3.3, we discussed the meanings (or lack thereof) of bases like ceive, -mit, and -port, but not the meanings of the prefixes with which they combine. Consider the prefixes re- and de-in words like report, deport, receive, deceive, remit, and demit. Do these seem to be the same prefixes as the re- and de-in rewash, rewind, reload or debug, de-ice, derail? Why or why not?

In Section 3.3, we discussed the meanings (or lack thereof) of bases like ceive, -mit, and -port, but not the meanings of the prefixes with which they combine. Consider the prefixes re- and de-in words like report, deport, receive, deceive, remit, and demit. Do these seem to be the same prefixes as the re- and de-in rewash, rewind, reload or debug, de-ice, derail? Why or why not?

Key Concepts

Affixation

Affixation is the process in which morphemes, like prefixes, are added to a word’s root or base to create a new word with a related meaning. This concept examines whether the added morphemes consistently contribute the same meaning across different words, or if their role shifts depending on the word they are attached to.

Lexicalization

Lexicalization occurs when a word or word part becomes fixed in a language, meaning that its original, transparent semantic relationship between the parts may be lost over time. In many cases, even though a prefix originally has a clear meaning, its contribution in certain lexical items may no longer be semantically evident, making interpretation less straightforward.

Semantic Transparency

Semantic transparency refers to how clearly a compound word’s meaning can be deduced from its individual parts. When words are built from a prefix and a base, the relationship between their meanings can either remain clear or become opaque, which is central in comparing uses of the same prefix in different words.

Morphological Productivity

Morphological productivity is the extent to which a morphological process, like adding a prefix, can generate new words in a language. This concept helps to distinguish between affixes that are actively used to create new words (with predictable meanings) and those whose usage and meaning have become more idiosyncratic or historical in nature.

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