The first part of the book introduces basic concepts, with the help of examples from a range of familiar and exotic languages. The second section highlights particularly important topics, and discusses them in more detail. These include the definition of the word-form, productivity, the vexed problem of inflection versus derivation, and the position of morphology in relation to phonology and syntax. The third section covers major developments in the field: the influence of the abstractness controversy, lexicalist morphology, word-and-paradigm morphology, morphological typology and universals and natural morphology. Finally, the author suggests a direction for future synthesis. There is a glossary of terms and the book features a list of study questions and a self-check exercise.
Description:
The first part of the book introduces basic concepts, with the help of examples from a range of familiar and exotic languages. The second section highlights particularly important topics, and discusses them in more detail. These include the definition of the word-form, productivity, the vexed problem of inflection versus derivation, and the position of morphology in relation to phonology and syntax. The third section covers major developments in the field: the influence of the abstractness controversy, lexicalist morphology, word-and-paradigm morphology, morphological typology and universals and natural morphology. Finally, the author suggests a direction for future synthesis. There is a glossary of terms and the book features a list of study questions and a self-check exercise.