English Morphological Typology

DENTI, OLGA

2004-01-01

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Abstract

Defining Grammar and its role in the structure of language is not an easy task. In general, grammar is considered to be the language framework or skeleton. The truth is that, when studying grammar, the resulting patterning and relationships are various and complex. Therefore, sometimes people, firstly, look for units (e.g. words, clauses, sentences) in the speech flow, and, secondly, investigate the patterns governing these units. According to the elected unit, we will have different definitions of grammar. Noam Chomsky considers grammar as “a device of some sort for producing the sentences of the language under analysis” (Noam Chomsky in Crystal 1998: 89). Within this broad viewpoint, there are two main positions towards a definition of grammar: one identifies grammar as a branch of language structure, being the others phonology and semantics; the second uses grammar as the general term divided into phonology, syntax and semantics. Morphology is traditionally differentiated from syntax which copes with the rules governing the combination of words in sentences. In Generative Grammar, morphology and syntax are not separated, and the syntactic rules of grammar apply to the structure of words, phrases and sentences. Morphology individually comes out only when we need to represent phonologically the output of the syntactic element. The aim of this study is to analyze English morphological typology. After introducing morphology, it will present the five morphological language types and their features, and thirdly, the English language will be put into context, and its most important morphological attributes will be investigated.