UNIT VI MORPHOPHONEMICS

A.  What is Morphophonemics?

Morphophonemics is a branch of linguistics dealing with various kinds of morphophonemic changes. Morphophonemic changes are phonemic changes when two or more morphemes are combined into a single word.

     In English there are ten types of morphophonemic changes. Each of them is described briefly as follows:

B. Kinds of Morphophonemic Changes

1.    Loss of phoneme

One or more phonemes that are present in the normal allomorph may be missing in another allomorph.

Examples:

{in-} -> /i-/ in irregular, illegal.

{-Z2} -> /-0/ in students’, pianists’.

2.    Addition of phoneme

One phoneme which is not present in the normal allomorph may be added to another allomorph.

           Examples:

a.     The phoneme /-n-/ is added to the normal form of {solemn} pronounced /solem/ in solemnize.

b.    The phoneme /-g-/ is added to the normal form of {long} in {longer} and {longest}.

3.    Consonant change

A consonant changes to another consonant. A very common type of consonant change is voicing, a voiceless consonant changes to a voiced consonant.

Examples:

a.     The phoneme /-0/ is changed into /-th-/ in {paths}

b.    The phoneme /-s-/ is changed to /-z-/ in {resist}. 

4.    Assimilation: A phonemic change which takes place when two morphemes are combined   results in neighbouring phonemes becoming more like each other.

     Examples:

a.     The negative prefix {in-} becomes /im-/ in impossible, imbalance.

b.    The prefix {en-} becomes /em-/ in empower, embitter.

5.    Dissimilation: The dissimilation takes place when two morphemes are combined results in neighbouring phonemes becoming less like each other.

Examples:

The negative prefix {in-} becomes /ig-/ in ignoble, ignominious

6. Synthesis: It is the fusion of two consonants into a single new phoneme.

Examples:

a.     /-t-/ + /-y-/ becomes /-e/ in nature

b.    /-s-/  + /-y-/ becomes /-s-/ in pressure

7. Change of syllabic vowel or diphthong

It is the substitution of another syllabic vowel or diphthong for the one which appears in the normal allomorph.

Examples:

a.     /-e-/ à /-ou-/  in swell becomes swollen.

b.    /-iy-/  -> /-e-/  in please becomes pleasant.

8. Stress shift: It usually happens when a certain affix is added  

      to a word.

    Examples: 

a.     Syntax à syntactic

b.    Linguist à linguistic

9. Gradation: When the process of derivation involves a stress shift; it usually also involves certain types of vowel change.   

 Examples: instrument   à instrumental

                    Refer             à reference

10. Suppletion: It is the occurance of an allomorph completely different in its phonemic structure from the normal form.

Examples: ox + {-Z1} à  oxen

                   Go + {-D1} à went.