MORPHOLOGY November 29, 2011

MINOR WORD CLASSES

Minor word classes have several properties in common:
1. they tend not to alter the basic content of a sentence. For this reason, they have
sometimes been called function or rammatical words.
2. ma!or parts of speech are called content words. "ontent words bear the main semantic
burden in communication.
#hey are the words that you would use to send a te$t messae: Broke. Send money.
Minor words sinal modificational, relational, and interactional aspects of meanin%
conte$tual information% or redundant rammatical information.
"ompare:
a& I am broke, will you please send some money with
b) Broke. Send money.
'ecause they are important for interatin content words into the structural orani(ation of
sentences, minor class words are sometimes referred to as structure words.
)$cept for pronouns, the formal properties of these items do not *in )nlish& include
inflectional or derivational mar+in.
Pronouns
, #hey are ma!or subclass of nouns%
, #hey can have the forms of su!ect case and the forms of o!ect case
, #ypes of pronouns:
a& personal pronouns
b& possessive pronouns
c& refle$ive pronouns
d& reciprocal pronouns
e& relative pronouns
f& demonstrative pronouns
& interroative pronouns
h& indefinite pronouns
, case and numer distinction do not apply to all pronoun types, !ust to personal,
possessive and refle$ive pronouns
, pronouns belon to a closed word class
, morpholoically, pronouns are mostly free morphemes, e$cept those in compounds
e.. anybody, somebody etc., refle$ive pronouns and some interroative *whenever,
wherever, whatever etc.&
Numerals
, they include all numbers, whether as words or diits
, there are two types: cardinal and ordinal
, they can be considered a subclass of nouns because in certain circumstances they can
ta+e plural forms, e.. five twos are ten% he is in his eighties
, they may also ta+e definite article t"e
, if they come before nouns we call them determiners, e.. one day, three paes etc.
, morpholoically, cardinal numerals are free morphemes whereas ordinal numerals
have derivational suffi$es% e.. four,fourt" % or inflectional suffi$es in plural forms
Pre#ositions
, they are invariable in form, they do not ta+e inflections
, they are mostly free morphemes and as such they are called simple prepositions
, comple$ prepositions are considered compounds, e.. according to, instead of,
contrary to, on behalf of
, their typical position is before nouns
, some prepositions are used in verbal form, e.. Following his resignation, the minister
moved to the country.
Con!unctions
, they are used to e$press a connection between words
, dependin on their syntactic status, they can be coordinatin$ con!unctions *and, but,
or& and suordinatin$ con!unctions *because, while, although, before, if &
, correlati%e con!unctions are always used in pairs, e.. both....end, either....or,
neither...nor. Morpholoically, they are compounds.