free morpheme
Definition
Noun: A free morpheme is a linguistic unit that carries meaning and can stand alone as an independent word. It does not need to be attached to another morpheme to form a complete, usable word.
Usage
A free morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning that can function independently in a language. It contrasts with a "bound morpheme," which must be attached to another morpheme. - The word "book" is a free morpheme. - In the word "cats," "cat" is a free morpheme, while "-s" is a bound morpheme.
Examples
Advanced Usage
- Contrast with Bound Morpheme: The primary analytical use of the term is to distinguish independent units from dependent ones (like prefixes or suffixes).
- In the word "unhappiness," "happy" is the only free morpheme; "un-" and "-ness" are bound.
Variants and Related Words
- Morpheme (n): The smallest grammatical unit of meaning in a language.
- Bound Morpheme (n): A morpheme that cannot stand alone and must be attached to a free morpheme (e.g., prefixes like "un-", suffixes like "-ing").
- Root (n): The core morpheme of a word, which may be free (as in "play") or bound (as in "ceive" in "receive").
Synonyms
- Free Form: A synonym often used in linguistics.
- Base: When referring to the main part of a word to which affixes are attached, if it can stand alone.
Related Concepts
- Lexeme: The fundamental unit of lexical meaning, which may be a single free morpheme (e.g., "dog") or a combination of morphemes (e.g., "dogs" is one lexeme formed from the free morpheme "dog" and the bound morpheme "-s").
Noun
-
a morpheme that can occur alone
Khám phá thêm
Các từ liên quan
Từ đồng nghĩa