Understanding Words and Morphemes: A Clear Explanation with Examples

Word and Morpheme\n\nA word is the smallest unit of language that has meaning and can stand alone as a separate unit in a sentence. It is a combination of one or more morphemes, which are the smallest meaningful units of language. A morpheme cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts without losing its meaning.\n\nTo better understand the difference between words and morphemes, let's consider the word "unhappiness." In this case, there are three morphemes: "un-" (meaning not), "happy" (meaning joyous), and "-ness" (denoting a state or condition). Each of these morphemes contributes to the overall meaning of the word.\n\nNow, let's take the word "dogs." In this example, there is only one morpheme, which is "dog." It is a single, free morpheme that can stand alone and has its own meaning.\n\nTo further illustrate, let's consider the word "unhappily." Here, we have four morphemes: "un-" (meaning not), "happy" (meaning joyous), "-ly" (denoting manner), and "-y" (denoting a state or condition). Although "-ly" and "-y" are both morphemes, "-ly" cannot stand alone as a separate word since it does not have a meaning by itself.\n\nIn conclusion, words are made up of one or more morphemes, with each morpheme carrying its own meaning. The distinction between words and morphemes lies in the ability of morphemes to stand alone and retain their meaning.