Parts of speech: Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar

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MORPHOLOGYMORPHOLOGY

2012 2012 –– Term Term 1 1

By:

Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar

http://SBANJAR.kau.edu.sa/

http://wwwdrshadiabanjar.blogspot.com

Parts of speech:Form-Classes

11/17/20111

12

Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar

• Parts of speech are labels for

categories in which words are usually

placed.

• Words can be categorized according to

how they work within phrases, clauses

PARTS OF SPEECH

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how they work within phrases, clauses

or sentences.

• Traditionally, they are known as parts

of speech. In modern linguistics, they

are known as word classes.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

• Early in the 1540, the Latin grammar

written in English by William Lyly was

published in 1540.

• eight parts of speech was introduced:

� nouns � adverbs


� nouns

� pronouns

�Verbs

�participles

DECLINED

� adverbs

�Conjunctions

�Prepositions

�interjections

UNDECLINED

HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDcont.,

• In1640, Ben Jonson introduced: English

Grammar.

•Jonson followed the Latin Parts of speech.

• by the 1760s, the participles had been


• by the 1760s, the participles had been

dropped.

•Lowth chose these parts of speech:

nouns, adjectives, pronouns, verbs,

adverbs, prepositions, and interjections.


• In 1795, Murray’s English Grammar

was introduced.

• Murray adopted the eight parts of

speech of Lowth, to which he added the


speech of Lowth, to which he added the

articles.

•These parts of speech are: articles,

nouns, adjectives, pronouns, verbs,

adverbs, prepositions, and

interjections.


•Traditional English grammars assign

class membership following Latin-derived

definitions of parts of speech.

• several problems are raised as the

definitions of the traditional parts of


definitions of the traditional parts of

speech are based on two different

criteria.

•The definitions of nouns and verbs are

based on meaning while the rest are

based on function.


Example:

1. ‘a red shirt’: The word red is the

name of a colour and hence is a

noun, but it modifies the noun shirt and hence is an adjective.


and hence is an adjective.

• Therefore: we have to set up a

more elaborate yet workable set of

word classes: formal classes and

functional/structural classes.

Parts of speechParts of speech may be classified into three groups:

1-The form-classes: These are: nouns, verbs,adjectives, adverbs. The term form-class is used because membership in a class is determined by the form of a word.

2-The positional-classes: There are four main


2-The positional-classes: There are four main positional classes: nominal, verbal, adjectival, and adverbial. Membership in these classes is determined by position or word order.

3-The structure-classes: such as prepositions and auxiliaries. The structure classes are small, stable, and closed.

•The inflectional or derivational morphology

determines the membership of words to parts of

speech or form classes:

1. nouns

2. Verbs

Form Classes


2. Verbs

3. adjectives

4. adverbs

• Form classes are large and open as they readily

admit new members, e.g. workaholic, minibus.

A. Nouns

Nouns are identified as nouns by two aspects of form:

1. inflectional morphemes, and

2. derivational morphemes.


2. derivational morphemes.

• The inflectional morphemes are:

A- the noun plural {-s pl} ,and

B- the noun possessive {-s ps}.

e.g. The author seems tired•‘author’ is a noun because it can be change to the plural in the same position,with the readjustment of seems to the plural form seem:

Nounscont.,


plural form seem:�The authors seem tired.• But in the sentence: � Her brother may author a new biography.•‘author’ cannot be made plural and hence is not a noun.

• Nouns may have only a plural form, e.g. clothes,

goods, pants, oats, scissors, glasses.

• Nouns are also identified by certain derivational

suffixes, e.g. The -ity suffix added to an adjective

as in the noun ‘purity’.

Nounscont.,


as in the noun ‘purity’.

•Although the use of inflectional suffixes is a

practical tool for noun identification, derivational

suffixes cannot be neglected.

•Some words are never inflected: e.g. drainage,

manhood, nourishment.

B.VerbsB.Verbs

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

stem present thirdperson singular

present participle

Past Tense Past Participle

rise rises rising rose risen

• Verbs have five different inflectional forms:

•Any word that has three or more of these


•Any word that has three or more of these

inflectional forms is said to belong to the form-

class called the verb .For example, cut has the

minimum of three forms: cut, cuts, cutting.

•Derivational suffixes that help identify verbs

are few; e.g. solidify, strengthen, colonize.

C. Adjectives

• A word that is inflected with –er

and –est and that is capable of

forming adverbs with –ly and or

nouns with –ness is called an

adjective.


adjective.

• We can usually identify adjectives

by derivational suffixes alone; e.g.

cultural, readable, reddish.

D. Adverbs

• The adverb has four suffixes:

� the derivational suffixes –ly, -wise, -ward, and –s .

� the free form like.

• Words consisting of: a source noun+-ward


Words consisting of: a source noun+-wardare at home in the positions of both adjectives and adverbs, as in:

1-The earthward drop of the parachutist was spectacular. ( adjective position).

2-As she stepped out the plane door and parachuted earthward. (adverb position).

• There are a few words that do not allow or do not

have inflectional or derivational suffixes to be used

with them. These words are referred to as

‘nonsuffixing forms’ or ‘uninflected words’.

Examples:

NOTICE


Examples:

1. Words traditionally called nouns e.g. tennis

2. Words traditionally called adverbs e.g. never

3. Words traditionally called adjectives e.g. only

4. Most words in structure classes e.g. the, must,

from, and.

11/17/201117Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar

Education

Parts of speech: Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar