PAPER

MORPHOSYNTAX
LINGUISTIC
LECTURER :
AHMAD RIPAI RANGKUTY, S.Pd, M.Hum
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BY :
GROUP V
1. RUKIAH HASIBUAN
2. SODIKIN SIREGAR
3. SARINA NASUTION

PROGRAM STUDY PENDIDIKAN BAHASA INGGRIS

SEKOLAH TINGGI KEGURUAN DAN ILMU PENDIDIKAN
PADANG LAWAS
TAHUN AKADEMIK 2024 /2025
 PREFACE

First of all, thanks to Allah SWT because of the help of Allah, writer finished writing
the paper entitled "Morphosyntax" right in the calculated time. The purpose in writing this paper
is to fulfill the assignment that given by Mr. Ahmad Ripai Rangkuty, S.Pd, M.Hum as lecturer.
In arranging this paper, the writer trully get lots challenges and obstructions but with
help of many indiviuals, those obstructions could passed. writer also realized there are still
many mistakes in process of writing this paper.Because of that, the writer says thank you to all
individuals who helps in the process of writing this paper. Hopefully Allah replies all helps and
bless you all. The writer realized tha this paper still imperfect in arrangment and the content.
then the writer hope the criticism from the readers can help the writer in perfecting the next
paper.last but not the least Hopefully.

Sibuhuan, 03 Desember 2024

Group V

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 LIST OF CONTENTS

PREFACE .................................................................................................................................. i
LIST OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................ii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1
A. Background Of The Morphosyntax ................................................................................ 1
B. Formulation Of The Morphosynntax .............................................................................. 1
C. Purpose............................................................................................................................ 1
CHAPTER II DISCUSSION .................................................................................................. 3
A. Defenition Of Morphosyntax .......................................................................................... 3
B. The Connection Between Morphology And Syntax .......................................................... 4
C. Understanding Morphosyntax In English Language ......................................................... 5
D. Morphosyntax Analysis Techniques ................................................................................. 6
E. Features Of Morphosyntax ............................................................................................... 7
CHAPTER III CLOSING ....................................................................................................... 8
A. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 8
B. Suggestion ....................................................................................................................... 8
REFERENCE ........................................................................................................................... 9

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 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. Background Of The Morphosyntax

Morphosyntax investigates how morphological features, such as inflections or

word forms, affect sentence structure and meaning. Morphosyntactic analysis is crucial
for understanding the grammatical structure of languages and how they convey
information through the combination of words and their forms within sentences.
Morphosyntax is a fancy word that describes how the way words are formed and
changed can affect the meaning of sentences. . This type of analysis helps us understand
how different languages work and how they use words to communicate ideas. For
example, in English we add an "s" to the end of verbs when talking about something
that someone else does (like "he runs" instead of just "run"). By understanding these
little changes, we can better understand how sentences are put together and what they
mean. Morphosyntax is a subfield that examines the interplay between morphology (the
study of word structure, including inflections and word forms) and syntax (the study of
sentence structure).
Morphosyntax is a fancy word that describes how words are put together to
make sentences. It is made up of two parts: morphology and syntax. Morphology is the
study of how words are formed, including things like adding -ed to make a verb past
tense or changing a noun from singular to plural by adding -s.

B. Formulation Of The Morphosynntax

1. What is the Definition Morphosyntax?

2. What is the connection between morphology and syntax?
3. Why do we have to understanding morphosyntax in english language?
4. What are the morphosyntax analysis techniques?
5. What are the features of morphosyntax?

C. Purpose

1. To add knowledge about definition of morphosyntax

2. Knowing the connection between morphology and syntax
3. Understanding abaout morphosyntax in english language

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4. To know what are the morphosyntax analysis techniques
5. To know what are the features of morphosyntax

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 CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION

A. Defenition Of Morphosyntax

When we talk about morphosyntax, we refer to the study of the interplay between

morphology and syntax in a given language. This area of linguistics focuses on understanding

how words are formed, their internal structure, and the rules governing how they interact within

sentences, morphosyntax plays a vital role in determining various aspects of word and sentence

structure. By examining morphosyntax in English, we can identify key features and concepts that

contribute to the language's grammar and overall structure.

Morphosyntax is a branch of linguistics that examines the combination of

morphological and syntactic components in language structure. Morphology is the study of word

formation, while syntax is the study of sentence structure. Therefore, morphosyntax is concerned

with the relationship between word structure and sentence construction. In summary,

morphosyntax is a complex field that combines the analysis of words and sentence structure. By

examining the morphology and syntax of a language, we can better understand how words are

formed, how they relate to each other, and how they function within sentences. The following

are the morphological components and syntactic components:

1. Morphological Component
The morphological component of morphosyntax deals with understanding morphemes,
the smallest units of meaning in a language. These morphemes can be further classified into
two types:
• Free morphemes: These are the individual words that can stand alone and make sense
without the need for any additional morphemes. For example, "book", "house", and
"walk".
• Bound morphemes: These are the units of meaning that cannot stand alone and need to be
attached to a free morpheme in order to create a meaningful word. Examples include

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 prefixes (e.g., "un-", "dis-"), suffixes (e.g., "-ing", "-ed"), and infixes (inserted within a
word).

Word formation processes, including inflection and derivation, are fundamental

morphological concepts. Inflection is the process of changing a word's form without altering
its core meaning, such as adding a suffix to indicate tense (e.g., "walk" to "walked").
Derivation, on the other hand, is the process of creating a new word by adding a morpheme,
often resulting in a change in both form and meaning (e.g., "happy" to "unhappy").

2. Syntatic Component
The syntactic component of morphosyntax deals with the arrangement of words and phrases
in a sentence. Syntactic rules determine the order of words in a sentence and the relationships
between them. To achieve a clear understanding of syntax, we need to familiarize ourselves
with some key concepts:

• Phrase structure: Sentences are composed of hierarchically organized groups of words

called phrases. Phrases function as units within a sentence, such as verb phrases (VPs),
noun phrases (NPs), and prepositional phrases (PPs).

• Constituency: Words and phrases within a sentence are grouped together based on their
syntactic relationships. These groups are known as constituents.

• Dependency: The relationship between a head (the central element) and its dependents
(words or phrases that provide additional information about the head) in a sentence.

• Agreement: Grammatical features such as tense, number, gender, or case must correspond
between different elements of a sentence.

An essential aspect of syntactic analysis is determining the proper word order for a
given language. For example, in English, the basic word order is subject-verb-object (SVO),
whereas in Japanese, it is subject-object-verb (SOV). In some languages, word order may be
more flexible, allowing for variations depending on context or emphasis.

B. The Connection Between Morphology And Syntax

Morphology and syntax are two major components of linguistic analysis. They interact
with each other in various ways to create meaningful expressions:

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 • Morphological processes, such as inflection and derivation, help to create and modify
words, which are then arranged according to syntactic rules to form phrases and sentences.

• Syntactic structure and rules may influence the choice and form of morphemes in a
sentence, as some grammatical constructions require specific inflections or derivations to
convey meaning correctly.

• In some languages, word order and sentence structure may be determined by

morphological features, demonstrating a strong link between morphology and syntax. For
example, in highly inflected languages, word order may be more flexible, as the
relationships between words are indicated through inflections rather than a strict word
order.

An understanding of the connection between morphology and syntax is crucial for

linguistic analysis. It allows us to delve deeper into the intricacies of a language and make sense of
its rules and structure.

C. Understanding Morphosyntax In English Language

In the English language, morphosyntax plays a vital role in determining various aspects
of word and sentence structure. By examining morphosyntax in English, we can identify key
features and concepts that contribute to the language's grammar and overall structure. English
morphology involves the use of various morphemes, such as prefixes, suffixes, and infixes, to
form words. For instance, we can add the prefix "un-" to the adjective "happy" to form the
adjective "unhappy," demonstrating the use of morphological processes to create new words.
Syntactic rules in English dictate the order of words and phrases within sentences. A fundamental
aspect of English syntax is the word order of subject-verb-object (SVO).
This basic word order is essential for understanding English sentence structure and how it relates
to morphosyntax. The morphosyntax in English also involves agreement features, including:

• Tense agreement: Verbs must agree in tense with their subjects and objects, e.g., "She
walks (present tense) to the park," versus "She walked (past tense) to the park."

• Number agreement: Nouns and pronouns must agree in number, e.g., "The dog (singular)
plays in the park," versus "The dogs (plural) play in the park."

• Person agreement: Verbs must agree in person with their subjects, e.g., "I (first person)
am happy," versus "You (second person) are happy."

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 These agreement features showcase the link between morphological and syntactic
components in English: morphemes, such as verb inflections for tense, are used to ensure syntax
conforming to the rules of the language. Furthermore, functional categories like auxiliaries,
determiners, and pronouns play a crucial role in linking morphology and syntax in English
sentences. For example, auxiliaries are used for tense and aspect marking, determiners help
specify noun phrases, and pronouns replace nouns to maintain agreement features. By
understanding the role of morphemes and syntactic structures in English, we can better
comprehend how morphosyntax contributes to the formation and structure of meaningful
expressions in the language.

D. Morphosyntax Analysis Techniques

Analysing morphosyntax involves various techniques that can elucidate the relationships
between word parts and sentence structures. These methods can be employed effectively in
different contexts within linguistics to explore morphosyntax in-depth:

1. Segmentation: A fundamental step in morphosyntax analysis involves segmenting the

words in a sentence into individual morphemes. This process enables you to first identify
the distinct elements in a word's structure, then examine the morphological processes
(inflection, derivation) that modify word forms.
2. Parse tree construction: Parse trees, also known as syntax trees, offer a graphical
representation of the syntactic structure of a sentence. They highlight constituency and
hierarchical relationships between phrases and facilitate the understanding of the sentence
grammatical construction. The construction of parse trees is a crucial technique in
morphosyntax analysis, particularly when examining the syntax within a sentence.
3. Feature analysis: Investigating morphological and syntactical features like tense, number,
case, gender, and agreement is an essential morphosyntax analysis technique. It enables
you to examine the ways these features interact with each other in word and sentence
construction, shedding light on the grammar rules governing a language.
4. Transformational grammar: Transformational grammar, introduced by Noam Chomsky,
is a theoretical framework that aims to describe the deep structure and surface structure of
a sentence. It focuses on the transformations that occur between these structures, providing
insights into the underlying principles of syntax and the links between morphology and
syntax in a language.

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 5. Contrastive analysis: When evaluating morphosyntax across various languages,
contrastive analysis becomes an indispensable technique. By comparing morphological
and syntactic structures of different language systems, we can identify similarities,
differences, and perhaps even find evidence for universal grammar principles.

Morphosyntax analysis techniques help break down the complex interplay of morphology
and syntax, revealing the rules and principles that govern language structures. By using these
methods, linguists can better understand the intricacies of word and sentence formation and
elucidate grammatical rules in various languages. In conclusion, morphosyntax analysis
techniques are essential tools for exploring the interplay between words and sentence structures
in a language. By employing segmentation, parse tree construction, feature analysis,
transformational grammar, and contrastive analysis, we can gain a comprehensive understanding
of the morphological and syntactic principles that underlie language formation and structure.
These techniques allow linguists to delve deeper into language rules, thereby providing a robust
foundation for understanding and analysing language in a more meaningful and insightful manner.

E. Features Of Morphosyntax

When studying morphosyntax, certain features are of particular importance. Some of

these features include:
Feature Description
Indicates the time at which an action or event takes place (past, present, or
Tense
future).
Reflects the temporal structure of an event or action, focusing on its beginning,
Aspect
duration, or completion.
Indicates the speaker's attitude or judgment about an action or event, expressing
Mood
possibility, necessity, or obligation.
Denotes the quantity of items or entities being referred to (singular, plural, or
Number
another quantity, depending on the language).
Assigns nouns to classes or categories, often related to sex (masculine,
Gender
feminine, or neuter, for example).
Shows the grammatical relationships between words, indicating the role a word
Case
plays in a sentence (e.g., subject, object).

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 CHAPTER III
CLOSING
A. Conclusion
Morphosyntax is a linguistic field that combines morphological and syntactic components,
focusing on word structure and sentence construction and morphosyntax plays a significant role
in speech pathology, helping language professionals set goals for effective speech therapy.
Techniques for morphosyntax intervention in speech therapy include explicit instruction,
structured practice, visual aids and scaffolding.

B. Suggestion
Similarly, we can describe the material that is the subject of this paper, of course, there
are still many shortcomings and weaknesses, because they lack the knowledge and the lack of
reference or the reference has to do with the title of this paper.
Author much hope dear readers, providing constructive criticism and suggestions for
the perfect paper to the author in the writing of the paper in the next opportunities. Hopefully
this paper is useful for writers in particular are also dear readers in general. Such review this
time, may be useful for you and also inspire.

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 REFERENCE

Saputri, N. L. (2018). Morphological and Syntactical Error Analysis on The Students’

Descriptive Composition of Private Vocational High School. Scope : Journal of English
Language Teaching, 1(02), 174.
Rescorla, L., & Turner, H. L. (2015). JSLHR Research Article Morphology and Syntax
in Late Talkers.
Akmajian, Adrian, Richard A. Demers and Robert M. Harnish. (1984). Linguistics: An
Introduction to Language and Communication. London: The MIT Press.
Muis ba’dulu Abdul. 2010. Morphosyntax. Makassar: badan penerbit UNM
Andriyani, E. (2018). Syntax: Sentences. Retrieved April 28, 2019, from Slide Share.