With examples highlight the main arguements in lexical morphology theory ?

1. Word formation processes: Lexical morphology theory argues that words are formed through various processes such as affixation, compounding, and conversion. For example, in English, the word "unhappiness" is formed by adding the prefix "un-" to the base word "happiness."

2. Productivity: Lexical morphology theory suggests that certain word formation processes are more productive than others. For example, affixation is a highly productive process in English, as new words can easily be created by adding prefixes or suffixes to existing words.

3. Morpheme structure: Lexical morphology theory emphasizes the importance of morphemes, which are the smallest units of meaning in a language. For example, in the word "unhappiness," the morphemes are "un-," "happy," and "-ness."

4. Lexical storage: Lexical morphology theory argues that words are stored in the mental lexicon as whole units, rather than as a collection of individual morphemes. This is supported by the fact that irregular words, such as "goose" and "children," are stored and retrieved as whole units, rather than being decomposed into their constituent morphemes.

5. Morphological rules: Lexical morphology theory posits that there are specific rules governing how morphemes can be combined to form words. For example, in English, the plural form of a noun is typically formed by adding the suffix "-s" or "-es" to the base word.

Overall, lexical morphology theory provides a framework for understanding how words are formed and stored in a language, and how morphological processes contribute to the richness and complexity of the lexicon.

Main Arguments in Lexical Morphology Theory

Argument 1: Words are composed of irreducible units (morphemes).

- Example: The word "unbreakable" can be broken down into three morphemes: "un-" (negative prefix), "break" (root), and "-able" (suffix indicating capability). Each morpheme has its own meaning and cannot be further decomposed.

Argument 2: Morphemes have a fixed order of arrangement.

- Example: In English, the negative prefix "un-" always comes before the root, as in "unfair" or "unhappy." The order of morphemes is not arbitrary and cannot be changed without altering the meaning of the word.

Argument 3: Morphemes are stored as wholes in the mental lexicon.

- Example: When we read the word "book," we instantly recognize it as a unit, not as a combination of its individual phonemes (/b/, /u/, /k/). This suggests that words are stored in the lexicon as complete units rather than as their component parts.

Argument 4: Morphological rules are highly restricted and language-specific.

- Example: In English, the plural suffix "-s" can be added to regular nouns (e.g., "dog" > "dogs"), but not to irregular nouns (e.g., "mouse" > "mice"). This restriction is language-specific and cannot be explained by general principles of grammar.

Argument 5: Morphological patterns exhibit productivity and creativity.

- Example: The suffix "-able" can be added to many verbs to create adjectives indicating capability (e.g., "readable," "teachable"). This pattern is productive and allows speakers to create new words as needed. Additionally, morphological creativity allows for the coinage of novel words, such as "brunch" (breakfast + lunch).

Argument 6: Morphological analysis is sensitive to context and usage.

- Example: The word "run" can have different morphemic analyses depending on its context. In "John is running," it is a verb in its present participle form ("run" + "-ing"), while in "a baseball run," it is a noun referring to a series of scores ("run").