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Glite Dictionary
inflectional morphology

inflectional morphology

9.3
The way word endings change to show tense, number, or case
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈflɛkʃənəl mɔːrˈfɑːlədʒi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : morfología flexional
  • The study of inflectional morphology helps us understand how different languages express grammatical categories.

Examples

  • English inflectional morphology is limited, but the derivation process is richer.

    Academic text (2012)

  • In linguistics, inflectional morphology examines how verbs change form to indicate tense and agreement.

  • Researchers analyze inflectional morphology to determine how noun forms change for pluralization in various languages.

Synonyms

accidence
vsinflectional morphology
  • Specialized
9.9

Part of grammar about how words change for tense, number or case

is the formal academic term used by linguists

Surface Forms

inflectional morphology singular
inflectional morphologies plural

Morphology

inflectional + morphology

The phrase is directly compositional: 'inflectional' (modifications of words to indicate grammatical features) qualifies 'morphology' (the study of word formation), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it concerns how word forms change to mark tense/number/case. This adjective+noun structure and the cross-linguistic presence of an 'inflection' vs. 'derivation' distinction make the meaning transparent.

Etymology

The term inflectional morphology joins the idea of morphology, the basic 'shape' of a word, and inflection, the small endings added to it. Imagine adding a little tail to a word to show 'tense', 'number' or 'case', and you have the picture — that's why it means the way word endings change to show those grammar ideas.