Final answer:
The correct statement is that a morpheme is the smallest linguistic unit with meaning. Morphemes, including prefixes and suffixes, are key components in word formation. Compound words are generally formed by two lexical items, and words are formed through processes like assimilation and simple addition.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Word Formation in English
In relation to word formation, the correct statement is that a morpheme is defined as the smallest linguistic unit that has meaning. Morphemes are the building blocks of words, combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Contrary to one of the options, compound words are generally formed by combining two lexical items, as in the examples of blackbird or dogcatcher. Another example, the word 'postman' is not a result of using the prefix 'post' to mean after, but rather it is a compound word combining 'post' (related to mail) with 'man'. The suffix is a part of the word that comes after the base or stem, not before. In complex word formation, when prefixes such as ad-, com-, or in- are added to stems that start with certain letters, they may undergo assimilation to better fit pronunciation patterns, resulting in words like adventure and actual.
One example of suffixes being added to a stem can be seen with the word formation of gallery plus i plus es, which results in the word 'galleries', where the letters 'ie' spell the sound [ē]. Similarly, 'hurries', 'marries', 'studies', and 'varies' demonstrate the same suffix addition, with 'ie' representing the [ē] sound.
Words may also be formed through simple addition, such as when prefixes like dis- or mis- are added to stems starting with 's' to form words with double 'ss', and in compound words where consecutive identical letters are the result of combining two words. Moreover, when certain prefixes are added to stems that begin with 'r', they assimilate to ar-, cor-, and ir- for smooth pronunciation.