Final answer:
The main primary part of a word is the word root, which carries the core meaning, while prefixes and suffixes modify this meaning. Word analysis involves examining changes that occur when components are combined, including effects such as palatalization or simple addition in compound words.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main primary part of the word is the word root. This part of the word carries the core meaning. For example, in the word 'hypertension', 'tension' is the word root that refers to pressure. Prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms are added to word roots to modify their meaning. Prefixes such as 'ad-' or 'dis-' are added at the beginning of the word root, and suffixes such as '-ion' or '-er' are added at the end. Combining forms like 'actual-', derived from 'act', may be used to form words like 'actually' by adding other components such as suffixes ('-ly').
When analyzing words, it is important to recognize where changes occur due to the addition of prefixes and suffixes. For instance, in the word 'digestion', palatalization results in the 't' spelling the [ch] sound due to the combination of 'gest' and the suffix '-ion'. Similarly, analyzing compound words shows how parts are combined through simple addition, as in 'cattail' from 'cat' and 'tail'. Examining the bases 'duce' and 'duct', or 'cede,' 'ceed,' and 'cess' reveals that word stems can also form different parts of speech when combined with different suffixes.
Understanding the structure of words is essential for effective communication and is an integral part of learning in the English language.