Question

What are the smallest units of meaning in words? (breaking up compound words is an example)

Answer 1

Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in words, and they can be free-standing or bound to other morphemes, especially in the formation of compound words like 'blackbird' and 'dogcatcher'.

Step-by-step explanation:

The smallest units of meaning in words are called morphemes. These include both free morphemes, which can stand alone as words (like "black" and "bird" in "blackbird"), and bound morphemes, which cannot stand alone and must be attached to other morphemes (like prefixes and suffixes). In the example of compound words such as "blackbird" and "dogcatcher", the individual stems ("black" + "bird", "dog" + "catcher") are free morphemes that are combined to form a single word with a new meaning.

Answer 2

Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in words, which can be standalone words or parts of compound words.

Step-by-step explanation:

The smallest units of meaning in words are known as morphemes. These include both individual words that can stand alone, like "book", and affixes like prefixes or suffixes that modify the meaning of words, such as "un-" in "unhappy". In compound words, like "blackbird" or "dogcatcher", each part of the compound also has meaning; "black" and "bird" each have their own semantic value, and when combined, they create a new word with a related, but distinct, meaning.