English Vocabulary: Roots, Prefixes and Suffixes

Daniel Byrnes
12 Nov 201409:09
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThis academic lesson is designed for high intermediate to advanced English learners, aiming to equip them with the skills to expand their vocabulary exponentially. It introduces key linguistic concepts such as 'morpheme', 'root', 'affix', and 'word family', explaining how they can be used to create and understand new words. The lesson delves into the distinction between prefixes and suffixes, and the roles of grammatical and derivational suffixes in altering word meanings and forms. By understanding these elements, learners can enhance their language proficiency and fluency.

Takeaways
  • 📚 This lesson is academic and targets high intermediate to advanced English learners.
  • 🔍 The goal is to equip students with the ability to expand their vocabulary exponentially by understanding word structure.
  • 🤔 Key linguistic terms introduced include 'morpheme', 'root', 'affix', 'prefix', 'suffix', 'grammatical suffix', 'derivational suffix', and 'word family'.
  • 🌐 A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit in language, like 'morph-' in 'morpheme' which means shape.
  • 🌿 Roots are standalone words that can be used in sentences without additional elements, such as 'eat'.
  • 🔄 Affixes are added to roots to create new words; prefixes are added to the beginning, and suffixes to the end.
  • 🔧 Multiple affixes can be attached to a single root, expanding the word's meaning and function.
  • 📈 Grammatical suffixes provide additional grammatical information without altering the word's part of speech, like '-s' for plurals.
  • 🔄 Derivational suffixes change a word's part of speech or meaning, such as turning 'quik' into the adverb 'quickly'.
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A word family consists of all the words that can be derived from a single root, enhancing vocabulary and understanding.
Q & A

  • What is the target audience for this lesson?

    -The lesson is intended for high intermediate to advanced students.

  • What is the main goal of this lesson?

    -The main goal is to provide tools for students to expand their vocabulary by understanding how to create new words and decipher unfamiliar ones.

  • What does the term 'morpheme' refer to in linguistics?

    -A morpheme is a group of sounds that is meaningful and can be added to different words while retaining the same meaning.

  • How can you identify separate morphemes in a word?

    -You can identify separate morphemes by observing if they can be added to other words and still carry the same meaning.

  • What are the two types of morphemes used in English?

    -The two types of morphemes used in English are roots and affixes.

  • What is the difference between a prefix and a suffix?

    -A prefix is added to the beginning of a root, while a suffix is added to the end.

  • How do grammatical and derivational suffixes differ?

    -Grammatical suffixes add grammatical information without changing the word class, while derivational suffixes change the word's class.

  • What is a word family?

    -A word family consists of all the words that can be created from a single root by adding various affixes.

  • How can mastering word families help in English fluency?

    -Mastering word families allows for a deeper understanding and usage of the language, enhancing vocabulary and the ability to decipher the meaning of new or complex words.

  • What is an example of a word that can take many affixes to create different meanings?

    -The Latin root 'civ' or 'civis-' meaning 'citizen' can have various affixes added to create words like 'civil', 'uncivil', 'civilize', and 'civilized'.

  • Can you provide an example of a word family based on the root 'shape'?

    -A word family based on 'shape' includes 'shape' (verb), 'shaper', 'shapliness', 'shapelessness', 'shapeable', 'shaped', 'shapely', and 'shapeless'.

Outlines
00:00
📚 Introduction to Advanced Vocabulary Expansion

This paragraph introduces an academic lesson aimed at high intermediate to advanced students, focusing on vocabulary expansion. It promises to equip students with the tools to increase their word count significantly by understanding word structure. The lesson covers key linguistic terms such as 'morpheme', 'root', 'affix', 'prefix', 'suffix', 'grammatical suffix', 'derivational suffix', and 'word family'. It begins with the concept of 'morpheme', explaining its role in linguistics and providing examples of words that contain morphemes. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of understanding roots and affixes in English, which are the building blocks of words that can be expanded through the addition of prefixes and suffixes.

05:01
🔍 Understanding Suffixes and Word Families

This paragraph delves deeper into the types of suffixes, differentiating between grammatical and derivational suffixes. Grammatical suffixes are explained as adding grammatical information without changing the word class, with examples like plural '-s', possessive '-s', and third person '-s'. Derivational suffixes, on the other hand, change the word class, as illustrated by turning 'quik' into the adverb 'quickly'. The concept of a word family is introduced, showing how a single root can generate various words with different forms and meanings. The paragraph concludes with a summary of the key points covered, emphasizing the importance of mastering word families for English fluency.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Morpheme
A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in a language, consisting of a group of sounds that carry a particular meaning. In the context of the video, it is crucial for understanding the structure of words and expanding vocabulary. For instance, 'morph-' in 'morphology' relates to the study of form or shape, and '-eme' is a linguistic term indicating a meaningful unit, as seen in 'phoneme' which refers to a meaningful sound in a language.
💡Root
A root is the fundamental part of a word that carries the primary meaning and can stand alone as a complete word. In the video, 'eat' is given as an example of a root because it is a meaningful word on its own, and its parts ('ea' or 't') do not carry individual meanings separate from the whole.
💡Affix
An affix is a morpheme that is attached to a root to modify its meaning or create a new word. The video explains that there are two types of affixes: prefixes, which are added to the beginning of a word, and suffixes, which are added to the end. Affixes play a key role in expanding vocabulary by allowing the creation of numerous words from a single root, as demonstrated with the Latin root 'civ' or 'civis-' meaning 'citizen'.
💡Prefix
A prefix is an affix that is placed before the root word to alter its meaning. The video provides the example of 'un-' as a prefix that can be added to 'civil' to create 'uncivil', changing the meaning to 'not polite'. Prefixes are essential in English for creating new words and nuances in meaning.
💡Suffix
A suffix is an affix that is attached to the end of a root word, often changing the word's grammatical function or adding a new dimension of meaning. The video illustrates this with the suffix '-ize' added to 'civil' to form 'civilize', which means 'to make more culturally advanced'. Suffixes are vital for expanding vocabulary and understanding the relationships between different forms of words.
💡Grammatical Suffix
A grammatical suffix is a type of suffix that provides grammatical information without changing the word's part of speech. The video mentions '-s' for plurals and possessives as examples, such as 'bananas' for multiple bananas and 'John's' to indicate possession. These suffixes are important for understanding how words function within sentences and how they relate to each other grammatically.
💡Derivational Suffix
A derivational suffix is a type of suffix that changes the word's part of speech or creates a new word with a different meaning. The video uses the example of '-ly' added to the adjective 'quick' to form the adverb 'quickly'. This process is key to expanding one's vocabulary and understanding the flexibility of English word formation.
💡Word Family
A word family consists of all the words that can be derived from a single root. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding word families for English fluency, using 'expect' as a base to form words like 'expectation' (noun), 'expectant' (adjective), and 'expectantly' (adverb). Recognizing word families helps learners grasp the connections between different word forms and enriches their vocabulary.
💡Morphology
Morphology is the branch of linguistics that studies the structure of words, their formation, and the relationships between words. In the video, the study of morphemes is part of morphology, which is essential for understanding how words are constructed and how they can be expanded or modified. The term 'morphology' itself contains the root 'morph-' meaning form or shape, highlighting its relevance to the study of word structure.
💡Polymorph
The term 'polymorph' is derived from the root 'morph-' and refers to something that has many forms, such as 'polymorph' in the context of an organism that can take on various shapes. This term is used in the video to illustrate how a root can be combined with different affixes to create new words with related but distinct meanings, showcasing the versatility of language and the importance of understanding morphemes.
💡Civilize
The term 'civilize' is formed by adding the derivational suffix '-ize' to the root 'civ', which relates to citizenship or being part of a state. 'Civilize' means 'to make more culturally advanced', demonstrating how suffixes can change a word's function from an adjective to a verb. This process is highlighted in the video as a key aspect of vocabulary expansion and understanding the nuances of English word formation.
Highlights

This lesson is designed for high intermediate to advanced students.

The lesson provides tools to expand vocabulary from 2000 to over 15,000 words.

It covers the creation of new words and understanding unfamiliar words.

The structure of a word will be described using specific terminology.

The term 'morpheme' is introduced as a meaningful group of sounds in linguistics.

The word 'morpheme' itself contains two morphemes: 'morph-' and '-eme'.

Roots are independent units that can exist and be used in sentences on their own.

Affixes are of two types: prefixes and suffixes.

Multiple affixes can be added to a single root to create new words.

Grammatical suffixes add information but do not change the word class.

Derivational suffixes change the class of the word they are added to.

The concept of 'word family' is introduced, consisting of words derived from a single root.

The word 'expect' can form a word family including 'expectation', 'expectant', and 'expectantly'.

The word 'explode' can form various words like 'explosion', 'exploded', 'explosive', and 'explodable'.

The word 'shape' can create a word family including 'shaper', 'shapliness', and 'shapelessness'.

Understanding word families is key to English fluency.

The lesson aims to enhance vocabulary by understanding morphemes and word structures.

Transcripts

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English LanguageWord FormationLinguisticsMorphemesRootsAffixesGrammarVocabulary BoostAdvanced LearningEducational Content