A LINGUISTIC THEORETICAL STUDY OF THE UNIQUE QUALITIES OF THE ‘-S’ MORPHEME / UNE ÉTUDE THÉORIQUE LINGUISTIQUE DE LES QUALITÉS UNIQUES DU MORPHÈME '-S'

Authors

  • Anthony James Dr., Department of Languages, Baptist High School, Jos, Nigeria
  • Olawoyin Sarah Adamu Dr., Department of Languages, School of General Studies and Pre-Nd, Isa Mustapha Agwai 1, Polytechnic, Lafia, Nigeria
  • Ojeyokan John Egwabor Department of General Studies, School of General Studies, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v5i1.357

Keywords:

‘-S morpheme’, English language, phonology, semantics and syntax / '-S morpheme', langue anglaise, phonologie, sémantique et syntaxe

Abstract

This paper is a linguistic theoretical study of the unique qualities of the ‘s’ morpheme. It explores the phonological, semantic and syntactic features of the ‘s’ morpheme as used in our day-to-day conversations. The aim of this study is to highlight some salient qualities of the ‘-s’ morpheme. It is a known fact that the ‘-s’ morpheme is an inflectional morpheme; however, this study attempts to highlight more facts to show that beyond its inflectional role, it plays other linguistic roles that most times, the user of the English language undermines. Moreover, these other roles are nexus, because they connect the three areas of the English language: phonology, semantics and syntax. Samples of words are derived from different secondary sources and are analyzed phonologically, semantically and syntactically. The paper concludes that the ‘-s’ morpheme application in our daily written and oral expressions is not negligible.

 

Cet article est une étude théorique linguistique des qualités uniques du morphème 's'. Il explore les caractéristiques phonologiques, sémantiques et syntaxiques du morphème « s » tel qu'il est utilisé dans nos conversations quotidiennes. L'objectif de cette étude est de mettre en évidence certaines qualités saillantes du morphème '-s'. C'est un fait connu que le morphème '-s'est un morphème flexionnel ; cependant, cette étude tente de mettre en évidence plus de faits pour montrer qu'au-delà de son rôle d'inflexion, il joue d'autres rôles linguistiques que la plupart du temps, l'utilisateur de la langue anglaise sape. De plus, ces autres rôles sont liés, car ils relient les trois domaines de la langue anglaise : la phonologie, la sémantique et la syntaxe. Des échantillons de mots sont dérivés de différentes sources secondaires et sont analysés phonologiquement, sémantiquement et syntaxiquement. L'article conclut que l'application du morphème '-s'dans nos expressions écrites et orales quotidiennes n'est pas négligeable.

Author Biographies

  • Anthony James, Dr., Department of Languages, Baptist High School, Jos, Nigeria

    Dr. Anthony James, currently serves as a high school tutor at Baptist High School in Jos, Nigeria. He has been a teacher for more than 25 years. With a passion for both literary studies and the English language, he has authored numerous articles in both national and international journals. His PhD dissertation from Nasarawa State University in Keffi, Nigeria, focused on syntax with biasness in transformational generative linguistics. Semantics and literary studies are his current areas of study. He has a happy marriage with children.

  • Olawoyin Sarah Adamu, Dr., Department of Languages, School of General Studies and Pre-Nd, Isa Mustapha Agwai 1, Polytechnic, Lafia, Nigeria

    Dr. Olawoyin Sarah Adamu is presently a chief lecturer at the Isa Mustapha Agwai I in Lafia, Nasarawa State – Nigeria. Over two decades have passed since she began teaching and lecturing in Nigeria at various educational levels. At the Nasarawa State University in Keffi, Nigeria, she conducted semantics-related graduate research. Additionally, she participates in a number of academic organizations, such as the National Association of Teachers of English in Colleges of Education and Polytechnics (NATECEP). She has also written extensively for both domestic and foreign journals. 

  • Ojeyokan John Egwabor, Department of General Studies, School of General Studies, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, Nigeria

    John Ojeyokan is a doctoral candidate in English Language at the Nasarawa State University in Keffi, Nigeria and a principal lecturer in the department of general studies at the Federal Polytechnic in Bauchi, Nigeria. He has worked as a teacher for more than 20 years at various educational levels. He has authored numerous technical communication publications. His areas of interest in study are discourse analysis and pragmatics. He is a founding member of the National Association of Teachers of English in Colleges of Education and Polytechnics and a registered member of the English Language Teachers Association of Nigeria. His first degree is in Linguistic Science from the University of Benin in Benin City, Nigeria and his second degree is in Linguistic Science from the University of Jos in Nigeria.

References

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Duruaku, A.B.C., Ezechukwu, B.A. & Nwachukwu UJ. Countdown to WASSCE/SSCE/NECO/UTME English Language. Revised Ed. Pp.206 - 208. Evans Brothers Publishers Ltd. 2012.

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Published

2022-08-19

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2022)

Section

Articles

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