Inflection is
the process of adding an “affix” to a word or changing it in some other way
according to the rules of the grammar of a language. Inflectional morphology
studies the way in which words vary in order to express grammatical contrasts
in sentences such singular/ plural or present/ past tense. Boy and boys, for
example, are two forms of the same word; the choice between them, singular or plural,
is a matter of grammar. This is the
business of inflectional morphology.
Derivation is the formation of new words by adding “affixes” to other words or
morphemes. Derivational morphology
studies the principles governing the construction of new words. In the
formation of “eatable” from “eat”, or “disagree” from “agree”, for example, we
see the formation of different words, with their own grammatical properties.
Differences
Both
inflectional and derivational morphemes are suffixes. They are bound morphemes
following a root. Inflection and derivation are therefore, the sub-categories
of suffixes. But they differ from each other.
(1)
In inflection “suffix” is
affixed to a root. For example, in “agreed” and “agrees,” “d” and “s” are
suffixes and do not allow any further affixation of a suffix. Such suffixes
which we do not allow further affixation are called inflections or inflectional
suffixes. The suffixes which may be followed by other suffixes are called
derivational suffixes. For example, “ment” “able” are derivational suffixes in
“agreement” and “agreeable” because both can be followed by other suffixes and
can, for instance, become “agreements” and “agreeableness” after the addition
of the suffixes “s” and “ness” to agree+ment and agree+able respectively. Here
(2)
We have to remember that
prefixes are always derivational. For instance, in the words; disobey,
impossible, etc “dis” and “im” are prefixes. Since “dis” and “im” help to
construct new words “obey” and “possible” they are derivational.
(3)
Inflectional suffixes are
“terminal”(ending) and their termination never changes the class (parts of
speech) of the root, for example in “sweeter” and “sweetest”, the termination
of –“er” by “est” does not change the parts of speech; both the form remain
adjectives. “come” is a verb in “they come late” and if we add an inflectional suffix “ing” we get
the form “coming” as in they are coming which is still a verb.
(4)
An inflected form can be replaced by another inflected form only
For example:
He drink+s
steal+s
play+s
but not
He drink/steal/play etc.
(5)
An inflectional suffix occurs
at the end position of a form; no further affixation in a form is possible
after an inflection. We can say:
Develop +s
root +s -inflectional suffix
develop+ ment +s
(root +derivational
suffix+s-inflectional suffix)
but not
develop + s + ment
root inflectional derivational
suffix suffix
So, an inflectional suffix is essentially terminal whereas a
derivational suffix is not essentially terminal. Derivational suffixes can
occur medially and finally but inflectional suffixes occur only finally.
Class –maintaining and class-changing derivational suffixes
Derivational suffixes can be sub-classified into two types:
(1) class-maintaining derivational suffix.
(2) class-changing derivational suffix.
The classes maintaining derivational suffixes are those which
produce a derived form of the same class as the underling form, they do not
change the class of a part speech. In boyhood, childhood, kinship, friendship,
“hood” and “ship” are class-maintaining derivational suffixes. In these
examples they produce nouns out of nouns by after suffixation. The class
changing derivations are those that produce a derived form of another class. In
teacher, boyish, development, national “er” “ish” “ment” “al” are
class-changing derivational suffixes. In teacher a verb “teach” has become a
noun after suffixing the “er”. In “boyish,” a noun “boy” has become an
adjective after suffixing the “ish”. So, it is seen that the derivational
suffixes “er” and “ish” change the class of root.