Foundations of Morphology: For EFL University Students

Abstract

Foundations of Morphology: For EFL University Students is a free introductory textbook on words, their internal structure, and the ways languages express grammatical meanings. It is written for international undergraduates studying through English as a foreign language and belongs to the Theoretical Linguistics branch of English Language Studies for EFL University Students. Necessary background is introduced within the book, with no previous university course in morphology assumed. Fifteen chapters cover wordhood, lexemes, and word classes; morphemes, morphs, and allomorphs; segmentation, glossing, and word-structure analysis; derivation; compounding and other word-formation processes; inflection and grammatical categories; paradigms, inflection classes, and exponence; nonconcatenative morphology; root-and-pattern morphology, including Arabic; relationships with phonology and syntax; productivity, lexicalization, and the lexicon; morphological typology; and major approaches to morphological explanation. Students compare forms across languages, solve data problems, interpret glosses and word trees, and explain the evidence behind their analyses. The complete digital textbook supports approximately 35–45 classroom contact hours, flexible teaching, and independent study. Central questions, learning outcomes, chapter roadmaps, worked examples, figures and tables, guided activities, five final practice tasks per chapter, review infographics, key terms, short quizzes, and complete explained answers help learners progress from recognition to analysis. All essential content is included without a paid access code or subscription. First Edition, Version 1. Directed by Munassir Alhamami of King Khalid University, with assistance from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and NotebookLM. Original content is licensed under CC BY 4.0 except where otherwise stated; credited third-party material retains its stated terms. Series website: https://sites.google.com/view/els4efl/home AI-use disclosure: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and NotebookLM assisted with research, drafting, revision, visual development, and production of this textbook. The cover illustration and the 32 chapter and whole-book learning visuals were generated with ChatGPT image assistance; exact cover typography and QR codes were prepared separately, and technical diagrams retain their original source attributions. The Project Director, Munassir Alhamami, is responsible for the final editorial decisions and released version.