The study and description of an object’s exterior shapes are the subjects of morphology, a field of science.
It can be applied to the study of language (Linguistics), live organisms (Biology), or the earth’s surface (Geology) in this way (Geomorphology). The term morphé is made up of the Greek words morphé, which means “shape,” and lógos, which means “treatise.”
Morphology in Linguistics
Morphology is the branch of grammar concerned with identifying and explaining the role and meaning of variations in word form within the structure of language in linguistics.
In this view, morphology serves three purposes: it classifies words based on their function (noun, adjective, verb, adverb, etc.); it examines variations in their forms, i.e. inflexions; and it explains the processes involved in the derivation and composition of words.
Morphology and syntax can be combined in a study known as morphosyntax to better understand how a language works.
Morphology in Biology
Morphology is the study of the shapes and structures that make up living things including cells, bacteria, viruses, plants, fungi and animals.
Its method can be either descriptive, concentrating on the functionality and attributes of a single structure or system, or comparative, comparing and contrasting various species, or even the same species across time.
As a result, its findings aid in explaining the transformations and alterations that occur in an organism’s structure as a result of its environment (adaptation), as well as providing historical perspectives on evolutionary processes.
Types of Morphologies
- Descriptive morphology: Descriptive morphology is the study of organic shapes and their comparability.
- Theoretical morphology: The study of morphological limitations is the major goal of theoretical morphology. One of the most prominent instances is David M. Raup’s model for the development of gastropod shell morphospace.
- Morphometry is a discipline of theoretical morphology that deals with measuring organism morphology by reducing specimens to numerical abstractions. Logarithmic patterns, fractal geometry, and cellular automata are the most frequent modelling techniques used for this purpose.
- Functional morphology: The study of organic shape and properties in relation to function is known as functional morphology. D.D. David and David Wake are two of its most well-known representatives.
- Evolutionary morphology: The study of the evolution of organic form is called evolutionary morphology. One of the most well-known representatives is Rupert Riedl.
There are other non-biological types of morphologies:
- Inflectional morphology: Inflectional morphology is the study of the processes that separate word forms in certain grammatical categories, such as affixation and vowel change. Inflectional morphology is distinct from derivational morphology, or word construction, in that inflection deals with alterations to existing words whereas derivation works with the development of new words. An inflectional morpheme is a suffix appended to a word to give it a certain grammatical feature, such as number, mood, tense, or possession. A word’s grammatical category, on the other hand, cannot be changed by inflectional morphology. A verb, noun, adjective, or adverb can all have inflectional morphology added to them. Some inflectional morphology examples are adding a ‘-s’ to the plural verb ‘run’ makes it single and adding ‘-ed’ to the verb dance makes it past tense (danced).
- Morphological processing: The morphological process involves adjusting a word to fit a certain context. Simply described, it is the act of modifying a word’s form and function to match a situation, sometimes to the point of changing its meaning and/or grammatical function.