Morphology and syntax

In general terms, when talking about morphology , reference is made to the study of the external forms of something, especially this concept is applied to biology, geology and linguistics. In the latter is where the term morphology acquires a greater significance. In this area, morphology focuses on explaining the internal structure of words and the process of word formation, while syntax deals with describing how words combine to form phrases, phrases and sentences. Below we will know in detail each of these terms and the differences between them.

What is morphology?

It is defined as morphology to the disposition, distribution or the shape of something. This term is used with different specific scopes varying according to the context.

Morphology is the discipline that studies shapes and structures . Its name derives from the Greek “morpho” which means forms and from “lodge” which means treaty.

Although this discipline has different scopes, there are two sciences that take the study of morphology as a central part. They are: linguistics and biology. On a smaller scale, morphology is applied to geographic sciences and mathematics.

Linguistic Morphology

One of the main sciences to which morphology is applied is linguistics . It explains the internal structure of words and the process of word formation in order to define and classify its units, the types of words it generates and the kinds of words it gives rise to.

This morphology can be oriented to the lexical morphology , which implies how new words are formed or to the inflectional morphology , which implies what types of words are created according to their internal elements.

Through morphological analysis, the smallest unit that can be isolated is called a morpheme . The morpheme is the smallest unit that has meaning. On the other hand, a lexeme is the minimum unit that has a lexical meaning, beyond not having grammatical morphemes.

Linguistic morphology studies the shape of words, that is, it studies the words themselves, since when speaking they are conceived as units and we do not stop to think about their parts.

Other sciences where morphology is applied are:

– In biology: in this discipline, morphology focuses on studying the shape of living beings, so it is based on studying the structure and characteristics of organisms internally and externally. Within biology, different sub-disciplines can be described or considered, which are:

• Functional morphology: it deals with studying the organic form and the traits of organisms from the point of view of function.
• Descriptive morphology: it is based on describing and comparing the different organic forms, analyzing the similarities and anatomical differences of living beings.
• Theoretical morphology: the main objective of this subdiscipline is to study morphological constrictions. Here is morphometry, which is the branch that quantifies the morphology of living beings through its reduction to numerical abstractions.
• Evolutionary morphology: it is based on studying the history of the shape of organisms and the changes it undergoes over time.

-In geography : in this science, morphology is used to investigate the characteristics of the surface of planet Earth. This discipline focuses on the description and understanding of surface forms and geographical features.

What is the syntax?

The syntax is the part of grammar that is based on the study of the way they combine and relate the words to achieve form larger sequences such as phrases and sentences, as well as the role within them.

The word syntax derives from the Latin “syntax” and it derives from the Greek σύνταξις, which means “order” or “coordinate”.

Through the syntax, it is analyzed how the types of sentences are constructed according to the order and the way in which the words are related within a sentence or sentences with the aim of expressing the content of a concept in a clear and coherent way.

The main objective of the syntax is to be able to analyze the correct order of words to ensure that sentences, phrases, texts, ideas, among others, can be expressed correctly so that the message can be transmitted. It is for this reason that the syntax is applied in all languages ​​in order to study the correct order of words and define which are the grammatical rules that must be met so that people can express their ideas.

The syntax is also applied in the field of computer science, and is based on the analysis of the rules that establish how the symbols that make up the programming language or executable instruction of the computer must be arranged.

What is the syntax for?

Syntax has a great central importance in grammar , since it teaches us or explains the possible orders of the language, this means that it indicates the different allowed and not allowed combinations of words to obtain recognizable meanings.

A good handling of the syntax will allow to distinguish the acceptable formulations from the unacceptable ones and also vary the way in which we formulate sentences, thus being able to take better advantage of the limits of the language with respect to creativity, eloquence, poetry, among others.

Differences between morphology and syntax

The morphology and syntax are two concepts that although interrelate possess certain differences. Both are based on the study of languages ​​according to conventional grammar. Although morphology allows us to study the internal structure of words and the way in which they are formed, the syntax provides a description of the way in which these words are combined to generate phrases, sentences and phrases.

Morphology focuses on studying the internal structure of words and the process of their formation, while syntax is based on studying the way in which words are combined with the aim of forming an idea or transmitting a message.