IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF DERIVATIONAL MORPHOLOGY IN TARIQ RAHMAN'S THE PHILOSOPHER KING

Abstract

Derivational morphology is a prominent process of expanding vocabulary and enriching language. It allows the creation of new words through category shifts or changes in the meaning. The present study aims to analyze derivational morphology in the short story The Philosopher King by Tariq Rahman. The research employs a qualitative descriptive design and content analysis to explore the selected short story. The analysis is based on McCarthy's (2017) theoretical framework for classifying and categorizing derivational morphemes. The derived word categories are based on four main classes: nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives, which are further classified by origin. The research reveals that derived adjectives occur in 40% of instances, followed by 33% of derived nouns and 25% of derived adverbs. Further, the verbs derived from other word classes are the least frequent group, accounting for 2% of instances. Lastly, the research concludes that adjectives derived from other word classes are the dominant group; their popularity and extensive use underscore their role in enhancing the quality of short stories. It allows readers, writers, and researchers to gain a deeper understanding of word morphology, specifically how derivational affixes are utilized to enrich literary work with vocabulary building.