Which term refers to the smallest unit of meaning that cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts?

Which term refers to the smallest unit of meaning that cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts?

• A. Morphemes
• B. Phonemes
• C. Lexemes
• D. Syllables

Answer: (A)

A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning that cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts. It can stand alone as a word, like a free morpheme such as "book," or it can attach to other morphemes as a bound morpheme, like the prefix "un-" or the suffix "-ed" or "-ness" that modify meaning or grammatical function. Morphemes combine to build words with richer meanings, and you can’t break a morpheme into smaller pieces that still carry meaning. For example, in "unhappiness" there are three morphemes: "un-" (negation), "happy" (root with its own meaning), and "-ness" (noun-forming). By contrast, phonemes are the smallest units of sound that distinguish words but carry no meaning by themselves; syllables are rhythmical units of speech; and a lexeme is a dictionary form representing a family of related word forms, not the smallest units of meaning.

A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning that cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts. It can stand alone as a word, like a free morpheme such as "book," or it can attach to other morphemes as a bound morpheme, like the prefix "un-" or the suffix "-ed" or "-ness" that modify meaning or grammatical function. Morphemes combine to build words with richer meanings, and you can’t break a morpheme into smaller pieces that still carry meaning. For example, in "unhappiness" there are three morphemes: "un-" (negation), "happy" (root with its own meaning), and "-ness" (noun-forming). By contrast, phonemes are the smallest units of sound that distinguish words but carry no meaning by themselves; syllables are rhythmical units of speech; and a lexeme is a dictionary form representing a family of related word forms, not the smallest units of meaning.