The shape or arrangement of something is called morphology.
Morphology is the arrangement , distribution or shape of something . The term is used with different specific scopes according to the context .
In the field of biology , morphology is the specialized area that focuses on the shape of living beings . In this way, it studies the structure and characteristics of organisms, both internally and externally.
Morphology in biology
There are different types of morphologies within biology, which can be considered subdisciplines. Let's see the list below:
* functional morphology : it is responsible for studying the organic form and features of organisms, from the point of view of function . Two of the scientists who have stood out the most in this area are David Wake and DD David ;
* descriptive morphology : it is aimed at describing and comparing the different organic forms. This is framed in the context of comparative anatomy , the discipline that focuses on the analysis of the anatomical similarities and differences of living beings;
* theoretical morphology : its fundamental objective is to study morphological constraints. In this context we must mention morphometry , a branch of this subdiscipline that quantifies the morphology of living beings through their reduction to numerical abstractions. To do this, tools such as cellular automata, fractal geometry and logarithmic patterns are used;
* evolutionary morphology : focuses on studying the history of the shape of organisms and the changes it undergoes over time.
Biology considers different types of morphology.
The concept in geography
In the field of geography , morphology is dedicated to investigating the characteristics of the surface of planet Earth .
Also known as geomorphology , it aims at the description and understanding of surface forms and so-called geographical features.
Morphology in grammar
For its part, the sector of grammar that is dedicated to the study of the structure of terms and their components is known as linguistic morphology . Its specialists investigate the internal conformation of words.
This morphology can be oriented to how new words are formed ( lexical morphology ) or to what types of words are created according to their internal elements ( inflectional morphology ).
In a morphological analysis, the minimum unit that can be isolated is called a morpheme . It is the smallest unit that has meaning. A lexeme , on the other hand, is the minimum unit that, despite not having grammatical morphemes, has lexical meaning.
The study of linguistics
Regarding the etymology of the word morphology, we can say that it derives from Greek and can be translated as "the science of form." In the specific case of linguistics , studying the form of words somehow becomes studying the words themselves, since in speech we conceive them as units and we do not stop to think about their parts.
It is important to note the difference between morphology and syntax, the two sections into which the study of languages is divided according to conventional grammar. These two concepts are related to each other in the following way: while morphology allows us to study the internal structure of words and the way in which they are formed, syntax gives us a description of the way in which they are combined to give origin of phrases, phrases and sentences.
However, according to the bases of generative grammar , the group of theoretical foundations used to study the syntax of languages, morphology cannot be sustained as an independent branch. In some cases, there are alternations that are caused by certain phonological restrictions, which is why some aspects of morphology fall under morphophonemics .