Project instructions:
In this assignment, you will consider the relationship between etymology and morphology.
Look up the etymologies of the following pairs of words in one of the dictionaries recommended for this course:
• the adjective long and the verb elongate
• the nouns bond (meaning ‘something that binds or restrains’) and bondage
The paired words have related meanings: to elongate something is to make it long; and bondage (i.e., slavery or captivity) can be thought of as the state of being held by bonds (i.e., restraints or shackles). They also obviously have similar forms: the syllables long and bond appear in the words elongate and bondage respectively.
In a short essay (about 1–2 pages), discuss the following questions:
Is the long in elongate the same morpheme as the word long, or is it a different morpheme that is pronounced the same? Is the bond in bondage the same morpheme as the word bond?
There isn’t an absolute unique right answer to these questions; this assignment is asking you for your opinion on what way of thinking about morphology and etymology makes the most sense for words like these.
In answering these questions:
• Summarize the etymologies of all four words, in as much detail as is relevant to your discussion.
• Discuss both the pros and cons of both points of view - don’t just pick a side and discuss only the arguments in favor of the answer you pick.
• But, for each pair of words, do explain which answer you find most convincing, in your opinion, and why.