The Relevance of English Morphology and Syntax in Mastering English as English Teacher

The Relevance of English Morphology and Syntax in Mastering English as English Teacher
To be a good English teacher, we have to firstly master all aspects of that language, including how to form a new word as discussed in morphology and how to make a correct and meaningful sentence as discussed in syntax. Morphology and syntax are two branches of linguistics. Referring to Matthews (1991: 3), morphology is a term for that branch of linguistics which is concerned with the “forms of words” in different uses and construction. In line with that, Aronoff and Fudeman (2011:1) wrote that morphology refers to the mental system involved in word formation or to the branch of linguistics that deals with words, their internal structure, and how they are formed. Therefore, it can be considered that morphology is concerned with the “forms of word” in different uses and construction that deals with word, their internal structure, and how they are formed. On the other hand, Matthews (1981:1) noted that syntax refers to the branch of grammar dealing with the ways in which words, with or without appropriate inflections, are arranged to show connection of meaning within the sentence. Similarly, Radford (1997: 1) stated that syntax is concerned with the ways in which words can be combined together to form phrases and sentences. Whereas Kroeger (2004:1) noticed that syntax is the arrangement of words in a sentence. In other words, syntax is branch of grammar dealing with the ways in which words are combined together to form phrases and sentences and to show connection of meaning within the sentence. These two fields of study must be learnt by EFL teacher and this paper will discuss both of them in terms of their relevance in mastering English as English teacher. First thing discussed is morphology. As stated before, morphology deals with the knowledge of word formation processes. There exists the explanation of affixation, conversion, blending, compounding, and so forth. Due to this fact, morphology is very important to be learnt in order to develop word knowledge, to improve reading comprehension, to increase our vocabulary, and to understand the origins of word and how words get transformed.
a. Morphology develops word knowledge
In learning morphology, there are so many theories and knowledge about English words. We learn many new terms such as free form, lexicon, morph, morpheme, affix, prefix, infix, suffix, free and bound morpheme, and lexical categories. We also got much new information such as morphological and morphemic analysis, the hierarchical structure of words, and different kinds of word formation processes. Therefore, by learning morphology, we are expected to be knowledgeable about English words so that we can share it with our students later.
b. Morphology improves reading comprehension and increases our vocabulary
In completing our studies in English Department, we learn so many theories about linguistics and language learning and teaching. Those theories are all written in the textbooks which use English language in the whole part of them. The problem is we often face some difficulties to comprehend the materials. By being knowledgeable about English words, we can decrease the difficulties since we can directly understand the context of the material by guessing the meaning without wasting time looking for it in the dictionary.
c. Morphology makes us understand the origins of word and how words get transformed.
As have been stated above, morphology deals with word formation processes. These processes make us aware of where exactly certain words come from, whether through the addition of affixes or the removal of affixes. We also become aware of ways of certain words in transforming their origin forms into new forms which have different word class or different meaning.
Those things are noteworthy for English teachers in mastering the knowledge of English language. As we all know, “word” is the very basic form of a language. If we can master the basic thing of a language, it can be easier for us as English teacher to learn the more complex thing from the language itself.
On the other hand, in learning syntax, there are deep explanation of the more complex part of English language such as phrases and clauses, various kinds of sentence packaging, and rules in making a good structure of sentence. These things will be helpful for us in teaching and learning activities later, especially in writing and grammar class. It will also give better understanding of the English language and improve teachers’ academic performance.
a. Syntax will be helpful in teaching and learning activities
Since language is a media for communication, we will deal with four communication skills when teaching English which are speaking skill, reading skill, listening skill, and writing skill. In this case, syntax will be helpful for teaching writing and grammar. Both areas are deeply concerned with how to make meaningful sentences, how to use appropriate words, how to make coherent paragraphs, and similar things. If we have enough knowledge about syntax, we can certainly give a good feedback and error correction to our students’ performance.
b. Syntax give better understanding of the English language
Just the same like morphology, the knowledge of syntax will also give better understanding of the English language. It helps us to know the structure of sentences in English language, how to analyze them, and how to apply them in our writing. It also helps us in comprehending the meaning of sentences, paragraphs, or even a very long writing.
c. Syntax improve teachers’ academic performance
In delivering materials to our students later, as teachers, we have to be good in arranging words by words to become meaningful sentences. It is in order to make our students easily understand what we wish to say to them and to give them a comprehensible input so that they can partially imitate their teachers’ way in speaking English. In other words, teachers should have mastered syntax to achieve these goals.
In conclusion, by learning these two fields of linguistics, it helps us a lot in enhancing our advancement in learning English. Therefore, we can use the knowledge of morphology and syntax to help us in understanding the English better and becoming a skillful English teacher.
References
Aronoff, M., Kristen F.2011. What is morphology? (2nd ed).UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Kroeger, P.R. 2004. Analyzing Syntax: A Lexical-Functional Approach. UK: Cambridge University Press
Matthews, P. H. 1981. Syntax.USA: Cambridge University Press
Matthews, P. H. 1991. Morphology (2nd ed). UK: Cambridge University Press
Radford, A. 1997. Syntax: A Minimalist Introduction. UK: Cambridge University Press

References: Aronoff, M., Kristen F.2011. What is morphology? (2nd ed).UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Kroeger, P.R. 2004. Analyzing Syntax: A Lexical-Functional Approach. UK: Cambridge University Press Matthews, P. H. 1981. Syntax.USA: Cambridge University Press Matthews, P. H. 1991. Morphology (2nd ed). UK: Cambridge University Press Radford, A. 1997. Syntax: A Minimalist Introduction. UK: Cambridge University Press