View source for Lexeme

{{Short description|Unit of lexical meaning}}
{{For|its use in the context of computer science|Lexeme (computer science)}}

A '''lexeme''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-lexeme.ogg|ˈ|l|ɛ|k|s|iː|m}}) is a unit of [[lexical semantics|lexical]] meaning that underlies a set of words that are related through [[inflection]]. It is a basic abstract unit of meaning,<ref>''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language''. [[David Crystal]]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. p.&nbsp;118. {{ISBN|0521401798}}.</ref> a [[emic unit|unit]] of [[Morphology (linguistics)|morphological]] [[Semantic analysis (linguistics)|analysis]] in [[linguistics]] that roughly corresponds to a set of forms taken by a single root [[word]]. For example, in [[English language|the English language]], ''run'', ''runs'', ''ran'' and ''running'' are forms of the same lexeme, which can be represented as <span style="font-variant:small-caps; text-transform:lowercase;">RUN</span>.{{NoteTag |1 = <span style="font-variant:small-caps; text-transform:lowercase;">RUN</span> is here intended to display in [[small caps]]. Software limitations may result in its display either in full-sized capitals (RUN) or in full-sized capitals of a smaller font. Either is regarded as an acceptable substitute for genuine small caps.}}

One form, the [[Lemma (morphology)|lemma]] (or citation form), is chosen by convention as the canonical form of a lexeme. The lemma is the form used in dictionaries as an entry's [[headword]]. Other forms of a lexeme are often listed later in the entry if they are uncommon or irregularly inflected.

== Description ==
The notion of the lexeme is central to [[morphology (linguistics)|morphology]],<ref name="bonamietal">{{Cite book
| veditors =  Bonami O, Boyé G, Dal G, Giraudo H, Namer F
| title = The lexeme in descriptive and theoretical morphology 
| location = Berlin
| publisher = Language Science Press
| year = 2018
| format = pdf
| url = http://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/165
| doi = 10.5281/zenodo.1402520 
| doi-access=free
| isbn = 978-3-96110-110-8 
| last1 = Bonami 
| first1 = Olivier 
| last2 = Boyé 
| first2 = Gilles 
| last3 = Dal 
| first3 = Georgette 
| last4 = Giraudo 
| first4 = Hélène 
| last5 = Namer 
| first5 = Fiammetta 
}}
</ref> the basis for defining other concepts in that field. For example, the difference between [[inflection]] and [[Morphological derivation|derivation]] can be stated in terms of lexemes:
* Inflectional rules relate a lexeme to its forms.
* Derivational rules relate a lexeme to another lexeme.

A lexeme belongs to a particular [[syntactic category]], has a certain [[Meaning (linguistic)|meaning]] ([[Semantics|semantic value]]), and in inflecting languages, has a corresponding [[Inflection|inflectional paradigm]]. That is, a lexeme in many languages will have many different forms. For example, the lexeme <span style="font-variant:small-caps; text-transform:lowercase;">RUN</span> has a present [[Grammatical person|third person]] [[Grammatical number|singular]] form ''runs'', a present non-third-person singular form ''run'' (which also functions as the [[past participle]] and [[Non-finite verb|non-finite]] form), a past form ''ran'', and a present [[participle]] ''running''. (It does not include ''runner, runners, runnable'' etc.) The use of the forms of a lexeme is governed by rules of [[grammar]]. In the case of English verbs such as <span style="font-variant:small-caps; text-transform:lowercase;">RUN</span>, they include subject–[[verb]] agreement and compound [[Grammatical tense|tense]] rules, which determine the form of a verb that can be used in a given [[Sentence (linguistics)|sentence]].

In many [[Theoretical linguistics|formal]] theories of [[language]], lexemes have [[subcategorization frame]]s to account for the number and types of complements. They occur within [[Sentence (linguistics)|sentences]] and other [[syntax|syntactic structures]].

== Decomposition ==
A language's lexemes are often composed of smaller units with individual meaning called [[morpheme]]s, according to [[Root (linguistics)|root morpheme]] + [[Morphological derivation|derivational morphemes]] + [[affix]] (not necessarily in that order), where:
* The root morpheme is the primary lexical unit of a word, which carries the most significant aspects of semantic content and cannot be reduced to smaller constituents.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://glossary.sil.org/term/root |title = SIL Glossary of Linguistic Terms: What is a Root? |website = Sil.org |date = 3 December 2015 |access-date=2021-05-14}}</ref>
* The derivational morphemes carry only [[Morphological derivation|derivational]] information.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://glossary.sil.org/term/derivational-affix |title = SIL Glossary of Linguistic Terms: What is a Derivational Affix? |website = Sil.org |date = 3 December 2015 |access-date=2021-05-14}}</ref>
* The [[affix]] is composed of all inflectional morphemes, and carries only [[inflection]]al information.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://glossary.sil.org/term/inflectional-affix |title = SIL Glossary of Linguistic Terms: What is an Inflectional Affix? |website = Sil.org |date = 3 December 2015 |access-date=2021-05-14}}</ref>

The compound root morpheme + derivational morphemes is often called the [[stem (linguistics)|stem]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://glossary.sil.org/term/stem |title = SIL Glossary of Linguistic Terms: What is a Stem? |website = Sil.org |date = 3 December 2015 |access-date=2021-05-14}}</ref> The decomposition stem + [[wikt:desinence|desinence]] can then be used to study inflection.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Linguistics|Language}}
* [[Ending (linguistics)]]
* [[Inflection]]
* [[Lemma (morphology)|Lemma]]
* [[Lexicon]]
* [[Lexical item]]
* [[Lexical word|Lexical word vs. grammatical word]]
* [[Marker (linguistics)]]
* [[Multiword expression]]
* [[Null morpheme]]
* [[Root (linguistics)]]
* [[Stem (linguistics)|Stem]]
* [[Syntagma (linguistics)]]
* [[Word family]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary-inline|lexeme}}

{{-}}
{{Lexicology}}
{{Lexicography}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Lexical units]]
[[Category:Linguistics terminology]]