Which term studies the pattern of forming words by combining sounds into morphemes?

• A. Phonology
• B. Phonetics
• C. Morphology
• D. Semantics

Answer: (C)

This item focuses on how words are built from smaller meaningful units. Morphology studies morphemes—the smallest units of meaning—and how they combine with roots, prefixes, and suffixes to create words and express grammatical information. It covers processes like inflection, derivation, and compounding, showing how word forms change to convey tense, number, or other categories. Phonology looks at patterns of sounds and their structure in a language; phonetics is about the physical properties of sounds; semantics deals with meaning. Since the question describes forming words by combining morphemes, morphology is the right lens for understanding word formation and structure.