Chapter 2. Derivation

Derivation is a process of word formation in which one lexeme is derived from another by combining a stem with a bound morpheme (an affix). The stem is usually a freely occurring sign, and the bound morpheme can be either manual (MORPHOLOGY 2.1) or non-manual (MORPHOLOGY 2.2). Characteristic of derivational affixes is that they can (but do not need to) change the word class of the stem.