Morfiloloji

Morfiloloji is an interdisciplinary field that blends morphology and philology to study how word forms develop, function, and change within historical texts. The term, a portmanteau of morfoloji and filoloji, is used chiefly in Turkish-speaking academic contexts, though the concept resonates with broader discussions in historical linguistics and textual studies. The aim is to understand how inflection, derivation, and compounding interact with textual transmission, scribal variation, and etymology over time.

Methods in morfiloloji include morphological analysis of data drawn from manuscripts, inscriptions, and corpora; etymological reconstruction; and comparative linguistics. Researchers consider orthographic variation, glosses, translation practices, and the influence of language contact on word formation. Outputs often include refined analyses of historical vocabulary, more accurate reconstructions of ancestor forms, and insights into how textual tradition shapes our understanding of morphology.

Relation to other fields and status: Morfiloloji overlaps with historical linguistics, philology, and computational linguistics. It is not universally established as a separate discipline; rather, it is described as an approach within or across these fields. Debates focus on definition, scope, and methodological rigor, particularly regarding how much emphasis should be placed on textual criticism versus abstract morphological theory. The term’s usage varies by region and scholarly tradition.