A "cat" can be defined as a furry little animal that goes "meow," while the word "cats" indicates that there is more than one of these little animals.Thus, "cats" would be considered two _____, whereas "cat" would be only one.
A)phonemes
B)morphemes
C)transformations
D)syntactical units

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language, and "cat" and "cats" are both examples of morphemes. "Cat" is a single morpheme, while "cats" is composed of two morphemes: "cat" and the plural marker "-s". Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in a language and refer to speech sounds, not meaning. Transformations and syntactical units are more complex linguistic concepts that do not apply to the simple difference between "cat" and "cats".

A "Cat" Can Be Defined as a Furry Little Animal