A synchronic description of the English vocabulary deals with its present-day system and its patterns of word-formation by comparing words simultaneously existing in it. If the analysis is limited to stating the number and type of morphemes that make up the word, it is referred to as morphemic. Morphemic analysis uses roots and affixes to derive meaning from an unknown word. The basic parts of a word are: Root or base word: Prefix, Suffix. A root or base refers to the essential part of the word and is where the word derives its meaning. A prefix can be considered a syllable that is attached to the front of a word that can alter or change the meaning of the root word. A suffix can be considered a letter or letters added to the end of a word that can change its tense and/or meaning of the root word.For instance, the word girlishness may be analysed into three morphemes: the root -girl- and two suffixes -ish and -ness. The morphemic classification of words is as follows: one root morpheme — a root word (girl), one root morpheme plus one or more affixes — a derived word (girlish, girlishness). The morphemic analysis establishes only the ultimate constituents that make up the word.
