تَتَكَوَّنُ الْكَلِمَةُ فِي الصَّرْفِ مِنْ حُرُوفٍ أَصْلِيَّةٍ، وَقَدْ تَلْحَقُ بِهَا حُرُوفٌ زَائِدَةٌ فَيَتَغَيَّرُ وَزْنُهَا وَمَعْنَاهَا.- Distinguish original letters from added letters.
- Identify ك ت ب inside related forms.
- Connect added letters to morphological patterns.
In morphology, a word consists of original letters, and added letters may join them so that its pattern and meaning change.
The root provides the stable lexical base. A pattern arranges the root letters and may add letters around them. Compare كَتَبَ, كَاتِب and مَكْتُوب: ك ت ب remains identifiable, while other letters appear according to the pattern.
Original Letters
الحُرُوفُ الأَصْلِيَّةُ
These letters form the root and remain the central reference when related forms are compared.
Added Letters
الحُرُوفُ الزَّائِدَةُ
These letters are part of a derived structure or pattern rather than the lexical root.
Compare Before Deciding
المُقَارَنَةُ قَبْلَ الحُكْمِ
A letter can be original in one word and added in another. Morphological judgement depends on the word's derivation and pattern.
01
كَتَبَ
كَتَبَ = ك + ت + ب
All three letters ك ت ب are original.
Pattern: فَعَلَ02
كَاتِب
كَاتِب = ك + ا + ت + ب
Root letters ك ت ب; alif is added in the pattern فَاعِل.
Pattern: فَاعِل03
مَكْتُوب
مَكْتُوب = م + ك + ت + و + ب
Root letters ك ت ب; mīm and wāw are added in the pattern مَفْعُول.
Pattern: مَفْعُول01أَصْلِيّ
Original
Belonging to the lexical root.
02زَائِد
Added
Added as part of a morphological form or pattern.
03بِنْيَة
Structure
The morphological composition of a word.
04اِشْتِقَاق
Derivation
Formation of related words from a common root.
- Original letters form the lexical root.
- Added letters participate in morphological patterns.
- كَتَبَ has the root ك ت ب with no added root-building letter.
- كَاتِب and مَكْتُوب retain ك ت ب while adding letters required by their patterns.