Morphology in Cantonese

This chapter provides an overview of the morphology of Cantonese, focussing on the variety spoken Hong Kong. After a general presentation of the most relevant defining features of Cantonese morphology, chiefly related to its isolating profile and to specific characteristics shared by Sinitic languages, the main topics discussed include: the nature of morphemes, their relation to words, and the types of words in the Cantonese lexicon; compounding, its classification and the borderline between compounds and phrases; derivation; reduplication, ideophonic suffixes, and tone change with morphological functions. While the chapter describes and analyses Cantonese on its own terms, comparative remarks on the differences between Cantonese and Mandarin, as well as other Sinitic languages, are also offered when appropriate.