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Can you explain conversion as a morphological device?

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Conversion, or zero derivation, is a morphological process where a word changes its class without altering its form. This involves creating a new word from an existing one without adding prefixes or suffixes. Examples include "to fish" from "fish" (noun to verb) and "to Google" from "Google" (noun to verb). Conversion is a non-concatenative process, modifying the word's meaning or function without changing its structure.

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Essentially, conversion in morphological terms is the process of one word being changed or converted from one word class to another without there being any actual change to the form of the word—that is, a word is created from an existing word without the addition of any prefixes or suffixes. This latter element is important, and is the reason morphological conversion is also sometimes referred to as zero derivation.

Conversion of this sort can go several ways. Verbification is when a verb is created from a word of another class, as in the verb "to fish," which is the result of conversion from the noun "fish." A more recent example of conversion occurring in language is the derivation of the verb "to Google" from the noun "Google." We also often see adjectives being converted into nouns, and nouns into adjectives—for example, the concept of a "village green" is derived from the adjective "green," which describes this kind of grassy area.

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Morphology refers to the internal structure and formation of words. It is the study of the meaning of words and how to relate sounds to the meaning of words. A morpheme is the most basic unit of structure in linguistics - a basic element of meaning or a basic form.

Conversion is a process in morphology by which speakers of a language change or modify the meaning of words or the base form of words (morphemes). There are two basic kinds of morphological processes: concatenative (combining morphemes) and non-concatenative (modifying the internal structures of the morphemes). Conversion is considered to be in the latter group.

There is a great explanation of this at the link below, which a professor of linguistics has posted online to share. This link gives examples which you should find helpful.

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