distinct morphemes. ‘Un-’ has a meaning of its own. It means that it is ‘not’ or ‘other than’. In the same way, ‘-lady-’ has a meaning of its own, meaning a woman. Finally, ‘-like’ has a meaning of its own, meaning similar to. The combination of these three morphemes makes the word ‘unladylike’, meaning ‘not-similar to-a woman’.
Phrases: Making Meaning from Morphemes
String a few morphemes together, and you have constructed a phrase which can extend the signification (meaning) of your language.
“I like cats” communicates something more than simply 'cat'. It communicates that the speaker has a fondness for small furry animals.
Note, it is only when the words are specifically grouped together into a phrase that they take on a meaning based on how those words relate to each other. We interpret the morpheme ‘like’ in this phrase differently from when it appears in the word ‘unladylike’, not because the morpheme itself is different in those two examples, but because the meaning of the morpheme is determined by the context of the phrase.