Morphology

Morphology is the study of words, and morphemes are the smallest building blocks of words. Some words are morphemes, but not all morphemes are words. There are many types of morphemes; content and context morphemes, roots, prefixes, suffixes, etc. ESL teachers can use morphology to assess errors in students' speech patterns and determine what causes them. Linguistics might help to correct the problem.

Linguistics provides a visual representation of language concepts that help demystify challenges students have in other linguistic dimensions. A recurring syntax error may be correctable if the phonology, morphology, or semantics surrounding the error is explained with diagrams and syntax trees.

I see the value in linguistics to clarify and explain concepts, but it should be a sidebar only. I advise instructors to be frugal with precious classroom contact hours that could be used for engaging activities that result in enhanced student interconnectedness in the learning community and heightened language production in the classroom. Instructor lectures on linguistics are OK, but they should be concise and brief.