Word

A word is a unit which is a constituent at the phrase level and above. It is sometimes identifiable according to such criteria as

• being the minimal possible unit in a reply

• having features such as

  • a regular stress pattern, and
  • phonological changes conditioned by or blocked at word boundaries
• being the largest unit resistant to insertion of new constituents within its boundaries, or
• being the smallest constituent that can be moved within a sentence without making the sentence ungrammatical.

A word is sometimes placed, in a hierarchy of grammatical constituents, above the morpheme level and below the phrase level.