What is the study of how words are formed to create meaningful messages in a language?

The study of how words are formed to create meaningful messages in a language is known as morphology. Morphology focuses on the structure of words and the ways in which they can be modified or combined to convey different meanings. This includes the analysis of root words, prefixes, and suffixes, as well as how these elements interact to form new words. Understanding morphology allows speakers and learners to create and interpret a wide range of expressions in a language by manipulating its fundamental building blocks.

Semiotics, on the other hand, is the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior, which encompasses more than just word formation. Phonetics examines the sounds of speech and how they are articulated, which does not focus on the meanings derived from the formation of words. Syntax deals with the arrangement of words into phrases and sentences, which influences how ideas are structured in communication but does not directly address word formation itself.