Definition & Meaning of "morphological erosion"

What is "morphological erosion"?

Morphological erosion is a linguistic process in which the structure of words becomes simplified over time, often leading to the loss or reduction of inflectional or derivational morphemes. This can occur when speakers increasingly favor shorter, less complex forms, resulting in a decline in the use of certain grammatical endings or prefixes. For example, in the evolution of English, many Old English inflectional endings have been dropped, leading to a more streamlined grammatical structure. Morphological erosion may be influenced by factors such as language contact, shifts in communication style, or changes in social norms, contributing to the natural evolution of language over time.