본 논문은 국어의 造語論과 活用論을 整合하게 記述하기 위한 語根, 語幹, 語基의 개념을 再整備하는 것이 목표이다. 이를 위해 먼저 선행 연구를 비판적으로 검토하여 장단점을 살펴보고 그것을 바탕으로 어근, 어간의 槪念과 特性을 제시하였다. 동시에 單語 形成과 文章 形成의 層位를 뒤섞으며 어근과 어간을 包括하는 느슨한 개념의 어기는 不必要함을 주장했다. 단어 형성에서는 어근과 접사를 두며, 어근을 單一語根과 複合語根으로 細分할 수 있다고 보았다. 단어 형성 과정에서 분지 구조 가장 아래에 있는 最初의 語根은 單一語根으로, 어근에 어떤 형식이 덧붙어 상위 층위에서 擴張된 形式의 語根은 複合語根으로 설정할 수 있는데, 自立性 與否와 상관없이 기능상 단어 형성 과정에서 實質的인 意味를 가진 部分이라면 語根으로 볼 수 있음을 주장했다. 또 단어 형성 결과 만들어진 동사, 형용사는 依存形式인데 이들을 단어로서 언급할 때 ‘먹히(다)’라는 表記 方式을 제안하였다.

The purpose of this paper is to refine the concepts of root, stem, and base so as to describe coherently the word-formation and inflection of the Korean language. For this, this paper critically reviewed precedent studies first and considered their advantages and disadvantages, and suggested the concepts and characteristics of root and stem on the basis thereof. At the same time, it argued that the base having a loose concept, which mixes the levels of word-formation and sentence-formation and includes both root and stem, is unnecessary. Our argument showed that the word-formation consists of the root and the affix and that there are complex roots, the inner constituent parts of which may be analyzed further, as well as simple roots; and the characteristics and formation process of the complex root were considered. In the process of word formation, the first root at the bottom of a tree structure may be set as a single root, and a root having an extended form at the upper level by the addition of a certain form to the root may be set as a complex root. And it was argued that independence is not important information in the root, and that a part having a functionally substantial meaning in the process of word formation may be considered a root irrespective of its independence. In addition, verbs and adjectives created as a result of word formation are bound forms, which have previously been marked and explained in a variety of ways. The process of their word formation was completed, and so there is no need to mention the root and the stem at the level of word-formation; and one method of marking, ‘먹히(다)’ when mentioned as a word were proposed.