Which term describes the units of meaning involved in word formation?

The term that describes the units of meaning involved in word formation is morphology. Morphology focuses on the structure of words and how they are formed from smaller units called morphemes, which are the smallest units of meaning in a language. This includes both free morphemes, which can stand alone as words (e.g., "book", "run"), and bound morphemes, which cannot stand alone and must attach to other morphemes (e.g., prefixes like "un-" or suffixes like "-ing").

Understanding morphology is essential in literacy development, as it helps children grasp how words are constructed and the meanings associated with different morphemes. This knowledge can aid in vocabulary acquisition and decoding unfamiliar words.

Other terms, like syntax, phonology, and pragmatics, refer to different aspects of language. Syntax deals with the arrangement of words to create sentences, phonology focuses on the sound systems of language, and pragmatics involves the context and usage of language in social situations. While all these aspects are important in literacy, they do not specifically pertain to the units of meaning in word formation as morphology does.