Which concept explains the suffix 's' in the word 'cats' as indicating plural?

The suffixed 's' in the word 'cats' serves as a morphological marker indicating that there is more than one cat. Morphology is the study of the structure and form of words in a language, including the ways in which prefixes and suffixes alter the meaning of a base word. In this case, the addition of 's' to 'cat' transforms the singular noun into its plural form, reflecting a fundamental aspect of English word formation rules. This is crucial for language comprehension and communication, as it helps convey quantity.

Phonemic awareness relates to the individual sounds in spoken words and does not pertain to how words are constructed. Syntax refers to the arrangement of words to create sentences, focusing on grammatical structure rather than word formation. Semantics concerns the meaning of words and phrases, rather than how they are constructed. Therefore, morphology is the appropriate concept for understanding the pluralization represented by the suffix 's' in 'cats'.