Using the previously developed canonical phase space approach applied to the noisy Burgers equation in one dimension, we discuss in detail the growth morphology in terms of nonlinear soliton modes and superimposed linear modes. We moreover analyze the non-Hermitian character of the linear mode spectrum and the associated dynamical pinning and mode transmutation from diffusive to propagating behavior induced by the solitons. We discuss the anomalous diffusion of growth modes, switching and pathways, correlations in the multi-soliton sector, and in detail the correlations and scaling properties in the two-soliton sector.