HNRS: Introduction to Morphology
Fall 2021 Courses
Course:
LING 650 H10 30927
Course Attributes:
Humanities, NotCore
Instructor:
Stanley Dubinsky
Location/Times(1):
HONORS B119 on TR @ 02:50 pm - 04:05 pm
Seat Capacity:
7
Foundations of generative morphology, focusing on morphological data collection and analysis; the structure of the lexicon; and the interfaces between morphology and phonology, semantics, and syntax. Prerequisite: LING 300, LING 301, or LING 600. CL: 2020.
Notes:
The course will explore the linguistic topic of morphology, which deals with the meaning, form, and structure of words and their parts. We will examine the process by which larger words [e.g. sesqui-ped-alian-ism] are built out of smaller parts, how word formation rules can create ambiguity [e.g. unfoldable maps], how words change in meaning and form over time [e.g. gyrle à girl, lent à loaned], and how entire language systems evolve [e.g. thou/thee/thy/thine/thyself à ∅], and how a language’s sound system (phonology) affects the form of its words including how it borrows from others [e.g. sandwich (English) à sanudowichi (Amharic). In addressing issues like these, we will cover basic concepts of morphology, rules, lexicon, inflection and derivation, productivity, morphological trees, inflectional paradigms, words and phrases, morphophonology, morphology and valence, frequency effects in morphology.