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Ling 523: Morphology (Spring 2008)
This course offers an introduction to the theoretical principles of word structure. Topics to be covered include inflection, derivation, and compounding; the organization of the lexicon; the structure of inflectional paradigms; morphophonological and morphosyntactic alternations; and computational applications. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to describe and analyze the structure of words and recognize different types of word structure, to apply current theories of word structure to new examples, and to recognize the role of morphological data for the construction of linguistic theory.
| Semester | Spring 2008 |
|---|---|
| Course type | Lecture |
| Instructor | Rob Malouf |
| Time | MWF 12:00–12:50 |
| Location | BA 412 |
Requirements
The final grade will be based on homework assignments (30%), a take-home midterm exam (30%), and a final project (40%). Through the term, there will be occasional homework assignments to practice the techniques learned in class. Working in groups is encouraged, but please include the names of all coworkers on the assignment. The mid-term and final, though, should be done individually.
For undergraduates, the final project will be a take-home exam, like the mid-term. For graduate students, the final project should be either a substantial research paper (10–12 pages) on some theoretically interesting morphological phenomenon.
Readings
The required textbooks for this course are:
Mark Aronoff and Kirsten Fudeman. 2004. What is Morphology? Blackwell.and
Geert Booij. 2007. The Grammar of Words. Second edition. Oxford University Press.
Schedule
| Week 1–2 | Introduction, basic concepts |
| Week 3 | Derivation |
| Week 4 | Compounding |
| Week 5–6 | Inflection and paradigms |
| Week 7 | Word-based rules |
| Week 8 | Midterm review and exam |
| Week 9–10 | Morphophonology |
| Week 11–12 | Morphosyntax |
| Week 13 | Productivity and frequency |
| Week 14 | Morphological change |
| Week 15 | Wrap-up and review |