LINGUIST 324 : Morphology

Arts

2020 Semester One (1203) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Provides an overview of linguistic morphology and the various strategies of word formation across languages. Theories such as Distributed Morphology, Lexical Phonology and Morphology, Lexeme-Based Morphology, Prosodic Morphology, and Word Syntax will be discussed, and the course will include a practical component in which these theories are applied to language data.

Course Overview

How are words structured?  This is the domain of linguistic morphology, the study of how words are formed by languages. 
Every language has words, but the way words are formed can vary dramatically across languages.  For instance, some languages appear to have little or no morphology, and others can have word-formation processes so rich that an entire sentence can be conveyed with a single word.  Some languages make heavy use of prefixes, others rely on suffixes, and there are even some languages that insert word parts into the middles of words, rather than placing them at the edges.  
In addition to this rich cross-linguistic variation, we will also explore issues having to do with the shape of related words.  Why is dogs the plural of dog, but the plural of child is children?  How do we have knowledge that inaudible, impossible and inconceivable all have the same initial word-part, even though they are all pronounced differently?  What is responsible for the pronunciation differences between related pairs of words like electric vs. electricity?  Do novel words behave like we would expect, given the structure of the language, or do they behave in a special, or unique way?  How do we ‘create’ new words? 
A related issue has to do with the different morphological categories and strategies available to languages.  Why do some languages make extensive use of compounding as a word-formation strategy, while others rely on lexical affixes, and yet in others the distinction between phrases and compounds is unclear?  Why does one language treat a particular category as inflectional, while another language treats it as derivational? 
Finally, a driving question for the course will be: How does morphology interface with the syntax, semantics, or phonology of a language?  
This course will explore all of these issues, and all of these questions, giving students a thorough background in linguistic morphology.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: LINGUIST 100 or 103

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Understand the basic phenomena related to linguistic morphology. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 4.1 and 6.2)
  2. Recognise and interpret phenomena in other linguistic domains relevant to morphological theory. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.2 and 6.2)
  3. Evaluate arguments about linguistic theory. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1 and 4.1)
  4. Apply concepts to data. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 4.1 and 5.1)
  5. Analyse complex morphological phenomena. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 5.2 and 6.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 30% Individual Coursework
Test 30% Individual Test
Final Exam 40% Individual Examination

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 4 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 3 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page (https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894), which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 07/01/2020 03:36 p.m.