Words and Word Formation: Introduction to Morphology

PHI 80286 / 80786, Fall 2015

This is the course webpage for PHI 80286, Words and Word Formation: Introduction to Morphology. Here you will find all the information for the course, including the syllabus, course outline and assignments. I will also post announcements here, so check back regularly!

Course Information

• Course MW 10:30 - 11:50, BH235A syllabus
• Instructor Christina Bjorndahl, email
• Office Dougherty Hall 4604
• Office hours Fridays 12:00 - 2:00 (email if coming)
• Website Content posted here unless otherwise indicated; grades posted to Blackboard
• Data!

Textbook (required): Understanding Morphology, by Martin Haspelmath and Andrea P. Sims (2nd edition)

Course Schedule

We will more or less follow the order of chapters in the textbook, with occasional digressions to consider additional topics outside of the traditional scope of morphology, including word-formation, lexical semantics and how morphology interacts with other disciplines (historical linguistics, psychology, computational linguistics, etc.).

Week 1: Introduction

Reading: 1.1, 1.2, (1.3, 1.4); 2.1, 2.2 (for Wednesday)

Topics: Course objectives and expectations; What is morphology? What is this course about?

Keywords: morphemes, {analytic, synthetic, isolating}, lexemes, word-forms, affixes

August 31: What is morphology?

• Course introduction (syllabus, outline, expectations)
• What is Morphology? Course topics overview
• Jabberwocky

September 2: Types of morphemes

• Word vs. morpheme
• Units of morphology: lexemes, word-forms
• Kempt
• Types of affixes: prefixes, suffixes, infixes, circumfixes
• Bound vs. free
• Reading and writing linguistic glosses

Week 2: What is a word?

Reading: Jackson & Amvela, Chapter 3 (on Blackboard)

Topics: defining the word; linguistic sign

Keywords:paradigmatic vs. syntagmatic relations; polysemy, homonymy,

September 7 - no class, Labour Day

September 9

• What is a word?
• Defining the word
• Relations between words
• Saussure: signifier vs. signified
• Words and meaning

Week 3: Allomorphy

Reading: Monday: 2.3; Wednesday: 3.1, 3.2

Topics: Allomorphy; morphological patterns; morphological rules

Keywords: allomorphs, suppletion; lexicon; base modification, reduplication, conversion; morpheme-based vs. word-based model

September 14

• Review of key concepts in phonology/phonetics (IPA, rules, etc.)
• Allomorphy: alternation, suppletion

September 16: Problem Set #1 due

• morphological patterns: concatenative vs. non-concatenative
• morphological rules: morpheme-based vs. word-based rules
• hierarchical structure & ambiguity

Week 4: Inflection and derivation

Reading: Monday: 4 (all), 5.1, 5.2; Wednesday: 5.3, 5.4, 5.5

Topics: Typology of nouns; inflection and derivation

Keywords: inflectional values (e.g., number, case, person, tense); derived meanings; agreement, government

September 21: Typology of noun systems

• Finish with word-form vs.\ morpheme lexicon
• What is a noun? Tests for noun-hood
• Inflection vs.\ derivation

September 23: Inflection and derivation

• Take up PS #1
• Noun types (continued)
• Properties of inflection and derivation

Week 5: Word formation and productivity

Reading: Monday: Jackson & Amvela, Chapter 4; Wednesday: 6 (all)

Topics: Case; word formation; properties of derivational morphology

Keywords: productivity, creativity, vocabulary strata, synonymy, analogy

September 28: Nominal categories; Word formation

• Nominal inflectional features (gender, person, case)
• Properties of derivational morphology
• Word formation in English

September 30: Productivity in English; Problem Set #2 due

• Productivity
• Restrictions on productivity
• The lexicon
• Measuring productivity

Week 6: Words in use

Reading: Monday: Jackson & Amvela, Chapter 6

October 5: Productivity (con’t)

October 7: Word formation, words in use

Week 7: Morphological trees

Reading: Monday: Chapter 7

October 12: Compounding

• Compounding
• Review diagnostics for inflection vs. derivation

October 14: Problem Set #3 due

• language revitalization/reform
• Hebrew vs. Greek diglossia

Week 8: Midterm

October 19: Midterm review

October 21: Midterm

Week 9:Inflectional paradigms

Reading: Wednesday: 8.1, 8.2

Topics: Inflectional paradigms; Southern Barasano

Keywords: inflectional paradigms, syntagmatic vs. paradigmatic relations, inflection classes,

October 26:

• Take up midterm
• Southern Barasano morphology

October 28:

• Southern Barasano morphology
• Inflectional paradigms

Week 10: Inflectional paradigms

Reading: Monday: 8.3-8.8

Topics: Inflectional paradigms; verbal inflection features

Keywords: inheritance hierarchies, rule schema, default rules, Priscianic formation, syncretism, underspecification, deponency, periphrasis,

November 2: Inflectional paradigms (cont)

• paradigmatic relations and inflection class shift
• inheritance hierarchies
• stems and Priscianic formation
• syncretism, defectiveness, deponency, periphrasis

November 4: Problem Set #4 due

• wrap up chapter 8
• verbal inflection features
• revisit productivity

Week 11: Words and phrases

Reading: Wednesday: Chapter 9

Topics: phrases vs. compounds, clitics, prosody

Keywords: clitics, prosody, lexical integrity

November 9: Guest lecture (Vedran Dronjic)

November 11: Words and phrases

Week 12: Words and phrases (cont)

November 16:

November 18: Problem Set #5 due

Week 13:

November 23: Guest lecture (Seth Wiener)

November 25 - no class, Thanksgiving Holiday

Week 14:

November 30

December 2: Problem Set #6 due

Week 15:

December 7

December 9

Exam Week

Final exam (time and location): TBD