Undergraduate Course: Morphology (LASC10086)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course provides a cross-linguistic overview of the properties of word structure (inflection, derivation, allomorphy, argument structure, lexical semantics) and discusses their implications for linguistic theory. |
| Course description |
The course will provide a detailed overview of the issues involved in the study of complex words, both where it concerns word formation (compounding and derivation) and where it concerns inflectional processes. Topics to be addressed with regard to word formation include the debate on whether complex words always have an internal hierarchical morphemic structure or not, the concept of headedness in morphological structures, the various types of compounds that have been distinguished (root compounds, synthetic compounds, co-compounds etc.), and the workings of forms of word formation such as reduplication and truncation. With respect to inflection, the various classes of inflection that we see cross-linguistically will be discussed, and phenomena such as syncretism, multiple exponence, and agreement will be analysed. The relation of morphology to other components of grammar (syntax, phonology and semantics) will also be discussed. The general outlook will be a formal theoretical one, but no particular conception of morphology will be singled out to the exclusion of discussion of others. A main aim of the course is in fact to show how one can arrive from a particular data set at different possible analyses of these data, which may each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Linguistics/Language Sciences courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Be thoroughly familiar with concepts and ideas used in the study of complex words
- Be able to apply these concepts and ideas to new and unfamiliar data
- Be able to critically evaluate literature that makes use of these concepts and ideas
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The course helps students explore a variety of topics related to word formation in a structured way. We will come up together with a detailed overview of the issues involved in the study of complex words. A main aim of the course is to show how one can arrive from a particular data set at different possible analyses of these data, which may each have their own advantages and disadvantages. We will achieve this through substantial collaboration and discussion in class. Since this is a self-assessed course, students figure out what motivates them and how to balance different interests and obligations.
Core skills gained or developed on this course:
Adapting presentation or writing tone/style to audience; Being open to different perspectives; Challenging own perspectives and assumptions; Critical thinking; Critical analysis and evaluation; Data analysis and evaluation; Formulating original arguments and justifying it; Group work (delegation, influencing, conflict resolution, motivating others, taking responsibility); Independence; Oral communication (discussion, debating respectfully, influencing); Preparation, planning and organisation; Problem solving; Public speaking; Research skills; Resilience; Self-reflection; Taking initiative; Time management; Understanding broader perspectives; Workload management; Written communication. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Itamar Kastner
Tel: (0131 6)50 6802
Email: itamar.kastner@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Susan Hermiston
Tel: (0131 6)50 3440
Email: Susan.Hermiston@ed.ac.uk |
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