Fall 2022 Course Details

Have you ever wondered if ‘to podium’ is really a word? Whether it’s OK to say ‘bananadom’ or ‘blockbusterology’? These are things that linguistic morphologists might think about. This class will be a comprehensive introduction to the field of linguistic morphology. Topics covered will include the relationship between dictionaries and the mental lexicon, ways of forming new words (affixation, compounding, conversion, blending, reduplication, etc.), the difference between inflection and derivation, methods of analyzing word formation (including corpus based studies), the relationship of morphology to syntax and phonology, and the kinds of morphology that are found in the languages of the world. We will explore word formation both in English and in other languages, and our approach will be both practical and theoretical. Course requirements will include weekly problem sets, take home midterm and final exams, and two short research projects. Barring duplication of subject, may be repeated for credit.