Spring 2013

Course Information

Time:
MWTh, 12-12:50pm
Location:
Volen 119

Professor

Lotus Goldberg
Email: lmgold AT brandeis DOT edu
Mailbox: Volen 261 [Computer Science Dept. Office]
Office: Volen 134
Office Hours:
Tuesday 1-2pm, Friday 11am-12pm
Textbook:
Aronoff, Mark and Kirsten Fudeman (2005) What is Morphology? Blackwell Publishing.
Supplemental readings will be provided to you from:
Spencer, Andrew and Arnold M. Zwicky (1998) The Handbook of Morphology. Blackwell Publishing.
Spencer, Andrew (1991) Morphological Theory. Blackwell Publishing.

TA

to be announced

Course description and objectives

This course explores the internal structure of words, and the theoretical approaches which aim to account for these patterns. Topics include the nature of the lexicon and lexical entries, word headedness, argument structure and other issues in morphosyntax, derivational and inflectional morphology, compounds, morphophonology, and processes not common in Indo - European such as infixing, reduplication, and Semitic root - and - pattern morphology. The prerequisite for taking this course is Linguistics 100a, Intro duction to Linguistics, or instructor consent. Graduate students taking this course who have not previously studied basic phonetics are welcome, but should see me immediately to let me know .

Schedule (subject to change)

Weeks
Topics
1, 2
Introduction to Morphology; criteria for being a word; word headedness; the lexicon and lexical entries
3, 4,
5
Morphology and phonology round one -
allomorphs, morphemes, and morphophonological processes
6, 7,
8
Morphology and phonology round two -
infixation, reduplication, and templatic morphology, including a detailed look at Semitic languages
9, 10,
11
Compounding;
Inflectional morphology in agglutinating languages, including case, gender, and noun class
12, 13,
14
Morphology and syntax:
incorporation, passive, causativization, and other valency - changing operations