Introduction to Morphology

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the set of primitive elements and the set of rules for deriving complex objects out of these primitives. This is done by investigating the basic notions in morphology, and as well as how morphology relates to phonology, and to other areas of grammar, such as syntax and semantics. For example, to what extent do the principles governing the structures and forms of words need to be boxed off from other areas of grammar, and to what extent are they symptomatic of deeper principles which hold of the language faculty as a whole?

This course aims to answer these and other questions by surveying different kinds of “morphological changes” or phenomena found in natural language, looking at both affixes and various non-affixal changes in form. This is carried out in conjunction with fundamental word segmentation and related exercises, and asking what types of generalizations are to be found when we decompose words into morphemes. 

More precisely, the course introduces a theory that accounts for a core set of generalizations, one that is based on the morpheme. Particular emphasis is placed on deviations from the idea of “one-to-one” form/meaning correspondence: the phenomena called syncretism and allomorphy in particular. Time permitting, the course also involves a component in which some comparisons with different approaches to morphology will be considered, with a focus on specific empirical phenomena.

Area Tags: Morphology, Syntax

Instructor: Faruk Akku?