| Kommentar |
This module is concerned with those aspects of communication and cognition that influence the development of languages as structural systems and of our mental representation of language. In this semester, we will explore this so-called ‘usage-based approach’ to language in the domain of morphology. While traditional accounts of morphology tend to focus on “static” structural questions (such as a precise formulation of the rules underlying complex words, or the structure of morphological paradigms), this class will encourage students to ask some important “why”-questions behind the scenes of English morphology. For example, why does English have irregular verbs, and why do morphological irregularities crop up in strikingly similar places across many languages? Where do bound morphemes like -ment, -ly, -ing and so on come from, given that such forms are not readily invented (unlike many content words)? How are morphologically complex words stored in the mind, i.e. what is the status of morphology in the mental lexicon? How does the storage of words affect more complex aspects of morphology, e.g. the order in which certain morphemes can be combined with one another? In order to address these and similar issues, we will have to pay due attention to the ways in which sociopragmatic and psychological factors guide the shape and development of morphological patterns in language use, and we will have to turn to different kinds of empirical data (notably corpus and experimental data) that do justice to this approach. |
| Bemerkung |
We will be using Zoom for conducting our sessions. Students taking this class will have an opportunity to co-present a research article or some other assignment in class (e.g. by means of a prerecorded screencast or a live presentation) and be asked to give regular feedback on other student presentations.
The module can be taken as a Vorbereitungsmodul for oral and written state examinations in linguistics. Other participants will a have a choice between a written online exam (July 23) and a term paper (deadline: September 30, 2021). |
