Admission requirements
Pass mark for Linguistics 4 (or similar course)
Description
This course focuses on the structure of English words from the perspective of both morphology (the study of ‘word structure’) and phonology (the study of ‘sound structure’). We will analyze the ways in which the building blocks of words (‘morphemes’) combine, and how this impacts on the phonological structure of words. For example, English morphemes do not have long consonants. However, when two morphemes are combined, long consonants can be created in some contexts (e.g. unnatural, with a long [n]), but not in others (e.g. innumerable, with a short [n]). Or consider the observation that some suffixes may trigger a stress shift (e.g. grammarian, Shakespearean), while others do not affect the stress pattern of the base with which they are combined (e.g. development, disenfranchisement). Morphological processes can also be sensitive to the phonological structure of morphemes. Consider for example the variation between the past-tense suffix variants [t] and [d], whose distribution depends on a phonological property of the base. These phenomena show that the interaction between morphology and phonology is both interesting and complex.
Course objectives
Knowledge of morphological and phonological terminology
Knowledge of a number of theoretical proposals for the morphology-phonology interface
Insight into the morphology and phonology of English
The ability to analyze morphological and phonological structure
The ability to formulate morphological and phonological arguments
Timetable
The timetable is available on the BA English website
Mode of instruction
Seminar (two hours per week)
Course Load
The course load of this course is 280 hours.
26 hours spent on attending the seminars
164 hours for studying the compulsory literature
90 hours for preparing the exams
Assessment method
Two written exams and a written assignment.
Research proposal and essay (800 words): 30%
Participation and (group) presentation: 10%
End-of-term written exam: 60%
Taking part in a group presentation is a pre-requisite for taking the written exam.
Resit
Resit written exam and/or re-write essay
Exam review
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Attendance
Attendance is compulsory. Missing more than two tutorials means that students will be excluded from the tutorials. Unauthorized absence also applies to being unprepared, not participating and/or not bringing the relevant course materials to class.
Blackboard
Yes
Reading list
Lieber, Rochelle (2015). Introducing Morphology (2nd revised edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (selected chapters).
Kennedy, Robert (2017). Phonology. A Coursebook. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Additional reading (to be announced)
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in [English])http://hum.leiden.edu/students/study-administration/usis-english.html) and Dutch
NB: First year students will be enrolled by the coordinator of studies.
Students other than from the BA English Language and Culture studies need permission from the coordinator of studies before enrolling.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte
Registration Contractonderwijs
Contact
Please contact Student administration van Eyckhof for questions.