Morphology (Master S1 class)

Basic information

• Credits: 3
• Format: 90 minute lectures + 60 minutes exercise sessions
• 2026-2027 instructors: Viktoriia Vershniak
• 2026-2027 schedule: Tuesdays, 13:30-16:00, room 153
• Moodle page

Description

Morphology can be defined as the study of the internal structure of words and the way words relate to one another: for instance, the words “cognitive” and “cognition” are morphologically related in a specific way.

The purpose of this course is to provide a broad introduction to morphology as an empirical domain, based on data from very diverse languages. We will cover basic concepts of morphological analysis, provide a basic introduction to morphological theory, and discuss the nature and organization of inflection, derivation, and compounding. Special attention will be paid to the typological diversity of morphological systems.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites: students with no prior knowledge of morphology are very welcome.

A basic introduction to general linguistics (basics of phonology, morphology, syntax) will be helpful but is not required.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Segment words into morphs by comparison with related words.
• Make sense of the interplay between diachronic and synchronic aspects of the analysis of a word.
• Identify types of morphophonological relatedness (affixation, infixation, reduplication, root-and-pattern morphology, suprasegmental morphology, etc.) and discuss edge cases.
• Identify types of morphological relations (conversion, derivation, compounding, inflection, etc.) and discuss edge cases.
• Make sense of the structure of a morphological system in any language.

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