In this module, students will develop their knowledge and skills in two related areas of formal linguistics: morphology and syntax. They will gain an understanding of the role of morphology and syntax as core components of human language, and how they relate to other components such as phonology and semantics.
Focusing on the structure of words, phrases and sentences, the module will examine the principles according to which these structures are formed, as well as speakers' knowledge about the well-formedness of utterances they hear and produce. Students will build a toolkit of terminology with which to describe morphological and syntactic processes and understand how to represent linguistic structure using specific morphological and syntactic diagrams and formalisms.
Students will also develop tools for pattern observation in data, description and analysis of word and sentence structure, and hypothesis testing. They will learn to conduct diagnostic tests on English and cross-linguistic data, thereby becoming versed with the empirical method.
Lectures: 16 hours
Workshops: 16 hours
Written Take-home assessment
Analysis of data sets
Equivalent to 1500 words
Written Report
Report on pre-approved morphology or syntax topic
2000 words
The University is committed to ensuring that core reading materials are in accessible electronic format in line with the Kent Inclusive Practices. The most up to date reading list for each module can be found on the university's reading list pages: https://kent.rl.talis.com/index.html
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1) Demonstrate a solid understanding of the fundamentals of empirical inquiry in morphology and syntax, and of core concepts in morphology and syntax;
2) Demonstrate the skill of discovering and describing patterns in given data sets, from a variety of languages, in a theoretically-informed way;
3) Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between morphology and syntax and other components of the grammar, such as phonology and semantics;
4) Demonstrate lines of argumentation, make informed judgements on the basis of cross-linguistic evidence, and decide between competing analyses of data;
5) Demonstrate an understanding of the relevance and usefulness of the cross-linguistic method as a tool to better understand the properties of their own native language (e.g., English).
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