EL2302 Constructing Words and Meaning: Morphology
Course Guide:: Handbook:: Good Writing Guide :: MyAberdeen
CREDIT POINTS: 15
Course Co-ordinator: Dr M Durham and Dr R McColl Millar
Pre-requisite(s): LN1001 or EL1512 or equivalent. This pre-requisite may be waived at the discretion of the Undergraduate Programme Convener.
Note(s): This is a 6-week course
From the moment we become literate, we are taught that the word is the smallest unit of meaning. This is not entirely correct. Words themselves are often made up of smaller meaningful elements. Underlying men, for instance, are two units: man and a plural marker. This course will teach you how English and other languages construct their vocabularies through word-formation, giving you the analytical and conceptual tools necessary to do so. You will also consider how the sound-pattern of a language interacts with its morphology (so that, in English, the plural H–S in hands is pronounced differently from the same ending in hats) as well as the ways in which word-formation can change over time.
Reading List: The course book for EL2302 is, Andrew Carstairs-McCarthy An Introduction to English Morphology.
2 one-hour lectures, a weekly online workshop and 1 one-hour tutorial.
1st attempt: 1 2,000 word essay (50%); 1 homework exercise (30%), tutorial assessment mark (20%).
Resit: Examination (100%).