LFU:online

Institut für Anglistik Institut für Anglistik

Mag. Dr. Sandra Handl Mag. Dr. Sandra Handl

609745

Synchronic and/or Diachronic English Linguistics: English morphology and word-formation

PS 2

5

wöch.

semestral

Englisch

This seminar aims to provide an overview of the most central issues in the field of English morphology and word-formation. At the end of the seminar students shall be familiar with the relevant terminology, different research paradigms and methods of analysis in this area and thus able to carry out their own research.

After a revision of the relevant basic terminology (e.g. morpheme, word, lexeme, lexical unit, etc.) and a discussion of inflectional morphology, we will analyze morphemic and non-morphemic word-formation patterns (such as affixation, compounding, zero-derivation/conversion, clipping, blending, etc.) with regard to the following questions: What are the structural characteristics of the individual patterns? Which (pragmatic, textual, etc.) functions are connected to them? What determines which word-formation pattern is chosen to form a new word to denote a previously unnamed entity or state of affairs? In what way are the diverse patterns related to how humans perceive the world and think? Why are some new words ‘successful’, i.e. accepted by the speech community, whereas others are not? And what happens to new words if they become established parts of the lexicon?

Discussion, application and critical evaluation of different approaches to the description of English (complex) words

Regular attendance, active participation (discussions, mini-workshops), oral presentation, written paper

Preparatory reading: Schmid, Hans-Jörg (2011), English morphology and word-formation. An introduction, 2nd rev. and transl. ed., Berlin: Erich Schmidt, chs. 1, 5.

Anmeldevoraussetzung/en: Bachelorstudium: keine Entspricht im Lehramtsstudium (344): PS2: Linguistics and Culture Entspricht im Diplomstudium (343): PS2: Linguistics and Culture
Beginn: 07. März 2013