Structure and Meaning of Words

Catalog description

An exploration of how English words are formed and why they mean what they mean. The course examines word-related topics such as their sounds (phonology), derivation (morphology), origin (etymology), meaning (lexical semantics), and spelling (orthography), as well as stress patterns and the role these play in poetic meter. We will also study the history of English, looking at the effects of events such as the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, which brought in a great influx of French words, and linguistic changes like the Great Vowel Shift of the 15th-17th centuries. While the focus is on English words, we will also look at other languages (such as Turkish and Arabic) that have contrasting patterns of word formation. Prerequisite: LING/ANTH 118. Offered fall semesters in alternating years.