Introducing Morphology

Morphology is the study of how words are put together. A lively introduction to the subject, this textbook is intended for undergraduates with relatively little background in linguistics. Providing data from a wide variety of languages, it includes hands-on activities such as "challenge boxes," designed to encourage students to gather their own data and analyze it, work with data on websites, perform simple experiments, and discuss topics with each other. There is also an extensive introduction to the terms and concepts necessary for analyzing words. Topics such as the mental lexicon, derivation, compounding, inflection, morphological typology, productivity, and the interface of morphology with syntax and phonology expose students to the whole scope of the field. Unlike other textbooks it anticipates the question "Is it a real word?" and tackles it head on by looking at the distinction between dictionaries and the mental lexicon.

Morphology is the study of how words are put together. A lively introduction to the subject, this textbook is intended for undergraduates with relatively little background in linguistics. Providing data from a wide variety of languages, it includes hands-on activities such as "Challenge Boxes,"designed to encourage students to gather their own data and analyze them, work with data on websites, perform simple experiments, and discuss topics with each other. There is also an extensive introduction to the terms and concepts necessary for analyzing words. Topics such as the mental lexicon, derivation, compounding, inflection, morphological typology, productivity, and the interface of morphology with syntax and phonology expose students to the whole scope of the field. Unlike other textbooks it anticipates the question "Is it a real word?" and tackles it head-on by looking at the distinction between dictionaries and the mental lexicon.

Features:

"How to? " sections show students how to find data as well as solve problems

"Challenge Boxes" Promote hands-on learning by students

Exercises at the ends of chapters encourage students to apply material covered in the preceding chapter

Chapter previews and summaries, "key words," and a glossary of terms make it easy for students to work through the text

Rochelle Lieber is Professor of Linguistics in the English Department at the University of New Hampshire. Her recent publications include The Oxford Handbook of Compounding (2009), Morphology and Lexical Semantics (Cambridge, 2004), and The Handbook of Word Formation (2005).