SPA 430 – Spanish Morphology
Fall 2014
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Instructor: Dr. M. Galant
Offices: LCH A-309 (individual office) // LCH A-316 (Language Learning Center)
Telephone: (310)243-3533 (office) // (310)243-3315 (Dept. of Modern Languages) // (310)243-3637 (Language Learning Center)
E-mail:
TENTATIVE Office hours [usually in LCH A-309, but sometimes in LCH A-316]
M 6:30pm-8:30pm, Th 3pm-5pm, and by appt.
[drop-in during my LLC (LCH A-316) hours is usually ok, too: I will tentatively be in the LLC as follows:
M 10am-12pm and 1:30pm-5:30pm, Tu 3pm-5pm, Th 10am-noon]
exceptions: No office hours (or LLC hours) on Labor Day (Monday, 9/2/13) , Veteran's Day (Monday, 11/11/13), or Thanksgiving (Thursday, 11/28/13)
CRN: 41948 Section #: 01
Classroom: LCH A223 Days/Times: Tu/Th, 5:30-6:55pm (except Tuesday, 11/11/14 and Thursday, 11/24/14)
Description of the course (from the Catalog): “In-depth introduction to selected topics of Morphology. Topics include inflection, derivation, and compounding, as well as the relation of morphology to phonology, syntax and the lexicon.”
Prerequisites: SPA305 and SPA311. It is expected that you:
· have a strong command of spoken and written Spanish
· be highly familiar with grammatical terms and concepts, especially as they relate to the grammar of Spanish
Required text:
· Lang, M. F. 1990. Spanish Word Formation: Productive derivational morphology in the modern lexis. Routledge, New York. (available in the CSUDH bookstore)
· You are expected to bring the required text to every class meeting.
Recommended texts:
- Azevedo, M. 2009. Introducción a la lingüística española, 3rd ed. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ. [0-205-64704-9] (2nd edition on reserve at the CSUDH library, under SPA311)
2. Butt, J. and C. Benjamin. 2011. A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish, 5th edition. Routledge. [978-1444137699] (1st edition available at the CSUDH library)
- Hualde, J., et al. 2001. Introducción a la lingüística hispánica [1st ed.]. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. [ISBN: 0-521-80314-4]
- Mackenzie, I. 2001. A Linguistic Introduction to Spanish. LINCOM Studies in Romance Linguistics 35. [ISBN: 3-89586-347-5].
- Moyna, M. I. 2011. Compound words in Spanish: Theory and history. John Benjamins: Philadelphia. [ISBN: 9789027248343] (available via ebrary: http://0-site.ebrary.com.torofind.csudh.edu/lib/csudh/docDetail.action?docID=10481793)
- Suñer, M. and L. King. 2008. Gramática española, 3rd edition. McGraw Hill: Boston. [ISBN: 978-0-07-351313-3]
(2nd edition on reserve at the CSUDH library)
7. Wheatley, K. 2005. Sintaxis y morfología de la lengua española. Prentice Hall. [ISBN: 978-0131899193]
- Whitley, M. 2002. A Course in Spanish Linguistics: Spanish/English Contrasts, 2nd ed. Georgetown University Press: Washington, D.C. [0-87840-381-7] (1st ed. available at NetLibrary: http://0-search.ebscohost.com.torofind.csudh.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&bquery=(spanish)+AND+(syntax)+AND+(whitley)&type=1&site=ehost-live)
· Please also note:
o I may post to Blackboard and/or email you additional documents to print out and bring to class. If I do so, I will let you know ahead of time.
o E-books available to you on campus at: http://library.csudh.edu/services/reference/shelf.php?type=ebook [e.g., eBrary and NetLibrary – if you click on NetLibrary, then scroll down to ebooks]
Computer/Information Literacy Expectations for Students enrolled in this class
Students in this class are expected to: 1) use the university email system (Toromail), 2) use Blackboard [see SLO’s for more details], 3) use a word processing program for writing assignments (e.g., Microsoft Word), 4) be able to access assigned websites through the internet, 5) be able to create a power point presentation, 6) be able to paraphrase concepts without plagiarizing, 7) use Audacity [see SLO’s for more details], and 8) use Powerpoint (see SLO’s for more details]
For additional information about computing on campus, including tutorials, students should go to: http://www.csudh.edu/infotech/labs http://www.csudh.edu/infotech/student_index.shtml
Useful websites:
1) Dictionaries
a) Ectaco English-Spanish/Spanish-English online dictionary:
http://www.ectaco.com/English-Spanish-Dictionary
b) Diccionario de la Real Academia Española:
i) Diccionario general: http://www.rae.es/recursos/diccionarios/drae
ii) Glosario de términos lingüísticos usados en el diccionario: http://www.rae.es/diccionario-panhispanico-de-dudas/terminos-linguisticos
c) Idoneos.com: Breve glosario de términos lingüísticos: http://comunicacion.idoneos.com/index.php/Ling%C3%BC%C3%ADstica/Breve_glosario_de_t%C3%A9rminos_ling%C3%BC%C3%ADsticos
d) Instituto Lingüístico de Verano: http://www.sil.org/mexico/ling/glosario/E005ae-Glosario.htm
2) Grammar resources
a) Gramática y ortografía (Juan Manuel Soto Arriví): http://www.indiana.edu/~call/lengua.html
b) Learn Spanish: http://www.studyspanish.com/tutorial.htm
c) Spanish Grammar Exercises (Barbara Kuczun Nelson): http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/index.php
d) La Nueva gramática de la lengua española (2009-2011) [RAE]: http://aplica.rae.es/grweb/cgi-bin/buscar.cgi
e) Diccionario panhispánico de dudas [RAE]: http://www.rae.es/recursos/diccionarios/dpd
3) Linguistics:
a) What is linguistics:
i) Frequently Asked Questions About Linguistics: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/lingfaq.html
ii) Wikipedia: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ling%C3%BC%C3%ADstica
b) Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction, textbook website: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/linguistics/default.asp?s=n=&i=&v=&o=&ns=0&uid=0&rau=0
Important dates:
· dates affecting our class in particular:
o no class on Tuesday, 11/11/14 (Veteran's Day)
o no class on Thursday, 11/27/14 (Thanksgiving)
o during finals week, we will only meet on the day of Exam 3, which is Thursday, 12/11/14 (the final will be from 5:30-6:45pm)
o for exam dates, see “Exams” and/or “Class Calendar” below
o for due dates with respect to the research presentation and paper, see "Presentation and Research Paper" and/or “Class Calendar” below
· dates affecting the campus in general:
o campus closed on Monday, 9/1/14, for Labor Day
o campus closed on Tuesday, 11/11/14, for Veteran's Day
o campus closed on Thursday, 11/27/14, through Sunday, 11/30/14, for Thanksgiving
· for other important dates (such as deadlines for adding and dropping classes), consult the following website: http://www4.csudh.edu/Assets/CSUDH-Sites/Academic-Affairs/Academic-Calendar/docs/approved-academic-calendar-2014-2015%20(2).pdf
Student outcomes – by the end of the semester, students will:
· demonstrate knowledge of the general descriptive terminology of morphology, including root, affix, word, base, etc.
· demonstrate an understanding of key morphological processes, including derivation, inflection, and compounding
· explain key differences between derivation and inflection
· demonstrate an understanding of the difference between synchronic and diachronic morphological processes
· classify morphological processes as productive or non-productive
· demonstrate knowledge of key morphological features of Spanish
· analyze Spanish morphology within a generative morphology framework
General perspective
It is very important for me that you be successful in this class.
· Keep in mind that I am an important resource for your success in this class. I highly recommend that you see me in office hours, meet me by appointment, and/or contact me by email or telephone if you have questions and/or want to explore any material covered in class more in depth. You need to avoid falling behind – do not assume that if you are lost you will be able to all of a sudden catch up later – you should seek my assistance as soon as it is needed..
· In order for this to be a positive experience, I promote an open environment in which you can ask and answer questions without fear. Of course, if you ask a question that indicates to me that you should review or learn certain material, I’ll let you know, but in a constructive manner.
· This is a demanding class, so you need to take it seriously, although it is worth the effort.
· Since a large percentage (although not 100%) of academic exchanges in linguistics (articles, conferences, etc.) are in English or at least use English terminology, I will in some cases mention English terminology, instead of or in addition to, Spanish terminology, although the class will be conducted in Spanish.
Professional conduct
I require that we maintain an atmosphere of mutual repect and consideration in this class. Thus,
· we will not make fun of classmates who make mistakes in their Spanish and/or if they have trouble understanding something.
· cellular phones, beepers, etc., will be turned off (or placed in vibrate mode) before class.
· we will show sensitivity to one another, avoiding discriminatory comments.
· no eating or drinking is allowed in LCH A-223. For medical exceptions, you must provide documentation from a physician or Disabled Student Services, and you may only eat/drink food/drinks that do not create noise and do not have a strong smell. Also, you must promptly clean up any spills.
Students with disabilities:
Please let me know if you have any special needs that I should be aware of, and please do so as early in the semester as possible, so that I may accommodate those needs as soon as possible. Please also feel free to consult with Disabled Student Services (DSS) [http://www.csudh.edu/dss/main.html] (310) 243-3660, (310) 243-2028 (TDD), (310) 516-4247 (fax) [located at Welch Hall B 250]
Office hours:
· I would like to make it very clear from the start that I am very concerned about student learning. Therefore, I highly encourage you to come to my office hours and/or schedule appointments at other times if you are having difficulty in the course or wish to discuss advanced matters. I encourage asking questions during class, although if I feel that a question is better handled outside of class, I will gladly take the time to resolve such a question in office hours, via email, etc. Please let me know about any concerns you have as soon as possible, rather than waiting until it is too late to take action.
· Although I am more than happy to clear up difficulties during office hours or via email, I will not spend office hours or write out emails repeating information (such as the homework assignment) for students who have missed class, arrived late, or left early. If you have a really good reason for missing class and are unable to contact classmates, let me know and I will consider making an exception. I strongly recommend exchanging contact information with classmates at the beginning of the semester in order to be able to consult them in case of absence, tardiness, etc. It is good for you to get to know and study with your classmates, anyway, since they can be a great support system.
Participation
It is very important that everyone participate in class. Furthermore, in order for your participation to have meaning:
· you need to do the readings and homework assignments on time
· you need to take seriously any recommendations that I may make
· you need to pay attention in class and stop me, by raising your hand, when you need a clarification of something I have said
· Although there is not an explicit "Participation" component of the grade breakdown for this course, participation, when done right (i.e., asking me questions and answering my questions but after first having come to class prepared),
· helps you (and me) assess how well you are mastering the material
· enhances your learning and your classmates' learning as well
· can potentially help me write a detailed letter of recommendation for you in the future
Attendance and punctuality
· Since we only meet twice a week and yet have a lot of material to cover, including several abstract concepts, it’s best to always attend class. There are some types of excused absences:
· religious holidays, participation in university activities in an official capacity (such as a sports competition) – in such cases, please let me know about the need to be absent in advance, since you will know about it in advance.
· certain other absences which I deem excused – these are decided on a case-by-case basis – the sonner you explain the situation to me, and the more organized you are about catching up, the less likely such an absence is to affect your grade in the class.
· For any excused absence, you must notify me, ASAP, in writing and/or via email of the reason for your absence (you can be general in order to protect your privacy), in addition to discussing the situation with me in person if you wish, and I reserve the right to ask for additional documentation depending on the individual situation.
· In the event that you are late or absent, you are expected to consult with a classmate regarding classnotes and important announcements. I suggest that you get to know some classmates early on during the semester and exchange contact information so that you can provide each other with support in such cases and in general. If you have a really good reason for missing class and having made a genuine effort to contact classmates but have not gotten any responses from them, let me know and I will consider making an exception. I will be putting together a voluntary contact list in the first week or so of class, so very soon, you will have another resource for missed material regardless of your reason for an absence. It is good for you to get to know and study with your classmates, anyway, since they can be a great support system. Of course, I am available to help you during office hours, but I prefer to use this important time to help students clear up difficult concepts rather than repeating class lectures for someone who was late or absent.
· You should only leave class early for emergencies. If you leave class early, I reserve the right to count you absent or tardy for that class period, depending on how early you leave.
· You are allowed 2 unexcused absences. For each additional unexcused absence, your overall semester grade will be lowered by 2%.
· When someone comes to class late, the class flow is interrupted and that person arrives potentially quite lost. Therefore, starting with the third tardy, your overall semester grade will be lowered by 2% for every third tardy. Note that a tardy will be considered an absence if you are more than 15 minutes late.
· Having another class or a job right before this class might make you late but cannot be considered a valid reason for coming late. Similarly, you should not take another course that overlaps with this class.
· Normally I try to allow enough time for everyone to finish exams. However, if you come late on the date of an exam, you might not have enough time to finish it, since you will need to turn in your exam when everyone else has to do so. Also, if there is any part of the exam involving aural comprehension, you may miss that part if you come late.
Homework
· There will be one or two homework assignments per week. Each homework will give you the opportunity to better absorb what we have studied in class and sometimes explore certain topics more deeply. By all of you doing the homework, the class as a group is ready, at the next class meeting, to move on. Therefore, it is important that you do the homework and have it ready to turn in by the beginning of class on the day it is due.