LNGT 0250: Morphology and Syntax

Spring 2015

Assignment #3: Due on SundayMarch8 by e-mail only, no later than 2pm. Hard copies will not be accepted. If you have a hard copy, you’ll have to scan it into a .pdf document and e-mail it to me by the deadline.Do not scan your homework pages as images.Scanned images of the homework will not be accepted and will be immediately deleted.

Instructions: Please read thoroughly and carefully!
- Your answers must be typed. If you need to type phonetic symbols, you can follow the link below for an interactive IPA keyboard, type any symbols you want, then copy and paste into your homework document.
If for any reason you find difficulty usingthis webpage, you can simply hand-write these symbols after your print out the homework, scan theprinted copy into a .pdf document (not as an image), and e-mail the homework.
- This homework involves drawing trees. For these, you’ll need to use the ArborWin font for Windows, or theArborealfont for Mac. The ArborWin font is installed on 8 PCs at BiHall 116, and the Arboreal font on 8 Mac’s outside Wilson Lab at the Davis Library. For information on how to use the font, follow these links.
For PC users:
For Mac users
- This homework assignment consists of FOURquestions. Read each question carefully and make sure you answer allparts and subparts of every question.
- You can submit your homework either as a .doc file or a .pdf file. Any other file types are not accepted. Before e-mailing the homework, make sure to rename the file to ‘assignment3_your_last_name’.
- Finally, make sure you write and sign the Honor Code Pledge on the homework before turning it in.
Write and sign the Honor Code Pledge here.

Question 1:Fun with morphological trees (diagrammatic formalization)

Draw morphological trees for each of the following FIVEEnglish words showing their recursive morphological structure. Make sure to use the ArborWin/Arboreal fonts in drawing the trees (see instructions above). Also, make sure to reference the handout of derivational affixes that I gave out in class. (5 points)

inconsistency, revitalization, irretrievable, underwhelmingly, incapacitated

Question 2:Fun with compounding (diagrammaticformalization and an application of a taxonomy)

(i)Answer Exercise 7 from the textbook on p. 56.(2 points)

(ii)Answer Exercise 8 from the textbook on pp. 56-57. No need to justify your answers for each compound. Simply describe the compound, as in the examples given in the instructions of the exercise. Make sure you have read Section 3.4.3 of the textbook before attempting this exercise. (4 points)

Question 3:Imaginationalize an analysis (identifying a challenge to an existing analysis and attempting a solution)

We have used trees to represent the internal structure of words in languages like English which have concatenative morphology. But as we explained in class, Semitic languages like Arabic have a non-concatenative (aka templatic) morphology. Last week, Forrest raised a question in class regarding how we can represent infixation using trees. We tried for a few minutes in class but we didn’t seem to go anywhere. Now, your task is to attempt aformal analysis of infixation that would help us represent word structure in languages like Arabic. For this exercise, you have to rely on your own ideas. You are not allowed to search the internet or library resources for a solution. Just use your ‘formal imagination.’ You do not need to give an elaborate solution, but you need to show how your solution works. If your solution still faces challenges, point them out. Don’t sweep them under the rug!Refer tothe Arabic exampleson the lecture slides in your solution.Important note: Your analysis has to be ‘formal’ (e.g., using some kind of a diagrammatic representation). Attempted solutions presented in plain English will not receive any credit. (4 points)

Question 4:Fun with morphological analysis (data analysis)

(Note: If you haven’t done that already, have a look at Section 3.7 of Chapter 3 for an example of morphological analysis.)

(i)Answer Exercise 3 on Kannada from the textbook p. 84. (3 points)

(ii)First, study the following data from a language that we will call Language A. Now, write a morphological rule that explains how the words in the second column are derived from those in the first column in this language. Make sure your rule accounts for all examples in the dataset. (3 points)

(iii)
Study the following data from a language that we will call SMM, then answer the two questions that follow. Note that SMM has three tones: high (e.g. ó), mid (e.g., ō), and low (e.g., ò).

First,for each of the English words in the table below, list the corresponding SMM morphemes. (2 points)

English / Corresponding SMM morpheme / English / Corresponding SMM morpheme
god / corn
lizard(s) / foot/feet
fish / puppy/puppies
sand / head(s)
squirrel(s) / hand(s)

Second, how do you say ‘your,’ ‘our,’ and ‘my’ in SMM? If there are multiple ways for expressing any of these morphemes, list all variants. For those morphemes that have multiple variants, suggest a reason for the variance. (2 points)

English / SMM morpheme
your
my
our

1