Students

LING3383 – Morphosyntax of the World's Languages

2023 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor, Lecturer, totor
Joe Blythe
Contact via email
12 Second Way, room 514
Maria Herke
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
50cp at 2000 level or above including 10cp of LING units at 2000 level
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit examines the internal structure of words, taking a typological perspective on the world's languages. It considers the interface between morphology, syntax and phonological structure. Alternative theories of word formation will be critically compared and contrasted, especially in the light of the typological diversity vs. uniformity revealed by the world's 7000 languages.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Critically analyse morphologically complex words from a range of typologically diverse languages.
  • ULO2: Compare and contrast word structures across language and language families.
  • ULO3: Develop levels of argumentation sufficient to explain synchronic morphological and morphophonological processes, as well as diachronic processes such as grammaticalization.
  • ULO4: Evaluate your analyses within the context of current debates on morphological theory.
  • ULO5: Communicate an understanding of how linguistic typology informs other fields of linguistics.
  • ULO6: Effectively communicate the importance of of morphological diversity for theoretical linguistics.

General Assessment Information

Late Submissions

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

 For example:

Number of days (hours) late

Total Possible Marks

Deduction

Raw mark

Final mark

1 day (1-24 hours)

100

5

75

70

2 days (24-48 hours)

100

10

75

65

3 days (48-72 hours)

100

15

75

60

7 days (144-168 hours) 

100

35

75

40

>7 days (>168 hours)

100

-

75

0

 

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Assignment 1 30% No Week 6
Assignment 2 30% No Week 9
Examination 40% No Week 13

Assignment 1

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 30%

 

Morphological problems sets

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically analyse morphologically complex words from a range of typologically diverse languages.
  • Compare and contrast word structures across language and language families.
  • Develop levels of argumentation sufficient to explain synchronic morphological and morphophonological processes, as well as diachronic processes such as grammaticalization.
  • Evaluate your analyses within the context of current debates on morphological theory.
  • Effectively communicate the importance of of morphological diversity for theoretical linguistics.

Assignment 2

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Week 9
Weighting: 30%

 

Morphological problems sets

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically analyse morphologically complex words from a range of typologically diverse languages.
  • Compare and contrast word structures across language and language families.
  • Develop levels of argumentation sufficient to explain synchronic morphological and morphophonological processes, as well as diachronic processes such as grammaticalization.
  • Evaluate your analyses within the context of current debates on morphological theory.
  • Communicate an understanding of how linguistic typology informs other fields of linguistics.

Examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%

 

Examination

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically analyse morphologically complex words from a range of typologically diverse languages.
  • Compare and contrast word structures across language and language families.
  • Develop levels of argumentation sufficient to explain synchronic morphological and morphophonological processes, as well as diachronic processes such as grammaticalization.
  • Evaluate your analyses within the context of current debates on morphological theory.
  • Communicate an understanding of how linguistic typology informs other fields of linguistics.
  • Effectively communicate the importance of of morphological diversity for theoretical linguistics.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

The course is timetabled as a two hour seminar plus a tutorial. The seminar will take place in 114  Groupwork Learning Space in the Central Courtyared (01CC) on Thursdays from 10:00am-12:00pm. The tutorial will take place at 1pm on Thursdays at 12SW room 229.

Normally it will consist of two lectures plus a tutorial. Because it is not a large unit there is some flexibility as to which of the three hours will be allocated to tutorial activities. 

There is no set textbook for this unit. A list of readings will be made available via Leganto (see the iLearn site).

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

Requesting an extension to assignment due date

On occasion, you may be in a situation when you aren't able to submit an assessment task on time. Extensions are only given in special circumstances, by completing a Special Consideration request. For more information on Special Consideration, see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration  

Late submission of assignments

If you haven't been approved for an extension and you submit your assessment task late, penalties are applied. You should consult your unit convenor if you are in this position. Late submissions will receive a 5% per day penalty. If you submit the assessment task 10 days or more beyond the due date, without an approved extension, you will be awarded a maximum of 50% of the overall assessment marks. Weekends and public holidays are included.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Inclusion and Diversity

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone.

Professionalism

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses. 

As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., face-to-face lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material as they do not recreate the whole learning experience and technical issues can and do occur. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session.

Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know.


Unit information based on version 2023.01R of the Handbook