UI Spring '20 Engl 442 Malone Intro Syntax Morphology

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What continues to fascinate me about language is that it evolves organically, and yet, the
apparent chaos of linguistic structure is actually highly systematic. There are patterns and
processes that shape our sense of how words can combine to make sensical utterances. These
patterns and processes are also in flux, changing as language evolves. What these patterns and
processes amount to is, essentially, grammar.
There it is, that dry, dreaded term. An aspect of language that seems to take on elusive,
confusing, mythologically intimidating proportions, we often encounter grammar as a set of
rules, and we are trained to feel chastised for incorrectness. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
If you are someone for whom grammar seems impenetrable or frustrating, I hope that by the end
of this class, our exploration will fundamentally shift your perception. See, grammar is vibrant
and fluctuate. The grammar of any language – and every language has one – has a fascinating
history, one which yields many aspects of nonstandard varieties of that language.
Of course, there are rules. There are why reasons sentence this we can call ungrammatical. See
what I did there? But the rules are inherent to the system of a language. Despite their efforts, old
stiff grammarians writing rule books are not the ones who determine grammatical “correctness,”
and we can readily dismiss some of their rules. Like, don’t write fragments, or don’t end
sentences with prepositions.
Part of what we’ll do in this class is learn to describe language as it is used systematically. In this
way, we will learn to recognize rules that matter while also recognizing the open-ended creative
potential of grammar. We will do this through close study of two abstract concepts. That is,
through close study of the WORD and the SENTENCE.
Engl 442 Introduction to
Morphology and Syntax
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO; SPRING 2020
Instructor: Brian Malone
Email: btmalone@uidaho.edu
Office: Brink 127
Hours:T/R 2-3; W 11:30-12:30; appt.
Class Time: T/R 11-12:15
Location: Niccolls 208 (Moscow)
UI Harbor Ctr 145C (CD’A)

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Morphology concerns how words change form. How does “write” become “written,” for
example? Syntax concerns the patterns that yield possible grammatical combinations of words
in a given language. We will focus on English, but we will borrow examples from other
languages, too. By studying this together, I sincerely hope that “grammar” becomes more
exciting for you, whether you already love it or whether you are reading this and wondering
what exactly you signed up for…
And know this. I am so glad to have you in class! I promise to bring my passion and my questions
every day, to make this subject feel alive for you, and I hope you will commit to showing up
ready to embrace the uncertainty of new, complex material, to try it, to draw from your own
background with language, literacy, and linguistics to make our small learning community even
more dynamic.
Outcomes: By the end of this course, you will…
1. Understand the relationship between syntax and grammatical analysis.
2. Identify word classes, root words, inflections and derivations, and understand how
words function to construct seemingly infinite possibilities of sentence combinations.
3. Learn strategies for reading scholarship related to syntax, morphology, and grammar.
4. Use research tools to trace, analyze, identify, and describe emergent shifts in language
and grammar.
5. Apply your experience “doing grammar” to critically evaluate the ways that grammatical
structure informs the way language is used in spoken and written forms.
6. Develop a nuanced sense of grammatical “correctness” which accounts for the descriptive
validity of many nonstandard dialects of English.
Textbook: Please find the fifth edition in new or nearly new condition. The book is available at
the Vandal Store, on Amazon, directly from the publisher, and from other online venders.
Morenberg, M. (2013). Doing grammar. (5th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford
University Press.
Grading: Your grade will be awarded based on the following criteria:
15% Participation
25% Homework/Classwork
15% Morphological Analysis Screencast
10% Critical Article Review
35% Final Paper
I grade all written, recorded, and presented work a grade on a +2.5% scale. This means that your
participation, critical article review, screencast, and final paper may earn a 100, 97.5, 95, 92.5, 90,
87.5, etc. However, I determine homework/classwork grades based on accuracy.

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Typically, I round a final grade in the class (not by project!) to the next highest whole letter, so
89.01 average will become a 90, but an 89 is an 89. I will not curve grades otherwise.
Rubric for written assignments. While each project sheet will have more specific stipulations, I grade based
on the following rubric:
To earn at least a 90, your assignment must be complete (on time, with all prompt components,
meeting length requirements) and show strong evidence of the skills emphasized by the prompt
and in class.
To earn at least an 80, you should turn in a relevant assignment on time. However, if you are
missing components of the prompt or if you do not meet the length requirements, you may be
ineligible to earn above an 89.
To earn at least a 70, you must do more than one of the following:
- Submit work late
- Fail to meet page count
- Fail to include a significant component of the prompt
- Demonstrate minimal effort to practice the targeted skills for the assignment
- Appear to have misinterpreted the prompt
You will earn below a 70 if you turn in an irrelevant assignment with multiple missing
components.
Late Work Policy. I will not accept homework or classwork late. If you will be absent, please email me the
assignment that is due before our regular class meeting. Your major written assignments will lose half a
letter grade for each day late (including weekends), and I will not accept assignments turned in more
than six days late.
Course Work:
Homework/Classwork: Because fine-tuning your skills in grammatical analysis requires practice,
you will be asked to complete a homework set nearly weekly, and most often from Morenberg’s
Doing Grammar. We will also discuss supplemental readings to better acquaint ourselves with
issues of concern to syntacticians and grammarians.
Morphological Analysis Screencast: This is your chance to apply morphological analysis to a word
that is grammatically interesting (either because it is emerging, or it underwent back-formation,
or its hierarchical structure is complex and/or ambiguous). The screencast tool allows you to
record a presentation while also capturing everything on your computer screen. Apply your
knowledge of word formation to analyze both the formation and etymology of a word. Why
might your word be of interest to grammarians? You will write a script and prepare relevant
visuals, then you will use the screencast tool to record your presentation. 2-4 minutes.

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Critical Article Review: To prepare for graduate study or for a profession related to linguistics and
literacy, it is crucial to learn how to read what experts publish in academic journals. For this
brief article review, you will find a recent scholarly article relevant to morphology, syntax,
and/or grammar. You will summarize the article and critique its key argument and evidence
with special attention to larger linguistic conversations. About 750 words (or 2-3 pages).
Final Paper: Because one of the most exciting aspects of language is that it is constantly changing,
your final project will ask you to identify a grammatical construction that is emerging or
evolving. You will track its usage either through COCA or other authentic examples. You will
find scholarship on/related to the scholarship, and after a thorough syntactic analysis, develop
an argument for the relationship between the structure’s syntactic and semantic usage. Why
should this construction of greater interest to linguists, and what are its current trends in usage?
This project is primarily designed as a potential writing sample for graduate school, or as an
impressive you can reference when you search for jobs. 12-15 pages.
Policies:
Attendance. Hearing lectures, reviewing assignments, and discussing readings are key to your
success in class. Ours is a small community this semester, and I value your presence. You are
permitted three absences without penalty. Your fourth and fifth absence will result in 5%
deductions from your grade. Your seventh absence will result in a grade of “F” for the class.
Contacting the Professor. I prefer if you contact me by email. Please email me ONLY at
btmalone@uidaho.edu, and ONLY from your student account. This is professional
correspondence. Your message should have a subject line and the content of your message
should contain a greeting, complete sentences, and your name at the bottom. All messages must
be appropriate. It is my discretion to choose not to respond to your e-mails, especially if they do
not adhere to these standards. I welcome your emails if you have questions about the course,
your work, meeting times, etc. Please allow me at least 24 hours to respond during the work
week before following up. Note, I do not have an office phone. If there is an emergency, you can
leave a voicemail for me at the English Department Main Office: 208-885-6156.
Plagiarism. All work you submit should be original and entirely your own. Cite all your sources
and never claim someone else’s work as yours. Do not submit work from a previous class. Please
be aware of university plagiarism policies. Note that I reserve the right to award an “F” to
plagiarized work. Furthermore, I reserve the right to award an “F” in the course and to contact
the Dean of Students for more serious violations.
Accommodations. Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented
temporary or permanent disabilities. All accommodations must be approved through the Center
for Disability Access and Resources located in the Bruce M. Pitman Center, Suite 127 in order to
notify your instructor(s) as soon as possible regarding accommodation(s) needed for the course.
You can contact CDAR through the following:
Phone: 208-885‐6307
Email: cdar@uidaho.edu
Website: www.uidaho.edu/current-students/cdar

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Classroom Citizenship and Civility. Whoever you are, wherever you come from, whatever your beliefs,
identities, and background, you are WELCOME here. The classroom is a learning community. Any
behavior that disrupts this community will not be tolerated. This includes speaking to other students
while the instructor is talking, sleeping, texting, being rude or belligerent to the instructor or other
students, etc. Please be respectful of your fellow students and your instructor. For causing such
disruptions, you may be asked to leave and marked absent for the day. If you have a problem with
anything in the course, I invite you to speak to me privately after class or in my office hours.
The UI Civility Clause states: In any environment in which people gather to learn, it is essential
that all members feel as free and safe as possible in their participation. To this end, it is expected
that everyone in this course will be treated with mutual respect and civility, with an
understanding that all of us (students, instructors, professors, guests, and teaching assistants)
will be respectful and civil to one another in discussion, in action, in teaching, and in learning.
Should you feel our classroom interactions do not reflect an environment of civility and
respect, you are encouraged to meet with me during office hours to discuss your concern.
Additional resources for expression of concern or requesting support include the Dean of
Students office and staff (5-6757), the UI Counseling & Testing Center’s confidential services (5-6716),
or the UI Office of Human Rights, Access, & Inclusion (5-4285).
Cover Image Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenwhytock/42140757261
Textbook Image Source: https://global.oup.com/ushe/product/doing-grammar-9780199947331?cc=us&lang=en&