CRJ 7330 - Forensic Language Structure II

Credit Hours: 3

This course provides students with an introduction to the scientific study of morphology and syntax, that is, word and sentence structure. Students will learn the basic components of words, phrases, and sentences, and how these components fit together to create well-formed words and sentences. Both linguistic universals and variables in word and sentence structure formation will be addressed, with a particular focus on variation in morphology and syntax across English dialects (including different standard English). Students will learn the crucial importance of approaching morphology and syntax (i.e. grammar) from a scientific perspective that investigates how people really form words and sentences in everyday life rather than simply how people are supposed to use grammar based on conventions particular to certain individuals/institutions, places, genres, and time periods. Students will learn to conduct syntactic analyses by diagramming phrases and sentences, as well as to conduct morphological analyses (i.e. breaking words into their component meaningful parts; e.g., roots, prefixes, affixes) using sets of data from both known and unfamiliar languages. Students will be introduced to different theoretical approaches to syntax and morphology, though the focus of this course is to introduce students to the basic components and processes that all theories of syntax and morphology must account for. Finally, students will investigate applications of the scientific study of morphology and syntax to Forensic Linguistics. Students complete basic exercises in syntactic analysis (phrase and sentence diagramming) and morphological analysis, as well as a final exercise in morphological-syntactic analysis, and professional presentation of results, in connection with a hypothetical forensic investigation.

Prerequisite: CRJ 7310