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Slang and Neologisms: Word Formation Processes

In this one-time linguistics course in semantics and morphology, students will learn about various word formation processes that produce slang words.
Serena W, PhD
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(20)
Class
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What's included

1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours
Homework
NA
Assessment
Informal assessment in the form of understanding checks throughout the class.

Class Experience

We we begin by learning some of the word-formation processes that are commonly studied in historical linguistics to explain language change. These processes are part of the study of morphology and semantics. Once we have practiced understanding these word-formation processes, we will compile a list of 5-10 popular slang words as a group. Then we will see which word-formation process applies for explaining how each word came into existence. We will compile a small "slang dictionary" including the word and its definition, syntactic category, an example phrase or sentence, and an explanation of the word formation process used to create it.

Learning Goals

Students will learn to describe and identify several word formation processes that are part of morphology and semantics, two major subfields of linguistics.
Students will categorize slang terms into their appropriate word-formation processes.
Students will create an entry for a "slang dictionary" for about 5 popular terms.
learning goal

Other Details

Parental Guidance
NA
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
NA
Joined March, 2020
5.0
20reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
PhD in linguistics and 2 years teaching linguistics to this age group on Outschool

Reviews

Live One-Time Class
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$10

per class

Meets once
55 min
Completed by 4 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
1-12 learners per class

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