This module is an introduction to the discipline of linguistics.
It will present students with an overview of the subject, its main components, its development, its theories.
It will encourage reflection on topics of general linguistic interest, such as sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, discourse studies, etc.
It will equip them with knowledge and skills in the five areas of phonetics, morphology/word formation, syntax, semantics and discourse.
It will support the development of the students’ competence as language learners.
The aim of this module is to
- introduce students to the founding principles of linguistics as a science
- encourage reflection on language issues in general
- enable students to use linguistics as a reflective tool for their language studies.
| Introduction: What is language? What is linguistics? Founding principles of linguistics
Phonetics and phonology: the phonetic alphabet; the sounds of English; Received Pronunciation and “accents”
Morphology: morphemes; rules of word formation, how new words are created
The lexicon: classes of words; parts of speech; how dictionaries are written
Syntax: phrase structure grammar; transformational generative grammar
Meaning: polysemy, homonymy and other word phenomena; set phrases, idioms and clichés; what is linguistic determinism?
Discourse, linguistic cooperation, speech acts
Spoken vs. written language
Sociolinguistics: gender, social and stylistic variations; language varieties (code-switching, language prescription); languages vs. dialects, creoles and pidgins
Differences and similarities in languages: the Indo-european source; mapping languages of the world; is there a universal grammar?
Psycholinguistics: language and mind; language and brain; computational linguistics and corpora
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This class will combine lectures with class discussions and problem-solving activities.
It will present material from academic sources as well as media representations of issues of linguistic interest (articles from the press and documentaries for instance).
It will encourage students to draw on the two languages they are studying (and any other languages they have experience of) in order to develop as language learners.
It is not envisaged that students would have any prior knowledge of the content of this module. Any request for RPL should be examined on a case-per-case basis.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |