Linguistics: The Science of Language (10 credit points)

1. What is linguistics?

A brief history of linguistics, introduction of underlying concepts, what to expect throughout the course.

2. What is language? What is language for?

Comparing human language with other communication systems; animal communication and artificial intelligence.

3. Phonetics & Phonology.

An introduction to analysing the sounds and sound systems of languages, including perspectives on human vocal tract organisation and phonological acquisition.

4. Phonetics – consonants and vowels.

This class will analyse the sounds of language using the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). Students will be encouraged to use the IPA to analyse real language data - it’s not as alien as people may first think!

5. Morphology.

This aspect of the course will introduce the concept of grammatical structure as studied by linguists. This class will introduce the structure of the smallest units of meaning: morphemes (e.g. how do we encode the past tense of a verb or plural of a noun?).

6. Morphology & Syntax.

This class will continue the discussion from the previous week, and introduce the concept of syntax: the rules by which words are combined. Syntax & Semantics: Building on weeks 5 and 6, this class will teach the tools of sentence and word structure analysis. How do these structures function within a whole language system, and how do we process them?

7. Language Development.

This class will focus on language development in children. We will address pathologies which can cause language development to be delayed or halted.

8. Sociolinguistics.

This class will address the role of language in society - how do we use language, and how does our use of language change us, and society?

9. Recap and Conclusion.

Overview of the major topics covered throughout the course.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of basic linguistic concepts;

• Critically evaluate a range of information from various disparate sources;

• Compare the interacting aspects of language study, and consider how these relate to everyday language use.

Essential: 

• O'Grady, W., Dobrovolsky, M., & Katamba, F. 2011. Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction. London.

• Pinker, S. 1994. The language instinct: The new science of language and mind. New York: William Morrow.

Recommended:

• Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. 2003. An introduction to language. 7th ed. Australia: Thomson/Wadsworth.

• Chapters and articles available through DiscoverEd will be assigned on a weekly basis.