Linguistics (20 credit points)

Content of Course

The course is organised in six blocks, three per semester.

The three blocks in the first semester will be:

1. Phonetics and phonology (sounds and sound systems).

2. Morphology and syntax (word and sentence structure).

3. Semantics (meaning at the level of the word and sentence).

The three blocks in the second semester will be:

1. Pragmatics (meaning in discourse and conversation).

2. Language evolution and acquisition.

3. Language variation and change.

Teaching method(s)

Each week will combine lecture and tutorial discussion. The first semester, which is more content heavy, will include weekly exercises and questionnaires aimed at allowing students to put their knowledge into practice and also to continuously assess their understanding of the topics. Exercises will be set as homework and will be corrected and discussed in class. The second semester will have stronger methodological and discussion components. Students will be introduced to seminal papers and experiments in each subfield and will be asked to discuss and compare them.

Learning outcomes

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

• Demonstrate an awareness of the difference between prescriptive and descriptive approaches to language;

• Describe the basic features of the language subsystems and show how they apply to English;

• Apply the basic principles of language acquisition, variation and change to describe how English varies across time and space;

• Analyse simple linguistic and sociolinguistic data;

• Articulate the ideas behind both sides of some of the major debates within the field, for example nativism vs. usage-based theories.

Sources

Core Readings

Essential:

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

• Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., and Hyams, N. 2003. An Introduction to Language. 7th ed. Australia: Thomson/Wadsworth.

• Huddleston, R. D., and Pullum, G. K. 2005. A Student Introduction to English Grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Van Herk, G. 2012. What Is Sociolinguistics? Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

Recommended:

• Pinker, S. 1994. The Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind. New York: William Morrow.

• Yule, G. 2006. The Study of Language. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Assessments

10 credit courses have one assessment. Normally, the assessment is a 2000 word essay, worth 100% of the total mark, submitted by week 12. To pass, students must achieve a minimum of 40%. There are a small number of exceptions to this model which are identified in the Studying for Credit Guide.

Studying for Credit

If you choose to study for credit you will need to allocate significant time outwith classes for coursework and assessment preparation. Credit points gained from this course can count towards the Certificate of Higher Education.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.