SELCS

The Core Disciplines of Linguistics


Course code: ELCS6011
Tutor: Dr Tom Lundskær-Nielsen
Level: intermediate
Mode of Assessment: 3 hour desk examination
Term: taught in term 2

Course Description:
The aim of this course is to give students an introduction to a range of disciplines within the study of linguistics, in order to provide (a) some theoretical background for their practical language courses, and (b) a foundation for studying more advanced linguistic topics. We will briefly consider the following ten disciplines: Origin and Communication, Phonetics/Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis, Psycholinguistics (Language and the Brain), Sociolinguistics and Historical Linguistics (Language Change).

In general, each two-hour session will consist of a one-hour lecture followed by exercises and discussion. Students will be expected to read set texts (e.g. a particular chapter in Yule (2010)) before each class and to take active part in discussions.

Primary Texts:
There are a large number of introductory textbooks on at least some of these disciplines and/or on background information. In the course, reference will for the most part be made to Yule (2010), but other general introductions will also serve the purpose:

  • George Yule, The Study of Language, 4th ed. (Cambridge: CUP, 2010)

Before the start of the course, students should have read:

  • R.L Trask, Language: The Basics, 2nd ed. (London: Routledge 1999)

Initial Secondary Bibliography:

A list of supplementary reading material will be distributed in the first class, but useful reference works for the first two weeks are:

On origin and evolution of language:

  • Jean Aitchinson, The Seeds of Speech (Cambridge: CUP, 1996 – Canto series 2000)

On phonetics/phonology:

  • Peter Roach, Phonetics (Oxford: OUP, 2001)