This survey course offers a comprehensive first introduction to the linguistic study of English, covering the various levels of analysis and the core branches of linguistics that study them. It will also offer a first introduction to a number of key aspects of language in use and the linguistic disciplines dealing with them, as well as present a number of theoretical and methodological approaches one can take in the academic study of a language, and consequently also in English language research.
- sounds: phonetics and phonology
- words: morphology and lexicology
- meaning: semantics and pragmatics
- grammar: syntax
- text/discourse: discourse analysis
- language acquisition and processing: psycholinguistics
- language change: historical linguistics
- regional and social variation: sociolinguistics
- (literary) style: stylistics
- theoretical and methodological approaches
This course will offer you a first encounter with the key areas of the field of English linguistics.
There will be a two-hour lecture each week and a one-hour interactive remedial tutorial session every other week.
Assessment for the course is 100% coursework. This is made up of an exercise portfolio (40%) and a final test (60%).
Prescribed text
Markus Bieswanger and Annette Becker. 2021. Introduction to English Linguistics. 5th Edition. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto Verlag.
Recommended reading
A list will be provided at the start of the course.