Introduction to Linguistics II

The course follows up on Introduction to Linguistics I, offering a broader pespective on the scientific study of language. On the one hand, we address topics such as language typology, the relation between oral and written language, writing systems, and language change. On the other hand, we devote particular attention to interdisciplinary approaches to language (Sociolinguistics, Neurolingustics, Psycholinguistics, Clinical Linguistics).

Objectives

By completion of the course, students will be able to: - describe basic concepts and terms from the fields covered by the course content, - identify social and geographical aspects of linguistic variation - identify and describe phenomena of language change at all levels of description - dissociate language as a system from the various different ways of graphically recording (=writing) it - understand how a theoretical hypothesis can be tested experimentally and how empirical evidence can confirm or refute linguistic hypotheses, - describe the relationship between language processes and the human brain, - explain the relationship between language acquisition data and linguistic theory.

Prerequisites

Syllabus

1. Sociolinguistics 2. Historical Linguistics 3. Language and writing systems 4. Language typology and sign languages 5. Psycholinguistics 6. Neurolinguistics 7. Language acquisition 8. Clinical linguistics