English Language and Applied Linguistics. Module Descriptions 2017/18

Transcription

1 English Language and Applied Linguistics Module Descriptions 2017/18 Level I (i.e. 2 nd Yr.) Modules Please be aware that all modules are subject to availability. If you have any questions about the modules, please contact calincomingexchangemodules@contacts.bham.ac.uk. For many of these modules, some experience of studying English Language and Applied Linguistics may be required, and you should remember this when choosing your modules. Please note that at the time this document has been prepared (April 2017) the following information is provisional, and there may be minor changes between now and the beginning of 2017/18 academic year.

2 Discourse Analysis MODULE CODE x 2,000 word essays SEMESTER 1 This module is about examining both written and spoken discourse in detail. We will look at a variety of discourse analysis frameworks and the typical kinds of texts and/or stretches of spoken language that they are used to analyse. For example, we will explore Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and its application to news reporting (e.g. how does the writer create a certain version of events through language), and Conversation Analysis and its application to casual, everyday conversations (e.g. how do speakers know and indicate to others when a new speaker can take the floor? And how do they coordinate with each other to produce a smooth transition?). Most of the seminars are based on practical analysis of texts and transcripts selected from a variety of domains, accompanied by a set of relevant readings. Assessment is through 2 x 2,000 word assignments that will require you to critique different discourse analysis frameworks and to use some of those frameworks to perform your own discourse analysis. Each assessment contributes 50% to the overall grade.

3 Psycholinguistics MODULE CODE x 1000 word lab report 1 x 3000 word essay SEMESTER 1 This module looks at how language is represented and processed in the human mind. We examine experimental evidence and theoretical models of the different levels of language to understand how we access words and concepts, how we process words visually and auditorily, how we understand complex syntactic structures, how we plan and produce spoken language, and how we can investigate the pragmatic aspects of language in use. The module focuses on an objective, data driven approach where carefully designed language experiments are at the heart of our understanding. To support this, we will spend time considering aspects of experimental design and analysis, and students will take part in a lab session to experience a real language experiment for themselves. Broader topics on language development and language in the brain will also be introduced.

4 History of English Language MODULE CODE x 1000 word essay 1 x 3000 word essay SEMESTER 1 This course introduces students to the historical development of the English Language. We look at the processes of variation and change that have transformed English over its year history, and explore how this history can help us understand, and is informed by, the society and its speakers. The module considers how different aspects of English, including vocabulary, spelling, grammar and morphology, have been affected by social events, such as invasion, culture, and technology. We explore the language of literary and non-literary texts in English, produced at various stages of its development and discuss the difficulties of investigating the language of past societies based on limited written evidence. Students gain experience in examining original resources (manuscripts, monuments) and digital tools (historical corpora, digital editions) as means for historical language research.

5 English Phonetics and Phonology MODULE CODE x 1000 word written assessment 1 x 2hr examination SEMESTER 2 The module expands students' core linguistic knowledge gained in first year in the areas of phonetics and phonology. Topics covered will include pronunciation in continuous speech, the phoneme and allophonic variation, the syllable, and morphophonology, ear training to enable narrow phonetic transcription, stress and intonation, English accents and recent changes in them, accent prestige and vilification, and the phonetic challenges facing EFL learners and their teachers. By the end of the module the student will be able to: demonstrate secure knowledge of phonetic and phonological categories; analyse examples; evaluate alternative analyses; support analysis and arguments by reference to research literature and reference works; collect and present, both orally and in writing, data which has been analysed linguistically.

6 Lexical Semantics MODULE CODE x 2000 word essay 2 hour summer examination SEMESTER 2 This module introduces students to word semantics, the study of word meanings and how they are related to each other (homonymy, antonymy, synonymy etc.). The module will cover such topics as reference, semantic relations, frames, polysemy, connotation, historical semantic change, and the application of these concepts to lexicography. After introducing these basic concepts, the module will review different theoretical approaches, such as amodal theories of meaning (which views meanings as combinations of abstract symbols) versus cognitive semantics (which considers meaning in relation to perceptual experience, cognition, and world knowledge). Towards the end, the module will move toward cutting-edge research in the domain of lexical semantics, introducing computational approaches (LSA, vector-space models), and experimental research on the idea that meaning amounts to perceptual simulation.

7 Sociolinguistics MODULE CODE x 2500 word written assignment 1 x 1500 word written assignment SEMESTER 2 This module explores the relationship between language and society, examining how variation in sound, syntax, morphology and lexis distribute across different aspects of society - for example, the correlation between the use of particular linguistic forms and social class groups, genders, age groups and geographical areas. The module considers the associations that develop between aspects of a speaker's identity and different linguistic forms, the role of prestige (overt and covert), stigmatization and the significance of one's social networks and communities, and how these facets of variation lead to large-scale changes in the English language.

8 Topics in English Language and Linguistics MODULE CODE x 2,000 word essays NOTE: Can also be taken as a single semester 10 credit module in either semester (Semester 1: 28314, Semester 2: 28294). 10 credit versions are assessed by a single 2,000 word essay SEMESTER 1 and 2 The module provides a survey of topics in English Language and Linguistics for students enrolled on a temporary basis. Topics will include Child Language Development, Variation in English by parameters such as region, social class, gender and age, genre studies, text analysis and spoken discourse analysis. Students on this module will attend the same lectures as FT students registered for Development and Variation in English Discourse Analysis. In addition, the lectures will be supported by web-based material.