6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL
Undergraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
Faculty
Organisational Unit
Coordinator(s)
Not offered in 2017
Synopsis
All languages are constantly changing - just as other aspects of human society are also constantly changing. How and why do these changes begin? How and why do they take hold and spread? How can we explain them? This subject is an introduction to the study of language over time. It examines changes at all linguistics levels - vocabulary, meaning, sounds and grammar. Examples are drawn from the history of a wide range of languages - Germanic, Romance, Pacific and Asian. Part of the subject also gives students practice in reconstructing lost stages of languages, using the internal and comparative methods of reconstruction.
Outcomes
On successfully completing this subject students should be able to:
- Describe language as a dynamic system of communication.
- Analyse language data with respect to the evolution of sounds, vocabulary and grammar.
- Identify the types of change that occur.
- Discuss the factors responsible for these changes and how they interact.
- Explain the major processes of language change.
- Use the methods of comparative reconstruction to build past linguistic systems.
- Integrate language observation and analysis with corresponding literature in the field (3rd year students only).
Assessment
Within semester assessment: 70% + Exam: 30%
Workload requirements
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
See also Unit timetable information