Postgraduate Course: Historical Linguistics (LASC11160)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Detailed introduction to descriptive and theoretical aspects of historical linguistics, covering phonetic, phonological, morphological and syntactic change with in-depth consideration of data from English and a diverse range of other languages and language families. |
| Course description |
This course introduces the type of changes that a language may undergo, at all levels of linguistic structure, and the theoretical frameworks that are available to discuss them. The course also looks at sociolinguistic influences on language change and the consequences of language contact including language convergence, creolisation and language death.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 27,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
169 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assignment 1:30%
Assignment 2: 55%
Course exercises: 15% |
| Feedback |
Class discussion of topics; optional one-to-one feedback on pre-final version of essay |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- identify and analyse common types of linguistic change in different domains
- recognise and critically discuss key issues relating to current theories of language change
- accurately analyse and interpret primary diachronic data
- critically assess the relevance of primary data to key analytical issues, and apply current theoretical thinking in data analysis
- proceed to independent study and research in historical linguistics
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Reading List
Campbell, L. (2004, 2013, 2021). Historical Linguistics: An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2nd, 3rd or 4th edition.
McMahon, A. (1994). Understanding Language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Ability to analyse linguistic data, evaluate claims, and provide logical argumentation
Ability to write well-structured, reader-friendly texts
Ability to articulate and defend positions in a linguistic debate |
| Keywords | language change,historical linguistics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Bettelou Los
Tel: (0131 6)51 1842
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Elinor Lange
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: |
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