Course Title: Introduction to Linguistics
Course Description: This course provides an introduction to the field of linguistics, covering foundational concepts, theories, and methods used in the study of language. Topics include phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and language acquisition.
Course Outline:
- Week 1: Introduction to Linguistics
- Defining linguistics
- Subfields of linguistics
- Basic terminology and concepts
- Week 2: Phonetics and Phonology
- Articulatory phonetics
- Acoustic phonetics
- Phonological processes
- IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)
- Week 3: Morphology
- Word formation processes
- Morphemes and morphological analysis
- Inflectional vs. derivational morphology
- Week 4: Syntax
- Sentence structure
- Phrase structure rules
- Constituency and grammaticality
- Syntax trees
- Week 5: Semantics
- Meaning and reference
- Semantic relations (synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy)
- Pragmatics vs. semantics
- Week 6: Sociolinguistics
- Language variation and change
- Social factors in language use (e.g., dialects, registers, sociolects)
- Language attitudes and identity
- Week 7: Psycholinguistics
- Language processing
- Language acquisition
- Bilingualism and multilingualism
- Week 8: Language Typology
- Typological features of languages (e.g., word order, case systems, verb tense/aspect)
- Language universals vs. language-specific features
- Week 9: Historical Linguistics
- Language change over time
- Comparative method
- Language families and language contact
- Week 10: Applied Linguistics
- Language teaching and learning
- Language planning and policy
- Computational linguistics
Course Assignments:
- Weekly readings and discussion posts
- Phonetics transcription exercises
- Morphological analysis assignments
- Syntax tree construction exercises
- Semantics analysis of texts or utterances
- Sociolinguistic research project
- Psycholinguistics experiment design
- Language typology analysis
- Historical linguistics case study
- Applied linguistics project (e.g., designing a language learning curriculum)
Course Materials:
- Textbook: “Linguistics: An Introduction” by William O’Grady
- Academic articles and research papers
- Online resources for phonetics and phonology practice
- Syntax and semantics textbooks
- Sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics readings
- Language typology databases
- Historical linguistics resources
- Applied linguistics case studies and examples
Assessment:
- Weekly quizzes
- Midterm exam
- Final research project/paper
- Class participation and engagement
Prerequisites: No prior background in linguistics is required, but a strong interest in language and analytical thinking is recommended.