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Linguistics
UCD, Dublin

Below are the Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 modules available to students in the academic year, 2007 - 2008.

Full information about the modules is available via the UCD Horizons website.

STAGE 1

Semester 1	Semester 2
LING 10010 Language Use and Communication	LING 10030 Sounds in Language
LING 10020 Language Acquisition and Language Disruption	LING 10040 Words and Sentences
LING 10050 Introduction to Linguistics

STAGE 2

Semester 1	Semester 2
LING 20010 Syntax II	LING 20030 Semantics
LING 20020 Phonology II	LING 20090 Sociolinguistics 2
LING 20060 World Englishes OR LING 20050 Language Evolution	LING 30050 Language in Mind OR LING 20070 Minority and Endangered Languages

STAGE 3

Semester 1	Semester 2
LING 30030 Language Impairment	LING 30010 Morphology
LING 30090 Language Power and Identity	LING 30070 Syntax III
LING 30020 Pragmatics OR LING 30060 First Language Acquisition	LING 30080 Phonology III

LING 10010 Language use and Communication:

This module introduces the area of linguistics that deals with language use in social and cultural contexts (Sociolinguistics). It examines how language is used and perceived in relation to a number of social and cultural variables including the following: regional and social variation, gender differences, bilingual and multilingual settings, language choice, languages in contact, language change, and language attitudes and stereotypes.
It investigates how language is used and manipulated to achieve desired effects in communication, taking into consideration the medium of delivery, the setting, the nature of the audience.

LING 10020 Language Acquisition and Language Disruption:

This module introduces the area of Linguistics that focuses on two related areas of Language study: Language Acquisition and Language Disorders. The first area examines both first language acquisition from birth and second language acquisition by individuals who already have a complete first language.
The second part introduces the area of Linguistics that concerns itself with the study of language disorders. The overall objective is to see how the patterns of language breakdown shed light on the way language is acquired, is used and is represented in the mind/brain.

LING 10030 Sounds in Language:

This module introduces the area of Linguistics that deals with the study of the properties of sounds found in human languages (Phonetics), and to the related area that deals with how sounds are structured in particular languages (Phonology). The modules involves additional Lab sessions designed to enhance listening skills (i.e. ear-training) and develop expertise in transcription.

LING 10040 Words and Sentences:

This module focuses on the processes by which languages derive words and phrases. The first part of the module deals with how complex words are derived from smaller units of language called morphemes, and how different combinations of morphemes lead to the derivation of different classes of words (Morphology).
The second part deals with how words are organised into phrases and phrases into sentences (Syntax).

LING 10050 Introduction to Linguistics:

This module provies and introduction the main areas of Linguistics and language study. it covers Phonetics (the sounds used by Human Languages), Phonology (the analysis of how sounds are organised in specific languages), Morphology (whow words are made in languages), Syntax (how phrases and sentences are made in languages), Semantics (the study nof meaning in words and phrases), Pragmatics (how meaning can be infered in langauge from context), It also provides an analysis on current theories of Language Acquisition and Language Impairment.

LING 20010 Syntax II

This module examines two major aspects of the syntax of language. The first relates to the range of permissible forms of phrases and how phrases are assembled to form sentences (X-bar Theory). The second relates to the way in which some aspects of the meaning of individual words (called argument structure and thematic structure) determine the structural representation and derivation of the sentences that include them (Theta Theory).

LING 20020 Phonology II

This module examines the sound patterns in words and phrases. It is concerned with, for example, the distribution of sounds in individual languages, the sound combinations are allowed and the ‘repair’ strategies are adopted to deal with disallowed sound combinations, the possible syllables and the role syllables play in different languages. The aim is a characterisation of possible sound patterns and structures cross-linguistically, which is a important part of the more general objective of constructing a theory of the phonology of language.

LING 20060 World Englishes

This module examines the spread of English around the world and explores different varieties of English around the world. It focuses on internationally ‘lesser’ known varieties such as Singapore English, Caribbean English and Hiberno-English, and investigates their emergence and the linguistic and social differences between them and the similarities they share. These range from the purely linguistic ones involving vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar, to sociolinguistic ones involving the historical and social status of varieties. The final part of the course explores the cultural implications of English as a world language.

LING 20050 Language Evolution

This module surveys the main issues in the evolution and origins of the human language faculty and of actual human languages. Evidence from a variety of disciplines such as biology, psychology and neuroscience will be looked as we piece together a picture of the evolution of language as well as the evolution of that peculiar mammal, the human being.
Other aspects of the evolution of humans are looked at to see how they pertain to language evolution (e.g. brain size, Theory of Mind module, tool use). The course then looks at the development of languages over recorded time using the methodologies of Historical Linguistics.

LING 20030 Semantics

This module explores meaning inside and outside of language. The ability to ‘mean’ is explored as a human faculty that only interacts with language rather than underlying it. A distinction is drawn between Lexical and Compositional semantics, and various theories of lexical semantics are be examined. The features of language that need to be explained by any theory of semantics are identified. The question of how children come to master both lexical and compositional/propositional semantics will be explored. The module also shows the role of Logic in representing meaning.

LING 20090 Sociolinguistics 2

This module surveys quantitative and qualitative data collection and data analysis approaches in the research on language variation and change. The course looks at language survey methods, the Labovian research tradition, ethnomethodological research, discourse analysis, and linguistic anthropological research. In terms of themes, the course deals with topics such as language attitudes, multilingualism, social group membership, gender, language contact. The aim of the course is to introduce students to the different research approaches that exist in sociolinguistics, to highlight the similarities and differences between them, and to encourage students to explore ways of combing them and applying them to different research topics and field research sites.

LING 30050 Language in Mind

This module examines the issue of how language relates to mind, which is of central interest not only to linguists but also to philosophers and psychologists. One of the main aims of the module is to explore how each of these disciplines has sought different answers. The debate is explored in relation to specific issues such as the connection between language and thought and the ways in which language relates to other cognitive functions of the mind and to the (outside) world.

LING 20070 Minority and Endangered Languages

The primary focus of this module is minority and endangered languages. A classification of languages into major, minor, endangered and extinct is considered while reflecting on the difficulties of evaluating documentary evidence in this domain. The linguistic situation in Europe is examined, including the various language policies and legislation adopted over the past decade or two to promote and protect regional and minority languages in particular. The roles of linguistic rights, official language and education policies, and language planning are explored. The issues of language maintenance and language death are also examined.

LING 30010 Morphology

This module provides an in-depth examination of word-structure and the processes of word-formation. It explores the roles of the Lexicon, Syntax and Phonology and the interfaces of these components with Morphology.

LING 30020 Pragmatics

This module is concerned with the principles that govern communication and language use (as opposed to the grammatical principles that govern sentence formation). It focuses on the relationship between linguistic form and communicative meaning as determined by context - as seen in the fact that the same string of words can convey different messages in different contexts. The module also examines the question whether discourse (interaction) and text have identifiable structures and if so what forms the structures take.

LING 30030 Language Impairment

The module explores the human language faculty from the point of view of language impairment. Both acquired impairment (such as aphasia) and developmental impairment (such as Specific Language Impairment) are examined. As a result the module also explores the various ways brain activity is monitored and understood. Other areas where language is impaired or develops in some 'unusual' way (such as in Autism and various genetic syndromes) or in 'exceptional' circumstances (such as with isolated children, blind children) are examined in order to determine what factors lead to the impairment of language. The effect of personality problems such as schizophrenia and age related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease on language is also looked at.

LING 30060 First Language Acquisition

This module examines how children acquire their first (native) language(s) from birth until around the age of five. The first part looks at monolingual acquisition and involves a close examination of child data bearing on the acquisition of the lexicon, phonology, morphology and syntax. The second part is devoted to bilingual first language acquisition, i.e. the acquisition of two or more languages from birth. Among the questions explored is whether children exposed to two languages from birth are able to separate their languages from the early stages of acquisition or whether they initially have a single fused/mixed system that includes features from two languages.

LING 30070 Syntax III

This module deals with three major aspects of the syntax of language: Case, Binding, and Movement. The first relates to how grammatical functions such as subject and direct object are encoded both structurally and in terms of Case inflection (e.g. nominative, accusative). The second and third aspects together involve the relationship between anaphoric elements and their antecedents, on the one hand, and displaced (or moved) phrases and their position of interpretation.

LING 30080 Phonology III

This module focuses on segmental and prosodic phonology. It examines the mechanisms required to capture the nature of lexical representations and phonological patterning, and explores the universality of phonological structures and typological variation across languages. The module will provide a critical evaluation of existing theories on the basis of empirical evidence and the formal mechanisms they implement.

LING 30090 Language, Power and Identity

This module investigates how language is used to create power relations between individuals and groups, and construct aspects of individual and group identity. The focus is primarily on the level of discourse, and therefore involves a close examination of major approaches to the analysis of discourse in linguistics and social psychology, and how they apply to relevant data. Among the specific issues explored are those that involve gender, race, ethnicity and class as presented in the media, politics and academic settings. The nature of language ideologies and stereotypes is also explored in relation to standard languages and multilingualism. This module forms part of the BA programme for Linguistics.