Undergraduate Course: LEL2E: Structure and History of European Languages (LASC08021)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Language Sciences |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The course introduces students to the structure and history of the major European languages, focussing in particular on the languages of the Romance, Germanic, Celtic and Slavic families. The course will cover both the principal historical events that have affected the development of these languages (external history) and provide a sketch of the development of modern vernaculars from their historical forbears (internal history). The course will also deal in detail with a number of specific topics that are significant in the linguistic study of the present-day European languages, including both structural topics (for example, case systems and the syntax of verbs) and historical and sociolinguistic topics (for example, the development of standard languages and the role of European languages in historical processes of creolisation). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should usually have at least 1 introductory level Language Science course at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course equivalent to A brief Introduction to Language (LASC08016). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 33,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
158 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours:Minutes |
|
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | LEL2E | 2:00 | | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | LEL2E Resit | 2:00 | | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- understand the historical context of Romance, Germanic, Celtic and Slavic languages
- describe the major structural properties that characterise these language groups;
- read specialised linguistic works in individual European languages;
- identify and outline specific research topics that are suitable as projects for Honours long essays and dissertations;
- undertake university-level courses on Romance, Germanic, Celtic or Slavic languages in the languages' home countries on a roughly equal footing with local students as regards background knowledge about the language and its history.
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Assessment Information
Essay (2,500 words), reporting on an individual research project on a specific topic concerning one or more of the European languages (50%)
Written exam, comprising sections with short-answer questions, larger questions and an essay question (50%)
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Ball, Martin J. (ed.) (1993) The Celtic Languages. London: Routledge.
Comrie, Bernard (1990) The Major Languages of Western Europe. London: Routledge.
Comrie, Bernard and Greville Corbett (eds.) (1993) The Slavonic Languages. London: Routlegde.
Harris, Martin and Vincent, Nigel (eds.) (1988) The Romance Languages. London: Routledge.
König, Ekkehard and Auwera, Johan van der (eds.) (1994) The Germanic Languages. London: Routledge.
Nielsen, Hans Frede (1989) The Germanic Languages: Origins and Early Dialectal Interrelations. University of Alabama Press.
Posner, Rebecca (1996) The Romance Languages. Cambridge University Press.
Ramat, Paolo, and Ramat, Anna Giacalone (1998) The Indo-European Languages. London: Routledge.
Sussex, Roland and Paul Cubberley (eds.) (2006) The Slavic Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Peter Ackema
Tel: (0131 6)50 3495
Email: packema@staffmail.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Rebecca Thomas
Tel: (0131 6)50 3602
Email: R.Thomas@ed.ac.uk |
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