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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2013/2014 -
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Language Sciences

Postgraduate Course: Linguistic Reconstruction and Language Classification (LASC11067)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) Credits20
Home subject areaLanguage Sciences Other subject areaNone
Course website None Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionCourses on language change tend to focus on developments from earlier stages of a language to more recent ones; theoretical approaches to such changes; and possible explanations of them. This module is involved with a different perspective on historical linguistics, and concentrates on comparing modern or earlier attested languages to assess whether they belong to the same family, and on the possibilities for reconstructing aspects of their unattested, ancestral proto-languages. This is a particularly lively and controversial area of linguistics at present: methodologies and key theoretical assumptions are under revision, and the implications of historical linguistic work for other disciplines are being debated widely in the scientific press. Although we shall concentrate principally on Indo-European linguistic reconstruction, we shall also consider problems of the comparative method in connection with Australian aboriginal languages; the Greenberg-Ruhlen groupings in the Americas determined by the method of mass comparison; and the application of novel quantitative methods of comparison to the languages of the Andes. There will also be scope for investigating the relationship of historical linguistic methods and evidence with those from other historical disciplines, including archaeology and population biology.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?No
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should have:
- A firm foundation in the methodology and argumentation associated with the study of comparative linguistics and language classification
- The ability to analyse historical linguistic data from the perspective of language family affiliation
- A clear knowledge of methods, data and current controversies in current research
- An understanding of the prospects for and limitations on interdisciplinary research involving comparative linguistics.
Assessment Information
One 2500 word essay
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Not entered
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Not entered
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserProf Ronnie Cann
Tel: (0131 6)51 1839
Email: r.cann@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Toni Noble
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: Toni.noble@ed.ac.uk
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