THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2018/2019

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Language Sciences

Undergraduate Course: Historical Linguistics (LASC10021)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryDetailed introduction to descriptive and theoretical aspects of historical linguistics, covering phonetic, phonological, morphological and syntactic change from a crosslinguistic perspective. The course also looks at sociolinguistic influences on language change and the consequences of language contact including language convergence, creolisation and language death.
Course description This course introduces the type of changes that a language may undergo, on every level of linguistic description: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and discourse, and the theoretical frameworks that are available to discuss them. We also look at language birth and language death.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: LEL2A: Linguistic Theory and the Structure of English (LASC08017)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 3 Linguistics/Language Sciences courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2018/19, Available to all students (SV1) 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 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) One take-home written exercise (50%)
Two hour written examination (50%)
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)2:00
Learning Outcomes
To know, describe and recognise common types of linguistic change; to understand issues relating to current theories of language change; to accurately describe and analyse primary data; to reason critically; to identify and solve problems; to independently formulate and test hypotheses.
Reading List
Campbell, L. (2004, 2013). Historical Linguistics: An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2nd or 3rd edition.
Kroch, A.S. (1989). Reflexes of grammar in patterns of language change. Language Variation and Change 1, 199-244.
McMahon, A. (1994). Understanding Language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Thomason, S. G. (2001). Language Contact: An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Additional Class Delivery Information Teaching Contact Time: 9 weeks out of 11 at 3 hours/week = 27 hours
KeywordsHistorical linguistics; language change.
Contacts
Course organiserProf Bettelou Los
Tel: (0131 6)51 1842
Email: B.Los@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Lynne Robertson
Tel: (0131 6)50 9870
Email: Lynne.Robertson@ed.ac.uk
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