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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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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 Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
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 with in-depth consideration of data from English and a diverse range of other languages and language families.
Course description This course introduces the type of changes that a language may undergo, at all levels of linguistic structure, and the theoretical frameworks that are available to discuss them. The course also looks at sociolinguistic influences on language change and the consequences of language contact including language convergence, creolisation 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 completed at least 3 Linguistics/Language Sciences courses at grade B or above . We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  0
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 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Assignment 1: 30%
Assignment 2: 55%
Course exercises: 15%
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Recognise and describe common types of linguistic change in different domains;
  2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key issues relating to current theories of language change;
  3. Accurately describe and analyse primary diachronic data;
  4. Apply their understanding of theoretical issues in analysing data;
  5. Proceed to independent study and research in historical linguistics.
Reading List
Campbell, L. (2004, 2013, 2021). Historical Linguistics: An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2nd, 3rd or 4th edition.
McMahon, A. (1994). Understanding Language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge 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 Susan Hermiston
Tel: (0131 6)50 3440
Email: Susan.Hermiston@ed.ac.uk
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