LING 3020 - Perspectives on Language Variation & Change
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2020
This is the capstone course for the Linguistics Major. All languages vary internally in accordance with a range of parameters including the gender, age, social class, occupation, origins etc. of their speakers. Most languages have distinct regional and social varieties. They also vary according to the contexts in which they are used and the purposes for which they are employed. All living languages constantly change over time in response to innovations introduced by younger generations, technological change or contact with other languages or with other varieties of the same language. Drawing on descriptive and analytic skills developed during their undergraduate study of linguistics, students will undertake independent study of language variation and change, assembling their own body of data either through archival, library, internet research or field research.
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code LING 3020 Course Perspectives on Language Variation & Change Coordinating Unit Linguistics Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 6 Contact Up to 3 hours per week face-to-face + up to 6 on-line activity (MOOCS) Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N Prerequisites At least 15 units of Linguistics Major courses Assumed Knowledge LING 1101, LING 1102 Restrictions Available to students undertaking a Linguistics Major only Assessment Linguistic practical (eg comparative method or text analysis) 20%, Oral presentation 20%, Research report 60% Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Rob Amery
This course will be taught by Dr Ian GreenCourse Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
Lectures: 10.10am till 11am Mondays (Lower Napier LG11)
Seminars: 11.10am till 1pm Fridays (Ligertwood 111) -
Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
- Understand the need for research ethics and complete an ethics clearance application
- Collect and assemble a body of linguistic data for analysis
- Understand the principles of sociolinguistic variation within a speech community
- Understand how and why languages change over time
- Apply the comparative method to a body of data drawn from a group of related languages
- Apply a variety of analytic methods and approaches to a body of language data
- Choose an appropriate method to analyse the body of data at hand
- Communicate findings orally and in written form
University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Deep discipline knowledge
- informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
- acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
- accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
3, 4 Critical thinking and problem solving
- steeped in research methods and rigor
- based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
- demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
5, 6, 7 Teamwork and communication skills
- developed from, with, and via the SGDE
- honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
- encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
8 Career and leadership readiness
- technology savvy
- professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
- forward thinking and well informed
- tested and validated by work based experiences
1, 2 Intercultural and ethical competency
- adept at operating in other cultures
- comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
- able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
- demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
1, 2 Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
- a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
- open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
- able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
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Learning Resources
Required Resources
Course Textbooks
Millar, Robert Mccoll; Trask, Larry (2015) Trask’s Historical Linguistics, Third Edition. Routledge, London. (available as e-book through
BSL)
Bowern, Claire. (2015) Linguistic Fieldwork: A Practical Guide. 2nd Edition. Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke, UK.
Recommended Resources
Highly Recommended:
· Bowern, Claire. (2015) Linguistic Fieldwork: A Practical Guide. 2nd Edition. Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke, UK.
· Crowley, Terry & Claire Bowern (2010) An Introduction to Historical Linguistics. 4th edition. Oxford University Press.
· Campbell, Lyle (1998) Historical Linguistics: an introduction. MIT Press.
· Trask, Larry (2013) Trask’s Historical Linguistics. 2nd edition. Routledge, Abingdon & New York.
· Trudgill, Peter & Jack Chambers (2001) The Handbook of Language Variation and Change. Wiley Blackwell.
· S. Bird and G. Simons (2003) “Seven dimensions of portability for language documentation and description.” Language 79:557-582.
· N. Himmelmann (1998) “Documentary and descriptive linguistics." Linguistics 36:161-195.
· Seifart, Frank, Geoffrey Haig, Nikolaus P. Himmelmann, Dagmar Jung, Anna Margetts and Paul Trilsbeek (eds) (2012) Potentials of Language Documentation Methods, Analyses and Utilization, Language Documentation & Conversation Special Publication No. 3. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
· Gippert, Jost & Nikolaus P. Himmelmann & Ulrike Mosel (eds). 2006. Essentials of language documentation.
Trends in Linguistics, Studies and Monographs 178, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
· Healy, Alan (ed.) (1975) Language Learner’s Field Guide. Summer Institute of Linguistics, Ukarumpa, Papua & New Guinea.
· Journal: Language Documentation and Conservation
Some Introductory Linguistics Books:
· Crystal, D. (2010) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. [BSL 403 C957c.2]
· Clark, John, Yallop, Colin and Janet Fletcher (2007) An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology 3rd edition Blackwell Publishing, Malden, Oxford and Carlton, Victoria.
· Payne, Thomas E. (2006) Exploring Language Structure: A Student’s Guide. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
· Crowley, T., Lynch, J., Siegel, J. & Piau, J. (1995) The design of language: an introduction to descriptive linguistics. Longman Paul: Auckland. [BSL 410 C953d]
· Finegan, E., Besnier, N., Blair, D., & Collins, P. (1992) Language: Its Structure and Use. (Australian Edition). Harcourt Brace Jovanovich: Sydney.
· Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman, Nina Hyams, Mengistu Amberber, Felicity Cox & Rosalind Thornton (2018) An Introduction to Language. Australia and New Zealand 9th Edition. Cengage Learning, South Melbourne.
· McGregor, W. B. (2009) Linguistics: An Introduction. Continuum: London.
· Burridge Kate & Tonya N. Stebbins (2016) For the Love of Language: An Introduction to Linguistics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
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Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
No information currently available.
Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
1 X 1hr lecture per week (X12) 12 hours 1 x 2-hour seminar/workshop per week (x12) 24 hours 6 hoursTranscription and Data Analysis per week (from Week 3) 66 hours 5 hours Reading per week (x13) 65 hours 6 hours Assignment Preparation per week (x13) 78 hours 5 hrs Research per week (X 13) + 2hrs 67 hours Total 312 hours Learning Activities Summary
No information currently available.
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Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
TASK TASK
TYPEWEIGHTING DUE
DATELEARNING
OBJECTIVESResearch Ethics Assignment
1,000 wordsSummative 15% Due 7 Aug. 1, 2 Linguistic Practical
1,500 wordsSummative 15% Due 28 Aug. 3, 4, 5, 6 Oral Presentation and Write-up
1,500 wordsFormative & Summative 20% Weeks 8-12 8 Research Report
5,000 wordsSummative 50% Due 13 Nov. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Assessment Detail
1. Research Ethics Assignment
Length: 1,000 words
Due Date: 9 August
Students will complete a research ethics appl