Basiskurs Proseminar Introduction to linguistics mit freiwilligem zusätzlichen Tutorium

This class is an introduction to English linguistics, the study of the English language. We will start with some basic concepts and notions of language and linguistics, continue with the main properties of human languages, look at how humans acquire language, and then delve into the discipline of phonetics and phonology. Our next major topic will be morphology, i.e. word formation and inflectional morphology, before we move on to word classes, phrases, and syntactic functions. Semantics and pragmatics both deal with meaning, and we will explore the differences between the literal meaning of linguistic expressions and meaning in context. A look at cognates, i.e. words that have a common etymological origin, across some European languages, will provide the starting point for an introduction to the history of the English language, with brief glimpses into lexical and phonological changes and the typological change from Old English to Present Day English. The study of the relationship between language and society, a discipline called sociolinguistics, will be our last main focus. We will deal with regional, social and functional variation and conclude with a survey of World Englishes. Throughout, issues of language change and methodological considerations will accompany us. Reading: Kortmann, Bernd. 2005. English Linguistics: Essentials. Berlin: Cornelsen. LMU München SoSe 2015 Department III Anglistik und Amerikanistik