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LN4004: LANGUAGE CONTACT AND CHANGE IN LANGUAGE (2015-2016)

Last modified: 25 Mar 2016 11:35


Course Overview

Linguistic contact is everywhere and eternal. English lexis is a particularly good example of this: less than half of the vocabulary of the present-day language is of native origin. But examples can be found elsewhere which are even more striking. Michif, for instance, has French noun morphology but Cree verb morphology. Here in northern Scotland, the pronunciation of the first consonant in the local equivalent of ‘what’ – fit – probably came about under Gaelic influence. This course will provide students with the theoretical and methodological insights which underlie the study of linguistic contact.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 4
Term First Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Professor Robert Millar

Qualification Prerequisites

None.

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
  • Language And Linguistics (LN) (Studied)
  • Programme Level 4

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

Linguistic contact is everywhere and eternal. English lexis is a particularly good example of this: less than half of the vocabulary of the present-day language is of native origin. But examples can be found elsewhere which are even more striking. Michif, for instance, has French noun morphology but Cree verb morphology. Here in northern Scotland, the pronunciation of the first consonant in the local equivalent of ‘what’ – fit – probably came about under Gaelic influence.

This course will provide students with the theoretical and methodological insights which underlie the study of linguistic contact. These will be illustrated by many examples from a range of languages, including English. Pidgins, creoles and koines will be given considerable emphasis, with particular thought being given to the development of English under the influence of British, Norse and French in the early middle ages and to the history and present status of ‘colonial’ varieties of English and other languages, including those of Shetland, Tristan da Cunha and Norfolk Island. Throughout you will be encouraged to research and present appropriate case studies for your seminar; these will help you write your course essay and will increase your skills set in relation to your dissertation, no matter your topic.

Further Information & Notes

This is an eleven week course.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt: In-course assessment: essay of between 2,500-3,000 words in length (80%), and seminar work (20%).

Resit: No Resit.

Formative Assessment

Students will be given the opportunity of finding out how well they have performed in seminars as an ongoing feature of the learning process.

Feedback

Formative assessment will be given to students individually upon request.

Feedback on in-course reports will be given in writing on the cover sheet. Students will also be invited to discuss their performance with their tutor.

The Seminar Assessment Mark will be made available to students along with a generally brief written report from the tutor. Students will also be encouraged to speak to their tutor about the assessment.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.

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