Last modified: 08 Dec 2022 11:50
Language acquisition is a human feat like no other: accomplished by children in their early years with no apparent effort, but sometimes incredibly difficult for adults. This course looks at how people come to know languages, using existing research in the field and real-life examples to examine stages of linguistic development and theoretical approaches to this hotly debated complex process.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
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| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
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This course provides an overview of the complex process of language acquisition, or how humans come to ‘know’ a language. We will discuss the evolution of theoretical approaches to this field that sprang up in the 20th century, looking at the debate among psychologists and linguists over how much language acquisition is like, or indeed connected to, other types of learning. Taking into account the wide range of existing research on this topic, we will consider the cognitive factors that potentially influence language acquisition, such as predisposition for language learning and brain changes with age, as well as environmental ones, such as amount and type of exposure to a language. Using real-life examples to illustrate the ways in which knowledge of a language develops as it is acquired, going from infants’ initial sounds to full-fledged grammatical sentences, we will delve into the thorny question of what linguistic knowledge, and indeed language itself, really is.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | Word Count | 3000 | ||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | Word Count | 3000 | ||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Factual | Remember | ILO’s for this course are available in the course guide. |
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