Linguistic Typology
Code: 100272 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500245 English Studies | OT | 3 | 0 |
| 2500245 English Studies | OT | 4 | 0 |
| 2503998 Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics | OT | 4 | 1 |
| 2504211 Spanish Language and Literature | OT | 3 | 1 |
| 2504211 Spanish Language and Literature | OT | 4 | 1 |
| 2504212 English Studies | OT | 3 | 1 |
| 2504212 English Studies | OT | 4 | 1 |
| 2504380 English and Catalan Studies | OT | 0 | 0 |
| 2504380 English and Catalan Studies | OT | 3 | 0 |
| 2504380 English and Catalan Studies | OT | 4 | 0 |
| 2504386 English and Spanish Studies | OT | 3 | 1 |
| 2504386 English and Spanish Studies | OT | 4 | 1 |
| 2504388 Catalan and Spanish Studies | OT | 0 | 0 |
| 2504388 Catalan and Spanish Studies | OT | 3 | 0 |
| 2504388 Catalan and Spanish Studies | OT | 4 | 0 |
| 2504393 English and French Studies | OT | 0 | 0 |
| 2504393 English and French Studies | OT | 3 | 0 |
| 2504393 English and French Studies | OT | 4 | 0 |
| 2504394 English and Classics Studies | OT | 3 | 1 |
| 2504394 English and Classics Studies | OT | 4 | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Joaquim Llisterri Boix
- Email:
- joaquim.llisterri@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.
Teachers
- David Ginebra Domingo
Prerequisites
It is recommended that the students can read scientific papers in English on subjects related to the contents of the course.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The main goals of the course are: (1) to provide an overview of linguistic typology incorporating the analysis of phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, lexical, and pragmatic phenomena; and (2) to become acquainted with the methods and tools used in linguistic typology.
Competences
- English Studies
- Develop critical thinking and reasoning and knowing how to communicate effectively both in your mother tongue and in other languages.
- Identifying the linguistic types behind the linguistic diversity and establishing generalisations and universal principles.
- Recognising and using reasonably the principles, methods and results of the structural analysis of languages, foundations of the linguistic theory and approaches of the study of language and communication as a complex, emerging and dynamic phenomenon.
- Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics
- Critically apply the different instruments of analysis to different types of linguistic data.
- Identify the foundations of human language and the principles, methods and results of structural analysis of languages.
- Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
- Spanish Language and Literature
- Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
- Develop arguments applicable to the fields of Hispanic literature, literary theory, Spanish language and linguistics, and evaluate their academic relevance.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Typologically identify the main phenomena of the Spanish language and relate them to similar phenomena in other languages.
- English Studies
- Critically evaluate linguistic, literary and cultural production in English.
- Describe and analyse—synchronically and comparatively—the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic properties of English and its historical development.
- Distinguish and contrast the distinct paradigms and methodologies applied to the study of English.
- Produce effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in distinct languages (except English).
- English and Catalan Studies
- Critically apply the different instruments of analysis to different types of linguistic data.
- Identify the foundations of human language and the principles, methods and results of structural analysis of languages.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- English and Spanish Studies
- Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
- Identify the foundations of human language and the principles, methods and results of structural analysis of languages.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Catalan and Spanish Studies
- Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
- Critically apply different analytical instruments to different types of linguistic data, whether in synchronic or diachronic.
- Identify the foundations of human language and the principles, methods and results of structural analysis of languages.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- English and French Studies
- Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
- Identify the foundations of human language and the principles, methods and results of structural analysis of languages.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- English and Classics Studies
- Identify the foundations of human language, the principles, methods and results of the structural analysis of languages.
- Produce effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in distinct languages.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
Learning Outcomes
- Accurately drawing up normative texts.
- Analyse different types of linguistic data.
- Analyse various types of linguistic data.
- Analysing various types of linguistic data.
- Appropriately use the different available formal and technical resources.
- Establish typological generalisations.
- Establish typological generalizations.
- Establishing typological generalizations.
- Identify different theoretical options or ways of approaching the same problems from alternative theoretical frameworks.
- Identify different theoretical options or ways to address the same problems from alternative theoretical frameworks.
- Identify main and secondary ideas and express them with linguistic correctness.
- Identify principal and secondary ideas and express them using correct language.
- Identify the main and secondary ideas and express them with linguistic correctness.
- Identifying different theoretical options or ways of dealing with the same problem from alternative theoretical frameworks.
- Identifying main and supporting ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
- Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
- Resolving problems independently.
- Solve problems autonomously.
- Solve problems of grammatical analysis.
- Solving problems autonomously.
- Solving problems of grammatical analysis.
- Use and interpret texts of interdisciplinary nature about the connections between linguistics and other disciplines.
- Use the appropriate and specific terminology of the literary studies.
Content
1.- The languages of the world
Number and distribution of the world's languages. Language families. Criteria for the classification of languages: genetic, geographic, sociolinguistic, and typological. Typology of writing systems.
2.- Language documentation methodology
Audio and video recording. Metadata. Transcription and translation (ELAN). Morphosyntactic analysis (FLEx).
3.- Phonetic typology
The International Phonetic Alphabet. Segments: vowels sounds and consonant sounds in the world’s languages. Suprasegmentals: use of fundamental frequency; phonetic manifestation of stress; rhythmical typologies.
4.- Phonological typology
Databases for the study of phonological typology. Segmental structure: segment inventories, vowel systems and consonant systems. Suprasegmental structure: duration contrasts, tonal contrasts, and stress contrasts. Syllabic structure.
5.- Morphological typology
Classifiers. Aspect and nominal tense. Nominal incorporation. Valency changes (applicative, causative, etc.). Verbs of direction and posture. Evidentiality. Nominalizations.
6.- Syntactic typology
Morphosyntactic alignment (accusative, ergative, etc.). Order of constituents.
7.- Lexical, semantic, and pragmatic typology
Kinship terms. Body parts. Colors. Senses. Systems of personal pronouns, possessives, and demonstratives.
Methodology
The teaching methodology used combines sessions devoted to the presentation of the content of the syllabus with sessions focused on the discussion of the assigned readings and exercises, oral presentations in class, and practical sessions using online resources developed for the study of linguistic typology.
The detailed calendar with the content of the different sessions will be specified on the day of the presentation of the course. It will also be published in the Moodle classroom, together with a detailed description of the exercises, the teaching materials used during the semester and any information necessary for the proper follow-up of the course.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Discussion of assigned readings and exercises | 15 | 0.6 | 6, 16, 12, 11, 10, 9, 14, 21, 19 |
| Lectures on the contents of the course | 35 | 1.4 | 4, 3, 8, 6, 10, 9, 14, 21, 19 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Exercises and oral presentations | 11.5 | 0.46 | 4, 2, 3, 8, 6, 16, 12, 11, 10, 9, 14, 21, 19, 23 |
| Work with databases, tools, and other resources for linguistic typology | 10 | 0.4 | 23 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Reading of complementary materials | 22 | 0.88 | 16, 12, 11, 10, 9, 14 |
| Study of the course contents | 40 | 1.6 | 16, 12, 11, 10, 9, 14 |
Assessment
Continuous assessment
The final grade is obtained from four learning evidences:
(Ev1) Written test on the contents of units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the syllabus: 40 % of the final grade.
(Ev2) Exercises on units 3 and 4 of the syllabus: 20 % of the final grade.
(Ev3) Exercises on units 5, 6 and 7 of the syllabus: 20 % of the final grade.
(Ev4) Oral presentation in class: 20 % of the final grade.
The detailed information about the learning evidences will be provided at the beginning of the term. These evidences are the only elements considered in the assessment of the course.
The minimal grade to pass the course is 5 (/10). If learning evidence is not submitted, the grade is 0 (zero). Students who have submitted learning evidences with a weight of less than 30% of the total grade of the course are considered ‘non-assessable’.
At the time of each assessment activity, information will be provided on the procedure and the date for reviewing the grades.
In order to sit the reassessment exam, it is necessary to have obtained a mark between 3.5 and 4.9 (/10) and to have delivered a set of learning evidences whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of the 2/3 of the total grading of the course.
The reassessment will consist of a written test on the content of units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the syllabus as well as on the contents of the exercises on units 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the syllabus. Oral presentations in class are excluded from the reassessment. The final mark for students who have attended the reassessment exam will be a maximum of 5 (/10).
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a 0 (zero) for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities ofthe same subject, the student will be given a 0 (zero) as the final grade for this subject.
Unique assessment
The final grade is obtained from four learning evidences:
(Ev1) Written test on the contents of units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the syllabus: 40 % of the final grade.
(Ev2) Exercises on units 3 and 4 of the syllabus: 20 % of the final grade.
(Ev3) Exercises on units 5, 6 and 7 of the syllabus: 20 % of the final grade.
(Ev4) Oral presentation: 20 % of the final grade.
These evidences are the only elements considered in the assessment of the course. The written test (Ev1) will take place on the day on which this test is scheduled in the case of continuous assessment; the exercises (Ev2 and Ev3) will be delivered on the same day as the written test. Depending on the number of students taking the single assessment, the oral presentations (Ev4) may be individual or must be done in a group.
The reassessment for the students taking the single assessment will follow the same criteria used in the continuous assessment.
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a 0 (zero) for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a 0 (zero) as the final grade for this subject.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ev1 - Written test on the contents of units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the syllabus | 40% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 4, 2, 3, 1, 8, 6, 7, 5, 22, 16, 12, 11, 15, 13, 10, 9, 14, 21, 19, 20, 18, 17, 23 |
| Ev2 - Exercises on units 3 and 4 of the syllabus | 20% | 5 | 0.2 | 4, 2, 3, 1, 8, 6, 7, 5, 22, 16, 12, 11, 15, 13, 10, 9, 14, 21, 19, 20, 18, 17, 23 |
| Ev3 - Exercises on units 5, 6, and 7 of the syllabus | 20% | 5 | 0.2 | 4, 2, 3, 1, 8, 6, 7, 5, 22, 16, 12, 11, 15, 13, 10, 9, 14, 21, 19, 20, 18, 17, 23 |
| Ev4 - Oral presentations in class | 20% | 5 | 0.2 | 4, 2, 3, 1, 8, 6, 7, 5, 22, 16, 12, 11, 15, 13, 10, 9, 14, 21, 19, 20, 18, 17, 23 |
Bibliography
Aikhenvald, A. Y., & Dixon, R. M. W. (Eds.). (2017). The Cambridge handbook of linguistic typology. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316135716
Croft, W. (2003). Typology and universals (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511840579
Dryer, M. S., & Haspelmath, M. (Eds.). (2013). The world atlas of language structures online. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. https://wals.info
Moravcsik, E. A. (2013). Introducing language typology. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511978876
Song, J. J. (Ed.). (2010). The Oxford handbook of linguistic typology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199281251.001.0001
Song, J. J. (2018). Linguistic typology. Oxford University Press.
Velupillai, V. (2012). An introduction to linguistic typology. John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/z.176
More specific reading lists will be provided during the semester.
Software
No specific software is needed for this course.