Linguistic Typology
Code: 100272 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics | OT | 4 |
| Spanish Language and Literature | OT | 3 |
| Spanish Language and Literature | OT | 4 |
| English Studies | OT | 3 |
| English Studies | OT | 4 |
| English and Catalan Studies | OT | 3 |
| English and Catalan Studies | OT | 4 |
| English and Spanish Studies | OT | 3 |
| English and Spanish Studies | OT | 4 |
| Catalan and Spanish Studies | OT | 3 |
| Catalan and Spanish Studies | OT | 4 |
| English and French Studies | OT | 0 |
| English and French Studies | OT | 3 |
| English and French Studies | OT | 4 |
| English and Classics Studies | OT | 3 |
| English and Classics Studies | OT | 4 |
Contact
- Name:
- Joaquim Llisterri Boix
- Email:
- joaquim.llisterri@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
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 course proposes two main objectives: (1) to provide a general overview of linguistic typology, including the analysis of phonetic and phonological phenomena; and (2) to present the specific methods and tools used in linguistic typology.
Competences
- 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.
2.- Fieldwork methodology
The corpus. The speakers. The recordings. Tools for collecting and processing linguistic data.
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.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Discussion of assigned readings and exercises | 15 | 0.6 | 6, 16, 11, 12, 9, 10, 14, 19, 21 |
| Lectures on the contents of the course | 35 | 1.4 | 4, 3, 8, 6, 9, 10, 14, 21, 19 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Exercises and oral presentations | 11.5 | 0.46 | 4, 3, 2, 6, 8, 16, 12, 11, 10, 9, 14, 21, 19, 23 |
| Work with databases, tools, and other resources for linguistic typology | 13.5 | 0.54 | 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, 11, 12, 10, 9, 14 |
The teaching methodology combines sessions devoted to presenting the syllabus content with sessions focused on discussing assigned readings and exercises, delivering oral presentations in class, and participating in practical sessions using online resources developed for the study of linguistic typology.
A detailed calendar outlining the content of the various sessions will be provided on the first day of the course. It will also be published online, along with a detailed description of the exercises, the teaching materials used during the semester
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.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ev1 - In-person written examination covering the content of units 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the syllabus | 40% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 2, 4, 3, 1, 8, 7, 6, 5, 22, 15, 16, 11, 13, 12, 10, 9, 14, 19, 21, 20, 17, 18, 23 |
| Ev2 - In-person written examination based on the required readings | 20% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 3, 4, 2, 8, 6, 7, 5, 22, 10, 9, 14, 19, 21, 20, 18, 17, 23 |
| Ev3 - Exercises related to units 3 and 4 of the syllabus | 20% | 5 | 0.2 | 4, 3, 2, 1, 8, 6, 7, 5, 22, 16, 15, 13, 11, 12, 9, 10, 14, 21, 19, 20, 17, 18, 23 |
| Ev4 - Oral presentations in class | 20% | 5 | 0.2 | 3, 2, 4, 1, 6, 8, 7, 5, 22, 16, 15, 11, 12, 13, 9, 10, 14, 21, 19, 20, 17, 18, 23 |
Continuous assessment
The final grade for the course will be determined on the basis of four learning evidences:
(Ev1) In-person written examination covering the content of units 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the syllabus: 40% of the final grade.
(Ev2) In-person written examination based on the required readings: 20% of the final grade.
(Ev3) Exercises related to units 3 and 4 of the syllabus: 20% of the final grade.
(Ev4) Oral presentations delivered in class: 20% of the final grade.
Detailed information regarding each of the learning evidences will be provided at the beginning of the course. For each assessment activity, students will be informed in advance of the specific procedures and the date on which grades may be reviewed.
These four evidences are the sole components considered in the final assessment. Failure to submit any of the required evidences without a duly justified and documented reason will result in a mark of 0 (zero) for that component. Class attendance is not taken into account for assessment purposes.
The minimum grade required to pass the course is 5 out of 10. Students who submit learning evidences accounting for less than 30% of the total course grade will be classified as “Not Assessed.”
To be eligible for the resit assessment, students must have obtained a final grade between 3.5 and 4.8 (out of 10), and must have submitted learning evidences corresponding to at least two-thirds of the total course grade.
The resit assessment will consist of an in-person written examination covering the content of units 1 through 4 of the syllabus, the assigned readings, and the exercises corresponding to units 3 and 4. Oral presentations are excluded from the resit. The maximum grade that may be awarded following the resit is 5 out of 10.
Any form of academic dishonesty or irregularity that may significantly alter the grade of an assessment activity will result in a mark of 0 (zero) for that activity, irrespective of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated. In the case of multiple irregularities, the final grade for the course will be 0 (zero).
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is strictly prohibited in all phases of this course. Any assignment containing content generated using AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity and will automatically receive a grade of 0, with no opportunity for resubmission or resit. Serious cases may be subject to additional disciplinary measures.
Erasmus students requesting to take an examination in advance must submit a formal written request accompanied by a supporting document issued by their home university.
Unique assessment
The final grade for the course is based on four learning evidences:
(Ev1) In-person written exam covering the contents of units 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the syllabus: 40% of the final grade.
(Ev2) In-person written exam on the content of the assigned readings: 20% of the final grade.
(Ev3) Exercises related to units 3 and 4 of the syllabus: 20% of the final grade.
(Ev4) Oral presentations in class: 20% of the final grade.
These four evidences are the only components used for the single assessment of the course. The written exam (Ev1) will take place on the same day scheduled for the exam of students following continuous assessment; on that same day, the written exam on the assigned readings (Ev2) will also be administered, and the exercises (Ev3) will be submitted. Depending on the number of students opting for the single assessment, oral presentations (Ev4) may be done individually or, if necessary, in groups.
The same resit procedure as that applied to continuous assessment will apply to the single assessment option.
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
Gordon, M. K. (2016). Phonological typology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199669004.001.0001
Igartua, I. (2023). Fundamentos de tipología lingüística. Síntesis.
Karpiński, M., & Klessa, K. (2021). Linguist in the field: A practical guide to speech data collection, processing, and management. Wydawnictwo Rys. https://doi.org/10.48226/978-83-66666-89-4
Ladefoged, P., & Maddieson, I. (1996). The sounds of the world’s languages. Blackwell.
Maddieson, I. (1984). Patterns of sounds. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511753459
Maddieson, I., Flavier, S., Marsico, E., & Pellegrino, F. (2014–2025). LAPSyD: Lyon-Albuquerque Phonological Systems Databases. Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage (CNRS, Université Lumière Lyon 2); Department of Linguistics (The University of New Mexico). https://lapsyd.huma-num.fr/lapsyd/
Moran, S., & McCloy, D. (Eds.). (2019). PHOIBLE 2.0. Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. https://phoible.org
Moravcsik, E. A. (2013). Introducing language typology. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511978876
Reetz, H. (2018). A simple user interface to the UCLA Phonological Segment Inventory Database (UPSID). Universität Frankfurt, Institut für Phonetik. http://web.phonetik.uni-frankfurt.de/upsid.html
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.
Thieberger, N. (Ed.). (2012). The Oxford handbook of linguistic fieldwork. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199571888.001.0001
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
Boersma, P., & Weenink, D. (2025). Praat: Doing phonetics by computer (Version 6.4.34) [Computer software]. University of Amsterdam. http://www.praat.org
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |