Kurse / Courses

Introduction to Linguistics 1

This introductory course is a two-semester course and presents a general survey of the study of language. In the first part of the course we will study concepts and methods of three core branches of linguistics: phonetics/ phonology, morphology, and syntax, featuring the basic levels of linguistic organisation, such as the structure of sounds, words, word sequences and sentences.
Students will be familiarised with the basic concepts of modern theoretical linguistics as well as different approaches to the study of language and their respective methodology.

The course presents the basic linguistic terminology and provides help in finding and using secondary literature on selected topics.

There are optional tutorials for this lecture. We recommend attending a tutorial as preparation for the exam. Details about tutorials and registration on Stud.IP will be provided in the first session of the lecture.

Literature:

O'Grady, W., Archibald, J., & Katamba, F. (2011). Contemporary linguistics: An introduction (2 ed.). Harlow: Pearson Longman.

Radford, A., Atkinson, M, Britain, D., Clahsen, H., & Spencer, A. (2009). Linguistics: An introduction (2 ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Descriptive Grammar of English

This course gives a comprehensive overview of the descriptive grammar of English. Our focus will be on the parts of speech, the grammatical rules of nominal and verbal phrases and the structure of the different sentence and clause types in English (e.g. finite and non-finite complement clauses, adjunct clauses, questions, relative clauses, and imperatives). This course provides the basis for the sessions on English syntax in the first part of the Introduction to English Linguistics by acquainting you with descriptions of English grammar according to current reference grammars.

There are optional tutorials for this lecture. We recommend attending a tutorial as preparation for the exam. Details about tutorials and registration on Stud.IP will be provided in the first session of the lecture.

Literature:

The course will mainly be based on relevant sections from:

Aarts, B. (2011). Oxford modern English grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Carter, R. & McCarthy, M. (2006). Cambridge grammar of English: A comprehensive guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Additional Literature:

Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G. & Svartvik, J. A. (1985). Comprehensive grammar of the English language. London: Longman

Huddleston, R. & Pullum, G. K. (2002). The Cambridge grammar of the English language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Introduction to Linguistics 2

This second part of the two-semester introductory course covers the remaining areas of core linguistics (i.e., semantics and pragmatics) and gives an overview of specialised fields in modern linguistics, introducing historical linguistics, typology, first and second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and sociolinguistics.

Students will be familiarised with the basic concepts of modern theoretical linguistics as well as different approaches to the study of language and their respective methodology.

The course presents the basic linguistic terminology and provides help in finding and using secondary literature on selected topics.

There are optional tutorials for this lecture. We recommend attending a tutorial as preparation for the exam. Details about tutorials and registration on Stud.IP will be provided in the first session of the lecture.

Literature:

O'Grady, W., Archibald, J., & Katamba, F. (2011). Contemporary linguistics: An introduction (2 ed.). Harlow: Pearson Longman.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Spoken English

In this course, we survey properties of contemporary spoken English from a phonetic and phonological perspective. In the first part of the course, we define and describe characteristics of connected speech such as stress, rhythm, and intonation. In the second part, this course gives an overview over variation and development in spoken English. We discuss different accents of English, i.e. American and British English as well as World Englishes. Finally, we address the development of spoken English (a) in history from Old English to Modern English, and (b) in learners by looking at how children and foreign-language learners acquire spoken English.

There are optional tutorials for this lecture. We recommend attending a tutorial as preparation for the exam. Details about tutorials and registration on Stud.IP will be provided in the first session of the lecture.

Literature:

Carr, P. (2013). English phonetics and phonology: An introduction. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

Collins, B. & Mees, I. M. (2013). Practical phonetics and phonology: A resource book for students. Abingdon: Routledge.

O'Grady, W., Archibald, J., & Katamba, F. (2011). Contemporary linguistics: An introduction. Harlow: Pearson.

Roach, P. (2009). English phonetics & phonology: A practical course. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Skandera, P. & Burleigh, P. (2016). A manual of English phonetics and phonology. Tübingen: Narr.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Challenges in Language Development

Language development begins at birth but does not end in adulthood. Rather, language knowledge and language use continue to develop and change throughout the lifespan. This class starts with a revision of monolingual and multilingual first and second language acquisition and language processing in typically developing populations. But what happens if things are not ideal? The second part of this class then focuses on non-typical populations and the various challenges they face in language acquisition and language processing. We will consider various types of challenges ranging from genetic disorders (e.g. developmental language disorder), via sensory impairments (e.g., deafness), to acquired cognitive (e.g. dementia) and language disorders (e.g., aphasia). We will identify differences from the typical population and discuss their implications in real-world communication situations (including school settings).

By the end of this class, students will have a broad understanding of select challenges and be sensitized to how these challenges language development and processing. This class offers many hands-on activities and provides insight into applications of the newly acquired knowledge. Familiarity with fundamental concepts of FLA, SLA, and/or psycholinguistics is beneficial.

Literature:

TBA

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Listening in the L1 and L2

Understanding in languages we’ve grown up with comes easy (L1), but it’s a challenge in languages we’ve learned later in life (L2). In this seminar, we will examine how speech processing is shaped by language experience and how this influences the recognition of spoken words. We will cover topics such as the universalities common to listening in all languages, how early development shapes listening to become language-specific, and how this can impact L2 listening later in life. Building up on and revising the basic concepts of phonetics and phonology that you have acquired in modules B2 (and A2) we will try to answer psycholinguistic questions such as:

•    How do we extract words from speech?
•    Why does accented speech pose a challenge to the word recognition system?
•    How flexible is L2 speech perception?

Literature:

Cutler, A. (2012). Native listening: Language experience and the recognition of spoken words (1st ed.). Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Morphology and the Mental Lexicon

Selfie stick, blogger, ungoogleable,... Morphology allows us to create and understand an infinite number of new words derived from known component parts (e.g., google-able) but have you ever wondered how we process these forms in real time? Do we analyse the morphological structure or do we ignore it? This course deals with how morphologically complex words are represented in our mind/brain and how they are processed during language comprehension and production. Combining linguistic theory and psycholinguistic research, we will explore whether forms such as walked and walker are recognised as whole forms or decomposed into their component parts (i.e., walk plus -ed/er) and how properties of these forms (e.g., inflection vs. derivation, frequency/familiarity or transparency) influence processing. After an introduction to morphological theory and processing models, we will read and discuss original research papers that put linguistic theories to the test and investigate the psychological reality of morphological structure in our mind/brain.

Literature:

TBA

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Psycholinguistics

Language processing takes place in the brain, and we cannot see what is happening inside the skull. However, psycholinguistics offers a way to induce the processes that take place in our mind when we produce and comprehend language. In this course, we will learn about psycholinguistic methods and models that explain how we use and understand words and sentences. We will read and discuss original research papers and get some hands-on experience with in-class experiments, exploring the psychological reality of linguistic structure with respect to sounds, words, sentences and discourse.

Literature:

Traxler, M.J. (2012). Introduction to psycholinguistics: Understanding language science. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Warren, P. (2013). Introducing psycholinguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

The Mental Lexicon

Linguistic theories typically assume two major components of language: a lexicon that captures information about words, their components, and their meanings, and a grammar providing principles of combining the words into phrases and sentences. But how exactly do we get from a physical speech signal or a concatenation of letters to a proper interpretation of meaning in real life? How are words stored in our mental lexicon? How is language processed if we have to toggle two or more languages? And how do we acquire (a new) language to begin with? This seminar focuses on the mental lexicon, its organization, and how the stored information can be accessed and processed in real time as people try to understand sentences and utterances. Relevant aspects include:

• Theories on the organizational structure of the lexicon

• Aspects of lexical access and models of word recognition

• Mental representations and computational processes in the brain

• Word acquisition

• The multilingual lexicon

• Experimental methods for investigating word processing.

A focus will be on spoken language processing, but comparisons of spoken and written input may be enlightening. Similarly, cross-linguistic comparisons may help to better grasp the important representational and processing aspects during word recognition and integration.

Literature:

Aitchison, J. (2012). Words in the mind: An introduction to the mental lexicon (4th ed). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

The Psycholinguistics of Second Language Learning

While we all learn and/or teach foreign languages and try to be good at it, we rarely think about the cognitive mechanisms that subserve foreign and second language learning. In this course, we review recent psycholinguistic approaches to second language learning for child and adult L2 learners. With a focus on grammar learning, we discuss and assess the roles of priming, predictions, implicit and explicit learning, practice and automization, interaction and different learning contexts on second language development.

Each week, we will read and discuss an overview paper on the psycholinguistics or applied linguistics of second language learning and then delve into one current study. By the end of the course, you will have gotten to know the major topics in current L2 psycholinguistics and applied linguistics. You will be able to evaluate the scope of different learning mechanisms in L2 acquisition and make links to teaching implications.

Literature:

Reading: Godfroid, A. & Hopp, H. (2022). The Routledge Handbook of Second Language and Psycholinguistics. Routledge.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Language Processing and Change

This course will address the role of language processing for language change, both in terms of historical language change and in terms of individual language change (learning). We will begin by exploring historical change as the foundational aspect. To investigate the link between psycholinguistic mechanisms and historical change, our focus will be on empirical research on priming, highlighting that speakers adapt their language comprehension and production to the structure of the recently processed input. We will examine how adaptation to changes in input affects processing patterns, supports language learning, leads to changes in mental representations, and explains processes of historical change. Finally, we will discuss how theoretical approaches and empirical research contribute to our understanding of the interplay between language processing, learning, and change.

Literature

Jäger, G., & Rosenbach, A. (2008). Priming and unidirectional language change. Theoretical Linguistics, 34(2), 85–113. https://doi.org/10.1515/THLI.2008.008

Meisel, J. M., Elsig, M., & Rinke, E. (2013). Language acquisition and change: A morphosyntactic perspective. Edinburgh University Press.

Phillips, C., & Ehrenhofer, L. (2015). The role of language processing in language acquisition. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 5, 409–453. https://doi.org/10.1075/lab.5.4.01phi

Child Second Language Acquisition

In this course, we will focus on the language acquisition among children who start to acquire a second or foreign language between the ages of 4 and 8 years. As the start of foreign language instruction has been moved into childhood in many Western countries, it is ever more important to understand the nature and the developmental dynamics of child L2 acquisition. From a formal linguistic perspective, we will compare processes and outcomes of child SLA to early simultaneous and successive bilingualism as well as to adult SLA. Key topics will be the role age of acquisition, the timing of acquisition, differential development, i.e. profile effects, in lexicon and grammar as well as the impacts of internal and external learner factors. Although the focus will be on L2/3 English, we will also consider the development of the first (heritage) language of bilingual learners who learn additional languages in childhood. Participants are required to have prior knowledge of second language acquisition, e.g. by having taken the A2 course on SLA

Literature:

TBA

Instructed Second Language Acquisition

Research in Instructed Second Language Acquisition (ISLA) is inspired by the idea that knowledge about the language learning process can be useful for teaching practice. Adopting this integrative view in this seminar, we will approach the topic from a linguistic perspective and then discuss implications for language teaching. We will consider the following core questions: (How) is instruction beneficial for second language learning? How can the effectiveness of instruction be optimised? (Loewen, 2014). We will discuss relevant theoretical approaches and empirical findings from second language acquisition research that might have direct applications to classroom teaching. We will also discuss theoretical approaches that are relevant to language teaching, such as types of instruction (e.g. meaning-focused versus form-focused instruction, implicit versus explicit instruction) and discuss empirical findings that relate to the effectiveness of these approaches for language development and learning. We will cover topics such as the difference between instructed and natural second language acquisition, the role of input and the effects of input manipulation, natural versus classroom interaction (and the role of feedback), processing accounts of language learning and their application to the language classroom, as well as different types of instruction and their effect on language development/learning. Participants are required to have solid knowledge of second language acquisition, e.g. by having taken the A2 course on SLA.

Literature:

Loewen, S. (2014). Introduction to instructed second language acquisition. New York: Routledge.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

SLA: Generative Perspectives on Development

This course will provide you with a foundation in second language acquisition research from a linguistic perspective. The aim of the course is to explore how linguistic theory can elucidate the mental architecture of second language (L2) grammars and the processes in L2 grammatical processing and development.

Starting with a systematic comparison of child L1 and adult L2 acquisition, we will review the role of age in language acquisition. Further, we will consider the influence of the first language in L2 acquisition (L1 transfer), developmental stages and the limits of adult L2 acquisition. We then turn to current research on L2 grammatical processing from a linguistic perspective. This course will focus on morphology and syntax in L2 acquisition. We will see how typical mistakes and incomplete acquisition of the L2 in these areas can be explained and what they tell us about differences between non-native and native language acquisition.

In addition to chapters from two textbooks, we will read relevant original research articles and discuss their research methodology.

Literature:

Mitchell, R., Myles, F., & Marsden, E. (2013). Second language learning theories. London: Routledge.

Slabakova, R. (2016). Second language acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

White, L. (2003). Second language acquisition and Universal Grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

The Psycholinguistics of Second Language Learning

While we all learn and/or teach foreign languages and try to be good at it, we rarely think about the cognitive mechanisms that subserve foreign and second language learning. In this course, we review recent psycholinguistic approaches to second language learning for child and adult L2 learners. With a focus on grammar learning, we discuss and assess the roles of priming, predictions, implicit and explicit learning, practice and automization, interaction and different learning contexts on second language development.

Each week, we will read and discuss an overview paper on the psycholinguistics or applied linguistics of second language learning and then delve into one current study. By the end of the course, you will have gotten to know the major topics in current L2 psycholinguistics and applied linguistics. You will be able to evaluate the scope of different learning mechanisms in L2 acquisition and make links to teaching implications.

Literature:

Reading: Godfroid, A. & Hopp, H. (2022). The Routledge Handbook of Second Language and Psycholinguistics. Routledge.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Bilingual First Language Acquisition

In this seminar we will explore how children growing up with two languages from birth acquire the two languages simultaneously and how they learn to use the two languages appropriately when communicating with other people. A recurrent question in research on bilingual first language acquisition is whether the children acquire the two languages separately (i.e. their acquisition patterns are identical to monolingual patterns) or whether there is some kind of interaction/interdependence in the development of the two languages. We will address this question looking at the levels of phonology, morpho-syntax and vocabulary. We will also discuss which factors influence the development of the two languages (e.g. type and amount of input in the two languages) and will discuss possible explanations for different rates of development (unequal development) or different outcomes (e.g. receptive bilingualism). Apart from acquiring the lexical and structural aspects of the two languages children also have to learn how to use the two languages in accordance with socio-pragmatic norms. So we will also address the acquisition of language choice patterns of simultaneous bilingual children. Finally, we will focus on code-switching, a typically bilingual phenomenon that requires linguistic and socio-pragmatic competence on the part of the speaker. We will look at how bilingual children acquire this competence and whether / how this is related to the general development in the two languages.

Literature:

De Houwer, A. (2009). Bilingual first language acquisition. Multilingual Matters.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Contrasting Theories in FLA

In this course, we will compare the two most important theoretical approaches to first language acquisition (FLA): the generative (Universal Grammar; UG) approach and the emergentist usage-based (UB) approach. After a review of the major theoretical differences, we will systematically compare and contrast the approaches by studying how children acquire the sounds of their mother tongue (phonetics and phonology), how they develop a mental lexicon (vocabulary), how they learn inflection (morphology), how they acquire syntax and how they come to interpret sentences (semantics). For each area, we read original research papers that allow us to test between the UG and the UB approaches.

Literature:

Ambridge, B. & Lieven, E.V.M. (2011). Child language acquisition: Contrasting theoretical approaches. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Heritage Language Acquisition

This seminar focuses on the grammatical development of heritage language speakers in light of current theoretical claims and recent experimental research. Heritage language speakers are individuals who speak a language they have learned at home, which is, however, different from the dominant language of the community, e.g. Turkish children growing up in Germany. Through the analysis of specific examples of heritage languages around the globe, we are going to see how language develops in heritage language speakers, and how different or similar heritage language speakers are in comparison to native speakers and second language learners of the dominant language.

Literature:

Montrul, S. (2016). The acquisition of heritage languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Language Disorders

This course provides an introduction to language disorders in children and adults. The main aim of the course is to introduce students to developmental and acquired disorders related to language. Specific topics include the classification of language disorders on the basis of etiology and diagnostic labels, an introduction to language abnormalities in preschool and school-age children, and an introduction to aphasia and cognitive-linguistic disorders in adults.

Literature:

Vinson B. P. (2012). Language disorders across the lifespan (3 ed.). Delmar, NY, USA.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

The Grammar of Englishes

This course will survey core grammatical properties across different varieties of current Englishes. The purpose of this course is to investigate the variation in English grammars in typological perspective. After a general introduction to variationist linguistics, we will look at variation in the noun phrase, in the verb phrase and at the clause and sentence levels. Taking a functional approach, we systematically describe differences in the grammars of Englishes around the world, and we chart commonalities across varieties. We will compare English to other languages in typological perspective. On top of introducing you to variation among Englishes, this course also serves as a refresher of core grammatical concepts and terms, and it will sharpen your skills in grammatical description and analysis.

Literature:

Siemund, P. (2013). Varieties of English: A typological approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Varieties of English

This course will survey different varieties of current World Englishes. The purpose of this course is to investigate the spread of English as an international language with a focus on linguistic variation. Using many examples, audio and videoclips, we will describe different varieties, sketch their historical developments and define their phonological, lexical, morphological and syntactic characteristics. We discuss the multitudes of World Englishes and interactions of native and non-native Englishes with reference to models and approaches from language contact and sociolinguistics.

Literature:

Schneider, E. W. (2020). English around the world: An introduction (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Sociolinguistics

In this seminar we will take a look at English from a sociolinguistic point of view. Sociolinguistics is the study of the relationship between language and society, and sociolinguists study how different social contexts affect language use. In this class, we will focus on social factors at the level of the individual, examining ascribed vs. acquired characteristics (social class, sex, ethnicity), but also at the level of the community in that we examine linguistic practice in different linguistic networks. Specifically, we review classical areas of sociolinguistic study, such as regional and social variation, politeness, gender and sexuality, ethnicity, and multilingualism and language contact. We will also consider our attitudes and beliefs about linguistic variation and how this information is perceived and represented.

Literature:

Holmes, J., & Wilson, N. (2022). An introduction to sociolinguistics. Routledge.

Meyerhoff, M. (2019). Introducing Sociolinguistics. London and New York: Routledge.

Bilingual First Language Acquisition

In this seminar we will explore how children growing up with two languages from birth acquire the two languages simultaneously and how they learn to use the two languages appropriately when communicating with other people. A recurrent question in research on bilingual first language acquisition is whether the children acquire the two languages separately (i.e. their acquisition patterns are identical to monolingual patterns) or whether there is some kind of interaction/interdependence in the development of the two languages. We will address this question looking at the levels of phonology, morpho-syntax and vocabulary. We will also discuss which factors influence the development of the two languages (e.g. type and amount of input in the two languages) and will discuss possible explanations for different rates of development (unequal development) or different outcomes (e.g. receptive bilingualism). Apart from acquiring the lexical and structural aspects of the two languages children also have to learn how to use the two languages in accordance with socio-pragmatic norms. So we will also address the acquisition of language choice patterns of simultaneous bilingual children. Finally, we will focus on code-switching, a typically bilingual phenomenon that requires linguistic and socio-pragmatic competence on the part of the speaker. We will look at how bilingual children acquire this competence and whether / how this is related to the general development in the two languages.

Literature:

De Houwer, A. (2009). Bilingual first language acquisition. Multilingual Matters.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.

Bilingualism: Code-switching

In this seminar, we will focus on code-switching, a typical phenomenon of bilingual speech, which is commonly defined as “the ability on the part of bilinguals to alternate effortlessly between their two languages” (Bullock & Toribio, 2012, p.1). Research into code-switching has focused on the linguistic structure of code-switching, on its linguistic and social functions, on its acquisition, as well as cognitive and psycholinguistic processes involved in producing code-switched utterances. 

We will start by defining code-switching and differentiating it from related terms, such as code-mixing, code-switching, borrowing. Next, we will look at the properties of code-switching from various perspectives, answering the following questions:

• What are the linguistic properties of code-switching?
• Are there any grammatical constraints in the way we can combine two languages within one utterance?
• What are the socio-pragmatic functions of code-switching?
• What is the role of code-switching in bilingual language acquisition?
• What are the psycholinguistic processes underlying code-switching?   

Literatur:

Bullock, B.E. & Toribio, A. J. (Eds.) (2012). The Cambridge Handbook of Linguistic Code-switching. Cambridge / New York: CUP.

Gardner-Chloros, P. (2009). Code-switching. Cambridge / New York: CUP.

Bilingualism: Individual, Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Aspects

Bilingualism was traditionally defined as "the native-like control of two languages"; more recent approaches emphasise factors of cultural or social identity and integration, e.g. "a bilingual [...] is taken to be one of themselves by the members of two different linguistic communities, at the same social and cultural level" (Thiery). In order to approach an understanding of 'bilingualism', we will analyse this phenomenon from complementary perspectives. First, we will be trying to come to a definition of what it means to 'be bilingual', looking at personal, as well as socio-cultural aspects of the term. We will also look at the typical linguistic phenomena of bilingual speech (e.g. code-mixing, code-switching, borrowing) and discuss some of the central theoretical models which have been suggested to analyse (and predict) the linguistic properties of these phenomena (e.g. the Matrix Language Frame Model (Myers-Scotton)). We will then investigate the issue from an individual perspective, especially focusing on acquisition processes. For the sociolinguistic topic, we will focus on how social factors and cultural norms influence bilingual speakers' language behaviour in terms of language choice, speech accommodation and code-switching.

Literature:

Myers-Scotton, C. (2006). Multiple voices: An introduction to bilingualism. Malden, Mass: Blackwell.

Plus selected videos on LingTUtor.