Admission requirements
Basic knowledge of phonology, phonetics and IPA. Students who have not followed the course Indo-European language and culture are advised to purchase and study the reader of that course.
Description
An introduction to Historical linguistics. The structure and meaning of words and sentences change over time. How and why does language change? The course provides answers to these questions with the help of examples from various languages, but predominantly from English and closely related languages such as Dutch, German and Frisian. During the seminars, the same processes discussed during the lectures will be illustrated with excercises about the same phenomena in lesser known languages.
Participants are also required to attend classes on Academic skills
Course objectives
Knowledge of and insight in the methodology of historical linguistics;
The skills to apply these insights to new data;
Knowledge of the terminology of historical linguistics.
Timetable
Mode of instruction
Lectures (1 hour weekly) and seminars (1 hour weekly).
Course Load
lectures: 12 hours
seminars: 12 hours
seminars Academic skills: 6 hours
written examinations (half-term and final): 4 hours
oral presentations: 2 hours
preparation lectures and seminars: 48 hours
preparation examinations: 56 hours
Assessment method
Oral presentation (10%), written examination (half-term, 20%) and final written examination (70%). There is a resit covering the material of the written examinations (90%) if the weighted average of the exams is insufficient.
Blackboard
Course materials (slides, exercises) will be made available on Blackboard
Reading list
To be purchased before the start of the course: Robert McColl Millar (2015): Trask’s Historical Linguistics. 3rd edition. London/New York: Routledge.
Joris J.W. Buis, Ger Post & Vincent R. Visser (2016): Academic Skills for Interdisciplinary Studies. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on this website
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Contractonderwijs
Contact
Education Administration Office van Wijkplaats
E-mail address Education Administration Office van Wijkplaats: osz-oa-wijkplaats@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
This course is open to students from the BA Linguistics only.
First year’s students BA Linguistics will be enrolled in the seminars of this course by the Education Administration Office.