Admission requirements
BA in Linguistics or other language and culture studies
Description
Experts estimate that only 50% of the over 7000 languages that are spoken today will still be spoken by the end of the century. Nowadays the intellectual heritage of diverse languages is disappearing at a faster rate than ever before. In this course we will explore the phenomenon of language endangerment and language loss alongside issues of language maintenance in different regions of the world. We will discuss the implications for societies and for the world’s knowledge systems when the vitality of languages is threatened. We will discuss the responses of various stakeholders: the language users, the communities, linguists, policy makers, governments and non-governmental organisations. We will consider some of the activities associated with the International Decade for Indegenous Languages as well as the role of digital technologies in stemming the tide of endangerment. Reading material for this course consists of a set book and additional articles relevant to specific topics.
The course will not be offered if there are less than 5 students enrolled.
Course objectives
At the conclusion of the course the participants should be able to:
describe the situation of ethnolinguistic diversity in different regions of the world
distinguish between the different processes of language loss, and shift
identify the consequences for a community of language users to lose its language and culture
define and critique measures and policies aimed at reversing language loss
translate theoretical issues to individual cases of language endangerment and vitality
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
Essay, paper
Oral examination
Weighing
Oral presentation and write-up: 30%
Term paper: 70%
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
Students who fail the course may resit the final term paper.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
TBA
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions regarding enrollment please contact the Education Administration Office Reuvensplaats E-mail address Education Administration Office Reuvensplaats: osz-oa-reuvensplaats@hum.leidenuniv.nl.