Curriculum of the Program

Introduction to Linguistics

This is a general introduction to linguistics, the scientific study of human language. We will
focus on the major core subfields of linguistics: morphology, phonetics, phonology, syntax,
and semantics. These subfields are areas of active research in their own right, and are also
prerequisite to working in a number of other subfields of linguistics which we will cover near
the end of the course, including sociolinguistics and language variation, historical linguistics
and language change, psycholinguistics, and language acquisition. The aim of this course is
to make learners aware of the complex organization and systematic nature of language, the
primary means of human communication.

Course Contents:

  • Basic terms and concepts in Linguistics
  • What is language (e.g. design features, nature and functions of language)?
  • What is Linguistics (e.g. diachronic/synchronic; paradigmatic/syntagmatic relations)?
  • Elements of Language
    • Phonology
    • Morphology
    • Syntax
    • Semantics
  • Scope of Linguistics: an introduction to major branches of linguistics
  • Schools of Linguistics (Historicism, Structuralism, Generativism, Functionalism)
  • Discourse Analysis (Difference between Spoken and Written discourse, conversational structure, turn-taking, coherence/cohesion)
  • Stylistic variation and change

Recommended Books:

  1. Aitchison, J. (2000). Linguistics. Teach Yourself Books.
  2. Akmajian, A., Demers, R. A., Farmer, A. K. & Harnish, R. M. (2001). Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and Communication. (Fourth edition). Massachusetts: MIT.
  3. Crystal, D. (1997). The Encyclopaedia of Language. Cambridge: CUP.
  4. Farmer, A. K, & Demers, R. A. (2005). A Linguistics Workbook. M. I. T Press.
  5. Finch, G. (2004). How to Study Linguistics: A Guide to Understanding Linguistics. Palgrave.
  6. Fromkin, V. A., Rodman, R. & Hymas, M. (2002). Introduction to Language. (Sixth edition). New York: Heinley.
  7. Malcolm, M. (2011). An Introduction to Linguistics and Language Studies. Equinox Publishing
  8. Radford, A., Atkinson, M., Briatain, D., Clahsen, H., Spencer, A. (1999). Linguistics: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.
  9. Todd, L. (1987). An Introduction to Linguistics. Moonbeam Publications.
  10. Yule, G. (2006). The Study of Language. CUP.