ATS1339: Linguistic structure and language diversity
Faculty of Arts
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Overview
There are 7,000+ living languages in the world, each of which have their own structures, communities of users and cultures. In this unit we explore this diversity. Drawing on data from English and a range of other languages, we investigate the grammatical life of words how they are built (morphology), how they are used to form larger units (syntax), and how this knowledge can be applied to experiences both inside and outside the education setting. As part of this, we explore issues around intercultural communication, multilingualism and multilingual societies, as well as areas such as language and globalisation and language endangerment. We also consider the role of cognitive and cultural constraints in shaping language forms and the processes by which languages develop and change.
Assessment
1 - Quiz/Quizzes - 35% 2 - Analytical exercise - 20% 3 - Essay - 35% 4 - Exercise/s - 10%
Workload
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
