Modul II

Introduction to Linguistics

This course is designed to provide an introduction to the study of language. Starting with general definitions and properties of language, we will then look at basic issues in the field of linguistics. The primary concern will be with the different levels of linguistics, i.e. phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Matters to be discussed include some of the major areas of linguistics, e.g. sociolinguistics, varieties of English, language change and language acquisition.

Students are expected to participate regularly and actively in the course. These are two prerequisites for taking the final exam.

The Reader (Introduction to Linguistics) is available at Reckhammerweg 4.

Modul III or Grundstudium

English Usage

Melanie Borchers, Thursday 8-10, V15 R01 H76
"A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"P a n d a. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves." (Truss 2003: cover)

In 2003 Lynn Truss published her best-selling non-fiction book Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Truss apparently tackled the problem of 'misplaced apostrophes' and other usage issues in such a way that her guide reached the top-ten. Not only is the so-called grocer's apostrophe an important topic to be treated in this course, we will also examine confusables, relative which and that, the contrast between can and may and compare different approaches to usage that line the history of the English language.

Be prepared to pass a reading test during the first session on the chapter "The Tractable Apostrophe" in: Truss, Lynn. 2003. Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. New York: Gotham Books, 35-67. (to be provided after registration)

Is English going to the dogs? Public and linguistic notions of 'Standard English'

Kathrin Luckmann, Friday 12-14, R12 R04 A63
The existence and constitution of a 'Standard English' is widely and critically discussed by educators, linguists, policy makers and the media. In fact, everyone seems to have a set opinion on what type of English should be taught at school and on the English that should be spoken by certain people in specific contexts. It is for example considered equally inappropriate of Prince Harry to use racially sensitive terms like 'Paki' as it is nowadays seen as incorrect to say "ain't" or "you was" in formal situations although these forms were once used by the Kings and Queens of Britain.

In this course we will explore language ideology of the past and present, look at different forms of variation and see how non-standard English and varieties of English are used as a means to create national and in-group identity or used to represent such groups prototypically in literature.

Modul IV/I or Grundstudium

English Grammar

Claudia Claridge, Wednesday 10-12, S05 T00 B32

Lecture course!!!

Once upon a very long time ago people thought grammar was important and even something wonderful - so much so that the word glamour is actually derived from grammar. Unfortunately, this seems to have changed. This lecture will show that coherent conversation with any degree of sophistication is actually not possible without sound grammatical competence. It will also show that explicit knowledge of grammar is very important for language acquisition and teaching. For those purposes we will have a close look at verb and noun phrase structures as well as complex sentence structures.

English Usage

Melanie Borchers, Thursday 8-10, V15 R01 H76
Description cf. above

Modul VI or Hauptstudium

Newspaper English

Claudia Claridge, Tuesday 16-18, Room R09 S04 B08
Press language constitutes an interesting register, both because of its wide readership and resulting influence on linguistic usage and because it contains many different genres (from the editorial via obituaries to sports news). Its relative stability over a long time also makes it possible to study language change. In this course we will use historical and modern newspaper examples to investigate how writers' intentions, genre conventions and overall media contexts influence the linguistic forms used in the text. Possible topics to be treated include the lexical diversity and complexity of texts, the stylistic levels used (formal vs. colloquial), speech and thought representation (e.g. direct quotations), the use of creative, attention-catching language, the expression of evaluation and criticism and the structure of headlines. Apart from that we will of course not neglect the role of the press in the context of culture, society and politics.

Metaphor and Metonymy

Claudia Claridge, Thursday 10-12, R11 T04 C94
Metaphor and metonymy are two types of figurative language which are pervasive features of language - so pervasive and so 'normal' that we do not always notice particular instances. We find it normal to say "she exploded" (a metaphor) when somebody is having an angry fit or "he drank the whole bottle" (a metonymy), even though he certainly did not drink the glass, but, e.g., the lemonade in it. We will discuss the definition, the characteristics, and the types of these two tropes. We will also talk why speakers use them, which on the one hand points in a cognitive direction and in the other into both functional and stylistic directions. Lastly, we will also look at what role metaphor and metonymy might play in language change.

"That's So Gay!" Queer Explorations in Language and Linguistics

Ingo Bachmann, Wednesday 10-12, Room S-M 205
In this seminar we will first deal with the question if gay men and lesbian women speak differently from their heterosexual counterparts. Issues we might tackle are so-called 'camp talk' or 'Polari'. The focus of the seminar, however, is on the discursive construction of gay men and lesbian women. We will have a look at different studies that analysed how gay men and lesbian women are constructed, by means of language, in

• British newspapers,

• parliamentary debates dealing with issues such as the age of sexual consent for gay men,

• gay and lesbian erotic narratives,

• personal adverts,

• coming out narratives or

• TV and film.

It will be shown that linguistic methods are a suitable tool for such an analysis. What we also need to consider, of course, are theoretical notions such as 'identity' and 'discourse' as these are pivotal to the ideas expressed in the studies we read.

A reader will be made available at the beginning of the semester.

Language and Culture in Ireland

Kathrin Luckmann,
Gr. 1: Mo 14-16, R11 T06 C59 (Cultural Studies)
Gr. 2: Fr 14-16, R12 R04 A63 (Linguistics)
This course offers an overview of what used to and now constitutes Irishness in terms of language and culture. Beginning with the Celts, their customs and mythology, we will move forward in time through colonisation, partition, all the way to modern Ireland. We will be dealing with subjects as diverse as Irish politics, economy, sports, literature and film and of course language and will be using examples from these different genres. We will have a closer look at representations of the Irish at different points in time and also observe recent changes in the self-perception of the Irish in the course of globalisation and their growing cultural diversity.

Modul VIII or Hauptstudium

"That's So Gay!" Queer Explorations in Language and Linguistics

Ingo Bachmann, Wednesday 10-12, Room S-M 205
Description cf. above

Newspaper English

Claudia Claridge, Tuesday 16-18, Room R09 S04 B08
Description cf. above

Pragmatic Markers

Claudia Claridge, Thursday 8-10, Room R11 T04 C94
Language is full of so-called "pragmatic noise", usually little words and expressions which are superfluous from a grammatical and often also from a semantic perspective. But if these items were left out, they would result in language that might be seen as "unnatural", "awkward", "unfriendly" or "dogmatic" (Brinton 1996: 35f). For example, imagine somebody who never uses as single instance of well, you know, I guess, gee!, please, kind of or similar forms. In this course we will look at which linguistic items function as such pragmatic markers, what their characteristics are and in which way and by whom they are used especially. We will also discuss how such items come into being (pragmaticalization) and how they may vanish again.

Multiculturalism in Australia

Patricia Sift, Tuesday 8-10, Room R11 T04 C84
Any discussion about Australian identity is inextricably linked with the topic of multiculturalism. Australian social and cultural life has been shaped by various waves of immigration throughout its history and very prominently in the wake of its post-war immigration program. We will discuss the meaning of the concept of multiculturalism, the evolution of Australian multiculturalism & cultural diversity, multicultural policies, immigration & citizenship, racial & religious tolerance and inclusion/exclusion.

The course will rely heavily on classwork and texts to be prepared for each session.
Working material will be made available in the 'semesterapparat'.
Bemerkung

Please note that the course will start at 8:15 (not 8:30), and will accordingly finish at 9:45.

Modul X or Hauptstudium

Pragmatic Markers

Claudia Claridge, Thursday 8-10, Room R11 T04 C94
Description cf. above

Modulübergreifend

Examenskolloquium Linguistics

Claudia Claridge, Monday 18-20, Room R09 S04 B08
This class is intended for all students (LA or MA) close to their final exams. The contents and structure of the Kolloquium will depend largely on what participants want and need, which will be determined in the first session. Among the areas we can cover are essay writing techniques and strategies for the oral exam, reviewing basic concepts and areas of linguistics as well as discussing specialized topics of the participants. Students will have the opportunity to present their exam topics if they wish.

No registration necessary - just come to the first session!