English Language and Culture: Linguistics

The Linguistics specialisation focuses mainly on the systematic description of the English language in specialist seminars focusing on phonology and syntax. Generative Grammar froms the theoretical basis for these courses,together with other, related, theories.
First Year

The programme consists of: 1st semester: OTT Course A Course B Extension on Course A or B 2nd semester Course C Thesis

Semester 1
English Language and Culture: Linguistics - First Year - Semester 1 Course Block I, II, III, Online Thesis Training IV Linguistics: Psycholinguistics: The Acquisition and Attrition of English as a First I, II Language Linguistics: Historical English Phonology I, II Linguistics: Topics in English Syntax I, II

ECTS Level 5.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 500 500 500 500

Semester 2
English Language and Culture: Linguistics - First Year - Semester 2 Course Block I, II, III, Online Thesis Training IV Linguistics: Advanced English Morphology III, IV Linguistics: The Phonetics, Phonology and Sociolinguistics of Liquids in English and III, IV Dutch

ECTS Level 5.0 10.0 10.0 500 600 500

SEMESTER I
Linguistics: Historical English Phonology
2010-2011 Course description Linguistics: Historical English Phonology 5624KTK03 Code: Prof. dr. C.J. Ewen Teacher(s): 10.0 ECTS: 500 Level: Semester 1 Period: I, II Block: English Language:

Admission Requirements
Students should have passed Linguistics 6: Phonology in the B.A. English Language and Culture (or equivalent course). If in doubt, consult the course tutors before registering.

Description
This course will be concerned with the interpretation of historical change in current phonological theories, with particular emphasis on theories of the representation of phonological units. We will examine the suitability of the generative paradigm for the description of sound changes such as Breaking, i-umlaut, and the Great Vowel Shift, and will consider the status of processes such as Open Syllable Lengthening and Homorganic Lengthening.

Course Objectives
To extend the students knowledge of phonological theory acquired in earlier courses to historical data; to introduce them to the question of the relationship between theory and historical data, in particular the extent to which a particular theoretical paradigm determines the reconstruction of what actually happened in particular sound changes in the history of English.

Assessment - Essay (50%) - Written examination (50%) Blackboard This course is supported by Blackboard.

Linguistics: Psycholinguistics: The Acquisition and Attrition of English as a First Language

2010-2011 Course description Linguistics: Psycholinguistics: The Acquisition and Attrition of English as a First Language 5624KTK01Y Code: Drs. M.H. Noteboom Teacher(s): 10.0 ECTS: 500 Level: Semester 1 Period: I, II Block: English Language:

Admission Requirements Linguistics 5: Syntax or a similar course. Description

First language acquisition proceeds in a fixed fashion: from babbling to phonological systems; from the one-word stage to the sentence stage. Gradually, first language learners acquire the separate components of their grammar. Lexical knowledge, for instance, proceeds independently from syntactic knowledge. Generative theory posits modules for each subcomponent of language. These modules, then, are acquired separately. But they can also be lost separately. In the second half of the course we will look at dysfunctional language, and see that this, too, can be described in the modular fashion.

Course Objectives
Students comprehend and are able to evaluate the generative concept of the Language Acquisition Device and the generative model of grammar.

Assessment - Oral presentation (30%) - Written paper (70%)

An additional written paper may be submitted for a 5 ECTS extension.

Linguistics: Topics in English Syntax

2010-2011 Course description Linguistics: Topics in English Syntax 5624KTK19Y Code: Dr. M.B. Elenbaas Teacher(s): 10.0 ECTS: 500 Level: Semester 1 Period: I, II Block: English Language: 3

Admission Requirements An advanced course in generative/minimalist (English) syntax. Description

In this course we will examine and discuss a number of topics in English syntax and the way in which they are explained in the generative framework. Topics that will be discussed include the syntax of subjects, the syntax of English noun phrases, the syntax of verb complementation and the syntax of interrogatives and imperatives. These topics will be examined in the light of recent developments in Minimalism, including split projections and phases.

Course Objectives

Students have gained insight into important empirical and theoretical issues regarding the syntax of a number of constructions in English. Students know how to approach these issues from a generative syntactic point of view. Students are able to critically evaluate existing generative syntactic analyses.

Assessment - Presentation/participation (25%) - Final written essay (75%). Contact information English Department, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 103c. Phone: 071 527 2144 Online Thesis Training
2010-2011 Course description Online Thesis Training 5624VL002TY Code: Teacher(s): Dr. D. Smakman 5.0 ECTS: 500 Level: Semester 1, Semester 2 Period: I, II, III, IV Block: Language: English

Admission Requirements None. Description

OTT is an online course on writing MA theses at the Leiden English Department. It familiarizes you with thesis conventions in the various subdisciplines within the department (Linguistics, Literature, Language Acquisition, and philology) by stimulating you to analyse how thesis from these disciplines are mutually different and what they have in common. The course is organized into online tutorials on the various parts of academic theses (Introduction, Conclusions, etc.), and it stimulates you to think critically about academic research and research topics. Furthermore, the course briefly touches on the main issues that students tend to have regarding language and style.

Course Objectives
4

Discover variation in thesis-writing conventions in various disciplines Develop a critical and creative attitude to academic research Deal with the main issues regarding language and style in academic theses

Timetable
The timetable will be available from July 1 onwards on the Department website.

Mode of Instruction
One meeting in week 1. The OTT course is an online self-study course. Peer reviewing will be part of the course.

Assessment Continuous assessment; students hand in four assignments and receive a grade for each. Blackboard
This course is supported by Blackboard. The assignments and reading materials are posted in Blackboard, peer reviewing is done through this tool, and students can see their grades in the Gradebook of Blackboard.

SEMESTER II
Linguistics: Advanced English Morphology
2010-2011 Course description Linguistics: Advanced English Morphology 5624KTK07Y Code: Dr. E.D. Botma Teacher(s): 10.0 ECTS: 600 Level: Semester 2 Period: III, IV Block: English Language:

Admission Requirements None. Description

In this course we focus on the morphology of English, using as our background Plags book on English wordformation (Plag 2003). In addition, we will study a number of articles on morphological topics (such as inflection, derivation, compounding and productivity) to deepen our understanding of the issues involved.

Course Objectives

To extend the students knowledge of morphological theory as applied to English (building on introductory textbooks, e.g. Carstairs-McCarthy 2002); to introduce them to the question of the relationship between morphological theory and data.

Mode of Instruction Two-hour seminar per week. Assessment -Presentation/participation (10%) - Essay 1, 1500 words (40%) - Essay 2, 2000 words (50%) Blackboard This course is not supported by Blackboard. Reading list

Plag, Ingo (2003). Word-formation in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Carstairs-McCarthy (2002). An Introduction to English Morphology. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press (or a comparable introductory book) Additional reading material (made available during the course)

Linguistics: The Phonetics, Phonology and Sociolinguistics of Liquids in English and Dutch
2010-2011 Course description Linguistics: The Phonetics, Phonology and Sociolinguistics of Liquids in English and Dutch 5624KTK21 Code: Prof. dr. C.J. Ewen Teacher(s): 10.0 ECTS: 500 Level: Semester 2 Period: III, IV Block: English Language:

Admission Requirements
Students should have passed Linguistics 6: Phonology in the B.A. English Language and Culture (or equivalent course). If in doubt, consult the course tutors before registering.

Description
This course will be concerned with various aspects of the linguistic behaviour of the phonemes /r/ and /l/ in English, and its relation to the situation in Modern Dutch. Topics will include: are liquids disappearing?; why do liquids (and other sonorant consonants) so readily undergo weakening in postvocalic position? (rhotic vs. non-rhotic dialects, and lateral vs. non-lateral dialects; the syllabic status of postvocalic /r/ and /l/); the phonology of non-rhoticity and non-laterality (deletion or insertion?); the phonetics of the realisations of /r/, and of vocalised and dark /l/; the sociolinguistic status of non-rhoticity and non-laterality.

Course Objectives
6

Students will acquire an insight into the behaviour of liquids in English and Dutch, and to the challenges this behaviour raises for models of phonological structure and phonetic description.

Mode of Instruction Two-hour seminar per week. Assessment - Presentation/participation (25%)

- Final written essay (75%)

Blackboard This course is supported by Blackboard