Universität Wien

141057 PS Language Diversity in Africa (2024S)

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 14 - Orientalistik, Afrikanistik, Indologie und Tibetologie
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung
Moodle

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 20 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

There is a lecture every Monday. The lecture sessions will include structured individual activities, structured group activities, and group discussions.

  • Montag 04.03. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 11.03. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 18.03. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 08.04. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 15.04. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 22.04. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 29.04. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 06.05. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 13.05. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 27.05. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 03.06. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 10.06. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 17.06. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 24.06. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

Course Description:
With approximately 7000 languages currently spoken in the world, what do they have in common? In what ways are they different? In this course, we will explore these questions, covering topics such as sound systems and patterns (phonology), the structure of words (morphology), the order of words in sentences (syntax), the study of meaning (semantics), the use of language in contexts (pragmatics) and more. Concepts such as question formation, subjects, objects, tense systems, and pronominal systems will be discussed. We will also look at sociolinguistic aspects such as language contact, shift, loss and revival, multilingualism, pidgins, and creoles as well as other emerging issues on language policy. Students will develop analytical skills as they consult published works and other resources to address these issues. Examples and data will be drawn from a wide range of languages from Africa and across the world. Student evaluations will be based on written and oral presentations in which they share their findings on a variety of topics.

Course Questions and Broad Learning Outcomes:
As we review the case studies,
we will explore the topics above, and related questions including:
 How are sound systems structured, and how do they vary across languages?
 How are words ordered in sentences in different languages?
 How is meaning interpreted in different languages?
 How are words formed in different languages?
 How do languages connect historically?
 How do languages change and influence one another in contact?
 How do the systems evolve into distinct dialects and distinct languages?

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
 Recognize how sound patterns affect the pronunciation of words in different languages and dialects, and creatively analyze samples of languages to identify new patterns.
 Identify different word order systems in languages.
 Analyze the morphological structure of words in different languages.
 Research the historical origins and connections between any languages, and interpret the linguistic classifications.
 Analyze the word order structure (syntactic) of different languages.
 Recognize what triggers phenomena such as language change and loss

Method:
Lectures take place every Monday. The lecture sessions will include structured individual activities, structured group activities, and group discussions.
Lectures will be mainly in-person. However, in unforeseen situations, we may adopt an online platform (e.g., zoom).

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

15% Participation: 5% for attendance, 10% for participation in class
60% Assignments: short answer questions, problem-solving (4 assignments).
25% (group) presentation

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

A background knowledge of introductory linguistics will be useful.

Students’ work will be evaluated in terms of factual accuracy, ability to apply concepts and tools to new situations and to make your own connections, and ability to present materials with clarity, simplicity, and following professional and scholarly standards. This is not a highly difficult course to pass, but to get a high grade (e.g., 2 or 1) you need to demonstrate strong creative ability in linguistics, not just remember and understand the information presented in class.

The table below provides the grade breakdown for the final grade according to the University grading policy.

Grade Grade points Interpretation
1 89-100 Very good
2 76-88 Good
3 63-75 Satisfactory
4 51-62 Sufficient
5 0-50 Fail

Prüfungsstoff

There will be no exam.

Literatur

Aronoff, M., & Rees-Miller, J. (Eds.). (2020). The handbook of linguistics. John Wiley & Sons.
Comrie, B. (2017). Languages of the world. The handbook of linguistics, 21-38.

Haspelmath, M., Dryer, M. S., Gil, D., & Comrie, B. (2005). The world atlas of language structures. OUP Oxford.
Hurford, J., Heasley, B., & Smith, M. (2007). Semantics: A Coursebook (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511841668

Katzner, K., & Miller, K. (2002). The languages of the world. Routledge.

Mufwene, S., & Escobar, A. (Eds.). (2022). The Cambridge Handbook of Language Contact: Volume 2: Multilingualism in Population Structure (Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781009105965

Mufwene, S., & Escobar, A. (Eds.). (2022). The Cambridge Handbook of Language Contact: Volume 1: Population Movement and Language Change (Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.doi:10.1017/9781316796146

Pereltsvaig, A. (2020). Languages of the World: An Introduction (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108783071
Wilson, C., & Mihalicek, V. (2011). Language files: Materials for an introduction to language and linguistics. Columbus, UH: Ohio State University Press. https://linguistics. osu.edu/research/pubs/lang-files→ pages x, 49, 83.

Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

PAS 1
PAS 2

Letzte Änderung: Mi 28.02.2024 15:26