122010 VO STEOP: Introduction to the Study of Language 1 (2015S)

This lecture course forms the first part of a one-year introductory program that aims at providing first-year students of English with an overview of the major areas of linguistic knowledge. In the first semester, we study ways of describing and transcribing the sounds and sound system of English (phonetics/phonology). We then consider how language varies in relation to different social and geographical factors and how this variation may be described (sociolinguistics). We examine how language functions in communication and how humans use language to create meaning in interaction (pragmatics, discourse analysis). Finally, we analyze the ways in which children learn their first language (first language acquisition) and in which people learn further languages at a later stage (second language acquisition).

Please note that the following classes accompany the lecture course: Tutorium, AR Phonetic Transciption, Study Groups
(These courses are an additional offer to help you pass the exam, attendance is not mandatory)