122050 PS PS Linguistics (2018S)

Taking pragmatics & discourse analysis as an example, this course provides students with more detailed insights into one area of linguistics and prepares them for their first small-scale research project.

Students will acquire a basic knowledge of the interaction of language and context, develop skills in the linguistic analysis of authentic texts/discourses, challenge and question their preconceived assumptions about language use, and learn to approach language-related questions in a systematic and objective way.

Students will be given an overview of the main fields of linguistics which study language use in its social context. Some of the key questions we will address in the course of the term are: what do people mean by their utterances in a particular context? How does the context influence what is said (i.e. how do speakers encode a message depending on who they are talking to, about what, where, when and why?). Linked to it, we will also look at 'how more is […] being communicated than is said' (Yule 2017: 142) and what determines the choice between what we state explicitly and what remains unsaid. We will also look at how addressees infer meaning. What role do expectations and shared assumptions play in these processes? In addition, we will discuss the process of empirical research and look at different types of data, methods of data collection and analysis.

In addition to exploring these questions and learning about practical linguistic research based on authentic data, participants will also learn how to find relevant literature on a specific research topic/question, critically analyse and reflect on existing research in the field and collect first experience in planning, conducting and writing up a small-scale linguistic research project.

This course combines lecturer input, sample analyses of relevant material, assignments, group work, discussions and student presentations.