Universität Wien

122226 SE Linguistics Seminar / BA Paper (2014W)

Evolutionary Linguistics

11.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 20 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Monday 13.10. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 20.10. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 27.10. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 03.11. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 10.11. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 17.11. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 24.11. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 01.12. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 15.12. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 12.01. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 19.01. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Monday 26.01. 10:00 - 12:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In this course we explore to which extent the evolutionary origin of languages can help to understand why they are as they are. This question relates both to the evolutionary origin of the language faculty as a species specific endowment of homo sapiens, and to the evolution of particular languages – such as English – through processes of cultural transmission in communication and language acquisition. We shall discuss such fundamental questions as what language is for and what it is good at, in what way speakers profit from knowing and using it, and in what way languages and their constituents profit from being known and used. We shall discuss if language is best viewed as a passive tool, as a virus that infects people for the selfish purpose of its own replication, or whether its relationship to its users, or hosts, is mutually beneficial and thus symbiotic. We shall address all questions both in general terms, and with regard to specific constituents of English such as sounds, words, or syntactic constructions.

Assessment and permitted materials

Assessment will take the following aspects into account:
Classroom participation, bibliographical work, project design, reports on project work, oral presentations at the seminar conference, and a written seminar paper.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

To develop an awareness there is nothing 'god-given' or 'natural' about established approaches to language which try to understand them almost exclusively from the point of view of their speakers. To develop an understanding of evolutionary theory and its explanatory potential beyond the realm of biology in the narrow sense. To strengthen our skills in linguistic analysis and to deepen our awareness of what it means to explain languages, their properties and their constituents. To become acquainted with some of the methods by which evolutionary systems can be studied.

Examination topics

Classroom introduction to generalised evolutionary theory, guided excercises in the deconstruction and re-conceptualisation of apparently well-understood linguistic phenomena, oral presentation of research projects and critical discussion, guided production of written papers.

Reading list

For getting in the mood:

Dennett, Daniel C. (1990). The interpretation of texts, people and other artifacts. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research (Supplement) 50:177-194. (Can be found online)

For getting into the matter a bit more deeply:

Dediu, Dan, Cysouw, Michael, Levinson, Stephen C., Baronchelli,
Andrea, Christiansen, Morten H., Croft, William, Evans, Nicholas, Garrod, Simon,
Gray, Russell D., Kandler, Anne and Elena Lieven (2013). Cultural evolution of language. In: Richerson, Peter J. and Morten H. Christiansen (eds.). Cultural Evolution: Society, Technology, Language, and Religion. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (can be found online)

McMahon, April and Robert McMahon (2013). Evolutionary linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Association in the course directory

Studium: UF 344, BA 612
Code/Modul: UF 4.2.3-222, BA06.2
Lehrinhalt: 12-2222

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:33