Foundations of language

3 ECTS credits
90 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1023794ANR for all students in the 1st semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

English

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Educational team

Katja Lochtman
Wim Vandenbussche (course titular)
Stefanie Keulen
Stefano De Pascale
Dan Van Raemdonck
An Vande Casteele

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
12 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

In this course, students are given the elementary foundation for the later theoretical and language-specific lectures in linguistics. After an introduction to what language and linguistics are all about, we will briefly review the development of linguistic thought and the evolution of the discipline. In four intensive block sessions, the principles of phonology and phonetics, semantics and pragmatics, morphology and, finally, syntax, will then be discussed.

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : Both chapters from textbooks and/or articles that serve as learning materials and all digital course materials are distributed free of charge, Canvas

Additional info

This course is taught by a team of professors, each focussing on their area of linguistic expertise.

This course is taught in English; examples may be given from all languages offered in the Linguistcs and Literary Studies programme.

Digital course material will be made available via the digital learning platform.

Learning Outcomes

General Competences

Students have a clear understanding of the object of linguistic study.

Students also know the main theoretical currents in the history of linguistics.

Students further familiarise themselves with the core concepts of phonology and phonetics, semantics and pragmatics, morphology and syntax. They can apply the corresponding insights in the language-specific lectures.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Written exam with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Note: This examination is compulsory. The examination consists of multiple choice and open questions

Additional info regarding evaluation

Information for 2023/2024:

The written examination is a multiple choice exam. 'Guessing correction' or 'Higher threshold' are NOT applied.

A non-compulsory trial examination is organised for this course during the semester. Those who pass the trial exam do no longer have to participate in the final exam, the grade of the trial examaniation will then be transfered to the final exam. Note that it is not possible to organise a second date for the trail exam, no matter what the resaon for a student's absence is.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context