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Students get a general introduction to English linguistics, including phonetics and phonology (the study of speech sounds), morphology (the study of words), syntax (the structure of sentences), and semantics (the study of word and sentence meaning).

The aim of the course is to give students a basic critical understanding of the theoretical notions used in these disciplines, as well as of the range and variety of approaches to them. The terms and concepts introduced in this course are of relevance to the study of literary texts in any of the English Literature units. Students who complete this course may also wish to take Varieties of English at Level 5, Language and Gender and/or Language and Media at Level 6.

Learning outcomes

If you complete the course successfully, you should:

• have good knowledge of the basic structure of the English language.
• have sound understanding of the basic terminology and concepts relevant to the study of languages.
• have developed a basic critical understanding of the range and variety of traditions and approaches to the study of languages.
• have improved basic skills in written expression and critical analysis.

Essential reading

• D. Crystal, (2003). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2nd edition
• K. Börjars, and K. Burridge, K. (2010). Introducing English Grammar. Hodder Education, àËÅöÊÓƵ, 2nd edition.
• R. Huddleston, and G.K. Pullum,. (2005). A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• I. Plag, M. Braun, S. Lappe, and M. Schramm, (2007). Introduction to English Linguistics. Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin and New York.
• G. Yule, (2010). The Study of Language. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 4th edition