Students
LING701 – Modern Theories of Linguistics in the History of Human Sciences
2018 – S1 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
David Butt
Guest lecturer
Ingrid Piller
Guest lecturer
Canzhong Wu
Guest lecturer
Scott Barnes
Margaret Wood
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
4
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
Language, along with the night sky and the 'signs' of illness, has been one of the longest studied objects of human enquiry. This unit examines the contemporary theories produced in that sustained human effort. In particular, we investigate the claims that twentieth century linguistics makes to being a science; and we look closely at the current ways in which linguistic theories are extended by the techniques of twenty-first century sciences: genetics and evolutionary theory; language corpora; neurosciences and medicine; complexity and computational modelling; and electronic translation tools.
The unit gives prominence to scholars concerned with the special conditions that pertain to the study of sign systems, of syntax, and of meaning: for example, Saussure; Chomsky; and various theorists across disciplines who offer methodical accounts for the study of meaning. Students in the unit can choose a strand of specialisation in their readings and assignments: one can choose by the level of language (from phonetics up to context), by the orientation to theory (eg, functionalist, structuralist, generative, or other), and by era (1900-1950, 1950- 2010, or classical and other). All students will be encouraged to place their own research interests in the context of historical developments in the subject. |
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of selected key linguistic theories in their historical context, and in relation to the motivations of the communities of scholars responsible for their development
- demonstrate an understanding of the distinguishing concepts of major theories and theorists
- demonstrate an understanding of the use of evidence in different kinds of theory
- demonstrate a capacity to adopt a coherent position with respect to the claims and assumptions of different theories
- demonstrate a capacity to explain in clear and logical terms the ramifications of linguistic theory for other forms of intellectual enquiry, in particular how linguistics plays a role in the direction of the human sciences
- demonstrate a capacity to present clear and cogent arguments about how linguistics may develop in the particular sub-discipline most relevant to his/her domain of future research
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar presentation | 20% | No | To be selected by students |
| Short profile | 20% | No | April 27th 5pm |
| Major essay | 40% | No | June 1st 5pm |
| Seminar participation | 20% | No | Ongoing |
Seminar presentation
Due: To be selected by students
Weighting: 20%
Individual presentation on a key theory/school, its major conceptual contributions and its mode of argumentation
On successful completion you will be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of selected key linguistic theories in their historical context, and in relation to the motivations of the communities of scholars responsible for their development
- demonstrate an understanding of the distinguishing concepts of major theories and theorists
- demonstrate an understanding of the use of evidence in different kinds of theory
Short profile
Due: April 27th 5pm
Weighting: 20%
Written profile on a key theory/school, its major conceptual contributions and its mode of argumentation
On successful completion you will be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of selected key linguistic theories in their historical context, and in relation to the motivations of the communities of scholars responsible for their development
- demonstrate an understanding of the distinguishing concepts of major theories and theorists
- demonstrate an understanding of the use of evidence in different kinds of theory
- demonstrate a capacity to adopt a coherent position with respect to the claims and assumptions of different theories
Major essay
Due: June 1st 5pm
Weighting: 40%
Essay presentation on a key theory/theorists of 20th linguistics
On successful completion you will be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of selected key linguistic theories in their historical context, and in relation to the motivations of the communities of scholars responsible for their development
- demonstrate an understanding of the distinguishing concepts of major theories and theorists
- demonstrate an understanding of the use of evidence in different kinds of theory
- demonstrate a capacity to adopt a coherent position with respect to the claims and assumptions of different theories
- demonstrate a capacity to explain in clear and logical terms the ramifications of linguistic theory for other forms of intellectual enquiry, in particular how linguistics plays a role in the direction of the human sciences
- demonstrate a capacity to present clear and cogent arguments about how linguistics may develop in the particular sub-discipline most relevant to his/her domain of future research
Seminar participation
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%
Weekly preparation for seminar and contributions to discussion
On successful completion you will be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of selected key linguistic theories in their historical context, and in relation to the motivations of the communities of scholars responsible for their development
- demonstrate an understanding of the distinguishing concepts of major theories and theorists
Delivery and Resources
This unit is taught over 13 weeks in a 3 hour seminar. The seminar will involve a presentation on the weekly topic by staff, and will be followed by discussion with students.
Before attending each class, students are expected to have read the relevant readings, and made notes about issues they wish to discuss. As indicated in the assessments explained above, one or two students will be expected to explain their ‘sense’ of the reading, its problems and importance. Students will be asked to nominate a topic for which they can lead off this tutorial debate. Students are not expected to read every listed reading in the outline, but the course is based on deep and wide reading, and seminar preparation and participation counts for 20% of the overall marks for this unit.
Unit Schedule
|
Week/ Presenter |
Topic |
|
1 A/Prof David Butt |
Pre-modern to modern theories: What concepts do we need to describe a language? Are these sufficient for the description of language as a phenomenon? Readings: Van Valin Jnr, R.D. and La Polla, R.J. 1997. Syntax: Structure, Meaning, and Function, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Uni. Press. [Chapter 1: The goals of linguistic theory, pp 1-16]. |
|
2 A/Prof David Butt |
From pre-modern to post-modern approaches to the linguistic sign. Readings: de Saussure, F. (1974). Course in General Linguistics (W. B. Baskin, Trans.). London: Fontana/Collins. [Part II: Synchronic Linguistics, pp 101-127]. Harris, R., and Taylor, T.J. 1997. Landmarks in Linguistic Thought I: The Western Tradition from Socrates to Saussure. 2nd Ed. London and New York: Routledge [Ch.2 Aristotle on Metaphor, pp 20-35]. |
|
3 A/Prof David Butt |
Language change, evolution and variation Readings: Sapir, E. (1970). Language. An Introduction to the Study of Speech. London: Rupert Hart-Davis. [Chapter 7: Language as a historical product: Drift, pp 147-170]. Joseph, J.E.; Love, N.; Taylor, T.J. (2001) Landmarks in Linguistic Thought II: The Western Tradition in the Twentieth Century. London and New York: Routledge. [Ch.1 Sapir on language, culture and personality, pp 1-16]. Matthiessen, C.M.I.M. 2004. Descriptive Motifs and Generalizations. In Cafferel, A, et. al (eds). Language Typology: a Functional Perspective, pp 637-673. Amsterdam: Benjamins. |
|
4 A/Prof David Butt |
Theories of syntax and meaning: a first survey from classical to contemporary eras. Readings: Allan, Keith, 2010. The Western Classical Tradition in Linguistics: London: Equinox. [Ch 6: Appolonius and Priscian, the great grammarians among the ancients, pp 101-127]. Chomsky. N. 1965. Aspects of a Theory of Syntax. Cambridge Massachusetts: MIT Press. [Ch1: Methodological Preliminaries pp 3-62]. Janson, T. (2004) A Natural History of Latin: The story of the world’s most successful language. Oxford UK: Oxford Uni. Press. [Part III: About the Grammar pp 179-211]. Winograd, T. Language as Cognitive Process 1: Syntax. Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. [Appendix B: An Outline of English Syntax, pp 465-549]. |
|
5 |
NO CLASS (Easter) |
|
6 A/Prof Annabelle Lukin |
Language and thinking: paradigms in linguistic theory Readings: Whorf. B. L. 1936. The Relation of Habitual Thought and Behaviour to Language. Language, Thought and Reality. Cambridge Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp 134-159. Ellis, J.M. (1993) Language, Thought, and Logic. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press. [Ch.5: Language and Thought, pp 55-66]. Geeraerts, D and Cuyckens. 2007. Introducing Cognitive Linguistics. In Geeraerts, D and Cuyckens (eds), Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics pp 3-21. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
|
7 Dr Scott Barnes |
Approaches to interaction: conversation analysis Readings: Enfield, N.J., Sidnell, J. 2017. On the concept of action in the study of interaction. Discourse Studies. Vol 19 (5) 515-535. Maynard, D. W. 2013. Everyone and no-one to turn to: Intellectual roots and contexts for conversation analysis. In J. Sidnell & T. Stivers (Eds.), The Handbook of Conversation Analysis, pp. 11-31. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Mazeland, H. 2013. Grammar in conversation. In J. Sidnell & T. Stivers (Eds.), The Handbook of Conversation Analysis, pp 475-491. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. |
|
8 Dr Canzhong Wu |
Genetic relationships between languages: typological findings and debating language universals Readings: Comrie, Bernard. 1989. Language Universals and Linguistic Typology. 2nd Edition. Basil Blackwell: Oxford. [Chapter 2: Language Typology pp 30-50]. Matthiessen, C.M.I.M. 2004. Descriptive motifs and generalizations. In Cafferel, A, et. Al (eds). Language Typology: a Functional Perspective. Amsterdam: Benjamins. pp 637-673. |
|
9 A/Prof Annabelle Lukin |
The study of language in relation to context Readings: Malinowski, B. (1923). The problem of meaning in primitive languages. In C. K. Ogden & I. A. Richards (Eds.), The Meaning of Meaning. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co. pp 296-336. Halliday, M. A. K. (2002). Text as semantic choice in social contexts. In J. Webster (Ed.), Linguistic Studies of Text and Discourse. Volume 2 in the Collected Works of M.A.K. Halliday, pp 23-81. London and New York: Continuum. |
|
10 Professor Ingrid Piller |
Language and culture in society Readings: Piller, I. (2016). Linguistic diversity and stratification. In Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice: An Introduction to Applied Sociolinguistics, pp. 9-30. New York: Oxford University Press. |
|
11 A/Prof Annabelle Lukin |
The study of ideology in linguistics and the human sciences Readings: V. S. Volosinov. 1973 [1929]. Marxism and the Philosophy of Language. New York: Seminar Press. [Chapters 1-2, pp 9-24] van Dijk, T. (1998). Ideology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. London: Sage. [Introduction: pp 1-14] Wodak, R., & Meyer, M. (2016). Methods of Critical Discourse Studies, Third Edition. London: Sage. [Chapter 1: Critical Discourse Studies: history, agenda, theory and methodology, pp1-22]. |
|
12 A/Prof Annabelle Lukin |
Pedagogical Grammars in the History of Linguistics and the Human Sciences Readings: Luhtala, Anneli. 2013. Pedagogical Grammars before the Eighteenth Century. In Allan, Keith (ed). The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Chapter 14 pp 341-358] Hasan, R. (2011). Literacy, everyday talk and society. In J. J. Webster (Ed.), Language and Education: Learning and Teaching in Society. Volume 3 in the Collected Works of Ruqaiya Hasan, pp 169-206. London: Equinox. NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum: English K-10 |
|
13 A/Prof Annabelle Lukin |
The History of Corpus Linguistics Readings: McEnery, T and Hardie, A. 2013. “The History of Corpus Linguistics”. In Allan, Keith (ed). The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Chapter 33 pp 727-746]. |
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Graduate Capabilities
PG - Capable of Professional and Personal Judgment and Initiative
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- demonstrate an understanding of selected key linguistic theories in their historical context, and in relation to the motivations of the communities of scholars responsible for their development
- demonstrate an understanding of the use of evidence in different kinds of theory
- demonstrate a capacity to adopt a coherent position with respect to the claims and assumptions of different theories
- demonstrate a capacity to explain in clear and logical terms the ramifications of linguistic theory for other forms of intellectual enquiry, in particular how linguistics plays a role in the direction of the human sciences
- demonstrate a capacity to present clear and cogent arguments about how linguistics may develop in the particular sub-discipline most relevant to his/her domain of future research
Assessment tasks
- Major essay
- Seminar participation
PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- demonstrate an understanding of selected key linguistic theories in their historical context, and in relation to the motivations of the communities of scholars responsible for their development
- demonstrate an understanding of the distinguishing concepts of major theories and theorists
- demonstrate an understanding of the use of evidence in different kinds of theory
- demonstrate a capacity to adopt a coherent position with respect to the claims and assumptions of different theories
- demonstrate a capacity to explain in clear and logical terms the ramifications of linguistic theory for other forms of intellectual enquiry, in particular how linguistics plays a role in the direction of the human sciences
Assessment tasks
- Seminar presentation
- Short profile
- Major essay
- Seminar participation
PG - Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- demonstrate an understanding of selected key linguistic theories in their historical context, and in relation to the motivations of the communities of scholars responsible for their development
- demonstrate an understanding of the distinguishing concepts of major theories and theorists
- demonstrate an understanding of the use of evidence in different kinds of theory
- demonstrate a capacity to adopt a coherent position with respect to the claims and assumptions of different theories
- demonstrate a capacity to explain in clear and logical terms the ramifications of linguistic theory for other forms of intellectual enquiry, in particular how linguistics plays a role in the direction of the human sciences
Assessment tasks
- Short profile
- Major essay
- Seminar participation
PG - Research and Problem Solving Capability
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- demonstrate an understanding of selected key linguistic theories in their historical context, and in relation to the motivations of the communities of scholars responsible for their development
- demonstrate an understanding of the distinguishing concepts of major theories and theorists
- demonstrate an understanding of the use of evidence in different kinds of theory
- demonstrate a capacity to adopt a coherent position with respect to the claims and assumptions of different theories
- demonstrate a capacity to explain in clear and logical terms the ramifications of linguistic theory for other forms of intellectual enquiry, in particular how linguistics plays a role in the direction of the human sciences
- demonstrate a capacity to present clear and cogent arguments about how linguistics may develop in the particular sub-discipline most relevant to his/her domain of future research
Assessment tasks
- Short profile
- Major essay
- Seminar participation
PG - Effective Communication
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- demonstrate an understanding of the distinguishing concepts of major theories and theorists
- demonstrate an understanding of the use of evidence in different kinds of theory
- demonstrate a capacity to adopt a coherent position with respect to the claims and assumptions of different theories
- demonstrate a capacity to explain in clear and logical terms the ramifications of linguistic theory for other forms of intellectual enquiry, in particular how linguistics plays a role in the direction of the human sciences
- demonstrate a capacity to present clear and cogent arguments about how linguistics may develop in the particular sub-discipline most relevant to his/her domain of future research
Assessment tasks
- Seminar presentation
- Short profile
- Major essay
- Seminar participation
PG - Engaged and Responsible, Active and Ethical Citizens
Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- demonstrate an understanding of the use of evidence in different kinds of theory
- demonstrate a capacity to adopt a coherent position with respect to the claims and assumptions of different theories
- demonstrate a capacity to present clear and cogent arguments about how linguistics may develop in the particular sub-discipline most relevant to his/her domain of future research
Assessment tasks
- Seminar presentation
- Major essay
- Seminar participation