Preamble: The objective of the course is to present the fundamental characteristics of language primarily from the perspective of the generative school of linguistics. It will deal with all levels of linguistic analysis: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. There will be extensive exercises which will guide the students in understanding theoretical concepts and developing a scientific approach to language.
Course Contents: Language: a preview; sounds of language; phonology: the function and patterning of sounds; morphology: the analysis of word structure; syntax: the analysis of sentence structure; semantics: analysis of meaning; language change; classification of languages; first language acquisition; second language acquisition; brain and language; language in social contexts; writing and language.
Texts:
1. W. Grady, J. Archibald, Contemporary Linguistic Analysis, 6th Ed, Prentice Hall, 2009.
2. V. Fromkin, R. Rodman, and N. Hyams, Linguistics: An Introduction to Linguistic Theory. Blackwell Publishers, 2001.
Reference:
1. A. Akmajian, R. Demers, A.K. Farmer and R. Harnish, Linguistics. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001.
