TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences

2009-2010

Course handbookfor

Visiting and Exchange StudentsCourses in Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, and Speech

Science available to visiting and exchange students

This handbook is also available electronically from the CLCS website:http://www.tcd.ie/slscs/clcs/courses/

A note on this handbookThis handbook lists and describes the CLCS courses that may be taken by visiting and exchange students. Please retain it for future reference.

The information provided in this handbook is accurate at the time of preparation. Any necessary revisions are notified to students via e-mail or by notices on the notice board outside the CLCS office. Please note that in the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the general regulations published in the Calendar of the University of Dublin and the information contained in the course handbook, the provisions contained in the Calendar will prevail.

IntroductionThe courses that may be taken by visiting and exchange students fall into three categories:

(i) two courses specially designed for visiting and exchange students (The Applied Linguistics of English Language Teaching I and The Applied Linguistics of English Language Teaching II);

(ii) courses that form part of the B.A. Moderatorship in Computer Science, Linguistics and a Language;

(iii) courses that form part of the M.Phil. programmes in Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Speech and Language Processing, and English Language Teaching.

CLCS’s co-ordinator for visiting and exchange students is Christer Gobl (Arts Building, Room 4038, tel. 896 2592). At the beginning of the academic year, in Freshers’ Week, he arranges to see all visiting and exchange students who wish to take CLCS courses (see notice on notice board outside the CLCS office, Arts Building, Room 4091). Visiting and exchange students who arrive in Dublin at some other time in the academic year should make their own arrangements to see Dr Gobl as soon as possible after their arrival.

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Admission to CLCS courses depends on the availability of places and in some instances on the applicant’s academic background. Note also that some of the M.Phil. courses listed may not be available if they are undersubscribed.

Courses are taught two hours per week for one term, with the exceptions of Second Language Acquisition and Discourse and Text Analysis, which are taught for two terms. Timetables are displayed on the notice board outside the CLCS office.

All courses are assessed by exercises and/or term essays only. Visiting and exchange students to CLCS do not sit examinations. The grades awarded for exercises/term essays are automatically communicated to the student’s home university via the TCD International Office.

List of coursesMichaelmas TermLI 1006 The Applied Linguistics of English Language Teaching ILI 233A Language LearningLI 237A Aspects of Written LanguageLI 2034 Syntax and SemanticsLI 2036 Computational Morphology and StatisticsLI 4031 Speech Analysis and SynthesisLI 4034 Second Language Acquisition LI 4035 Discourse and Text AnalysisLI 7856 Describing GrammarLI 7860 Technology, Language and CommunicationLI 7861 Language Variation and ChangeLI 7864 Corpus LinguisticsLI 7865 History and Globalization of EnglishLI 7872 Formal Foundations of Linguistic TheoriesLI 7874 Speech Production, Hearing and PerceptionLI 7878 Describing English Grammar

Hilary TermLI 1007 The Applied Linguistics of English Language Teaching IILI 231A Aspects of VocabularyLI 234A SociolinguisticsLI 4032 Computational Linguistics

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LI 4034 Second Language Acquisition LI 4035 Discourse and Text AnalysisLI 7808 LexicologyLI 7857 Language AcquisitionLI 7862 Linguistic PragmaticsLI 7866 Bilingualism and the Maintenance of IrishLI 7869 Describing MeaningLI 7870 Advanced Syntactic TheoryLI 7873 Computational Theories of Grammar and MeaningLI 7876 The English Sound SystemLI 7877 The Pedagogical Grammar of English

Michaelmas Term(i) Special course for visiting and exchange students

LI 1006 The Applied Linguistics of English Language Teaching I (Stergiani Kostopoulou) is concerned with communicative approaches to language learning and teaching; English for Specific Purposes; theory and practice of learner needs analysis; different types of language teaching syllabuses; syllabus design; theoretical underpinnings of learner-centredness and learner autonomy; the use of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the European Language Portfolio in foreign language pedagogy.

(ii) B.A. courses

LI 233A Language Learning (David Singleton) presents research findings relative to various aspects of language learning and examines their practical implications. Although account is taken of first language acquisition, the main focus is on second language acquisition.Textbook:Littlewood, W., 1998: Foreign and Second Language Learning: Language Acquisition Research and its Implications for the Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

LI 237A Aspects of Written Language (Breffni O’Rourke) is concerned with the study of written texts as communicative acts. It

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begins with an exploration of the criteria by which we may determine the cohesion and coherence of a text, and goes on to consider some of the central psychological and psycholinguistic issues in the comprehension and production of written texts. Finally, the development of written language and its relation to thought, society and culture are considered. There is no textbook: instead, students will be recommended selected readings for the different topics covered.

LI 2034 Syntax and Semantics. This module is composed of to components: LI2034A Introduction to Formal Syntax (Jennifer Foster), which gives students a grounding in syntactic theory and some experience of syntactic analysis, and LI2034B Introduction to Formal Semantics (Carl Vogel) which introduces students to the application of logical (or truth-conditional) semantics to natural language.

LI 2036 Computational Morphology and Statistics. This module is composed of to components: (1) LI2036A Introduction to Computational Morphology (Elaine Uí Dhonnchadha) which introduces students to the theory of finite-state methods for NLP and their use in analysing and generating natural language morphologies and practical experience of using the Xerox Finite-State Tools to analyse and generate the morphology of English and other languages.Textbook:Beesley, K., & Karttunen, L., 2003: Finite state morphology. Stanford, CA : CSLI Publications. Sproat, R., 1992: Morphology and Computation. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.Major references:Jurafsky, D. & Martin, J, 2000: Speech and Language Processing. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall(2) LI2036B (Denise O’Leary) Introduction to Statistics for Linguistics, which is an introduction to the design and analysis of survey data and the analysis of data collected in experimental studies, through a hands-on, practical introduction to data analysis using SPSS.

LI 4031 Speech Analysis and Synthesis (Christer Gobl) introduces students to a range of speech analysis and synthesis techniques. Some of the topics dealt with are DFT and LPC analysis, acoustic

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theory of speech production, inverse filtering and voice source model matching, voice quality description and modelling, text-to-speech conversion, speech generation based on formant, articulatory and concatenative synthesis.Textbook:Hayward, Katrina, (2000) Experimental Phonetics. Longman Linguistics Library.

LI 4034 Second Language Acquisition (David Singleton).The objective of this course will be to review the rationale for second language acquisition research, to explore its different methodological dimensions and to arrive a broad understanding of the kinds of findings that have emerged from this area of investigation. A select range of research topics from the second language acquisition domain will be the focus of more detailed exposition, will involve student presentations and will be the subject of more concentrated discussion.

LI 4035 Discourse and Text Analysis (Breffni O’Rourke)

Aims:This optional module is intended to teach students how to describe and analyse discourse – i.e., spoken and written language as actually used, in context, for communicative purposes. This course will for the most part focus on (a) units larger than the sentence, and (b) in-context exemplars of language use.The module should appeal to students who are interested in some or all of the following: how meaning is made in context (i.e., linguistic meaning beyond truth-conditional semantics); how structure emerges in talk; how information is structured in spoken utterances and written sentences; what makes texts coherent; and the fine details of conversation. Students should be prepared to pay close attention to aspects of language in use that are typically taken for granted.

Indicative syllabus: Transcribing spoken discourse Intonation units: identification and significance Information structure and “flow” in spoken and written discourse Implicature, conversational and conventional Speech act theory Politeness theory The social organisation of talk-in-interaction

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Cohesion and coherence in text

Suggested readings:Brown, G., & Yule, G. (1983). Discourse analysis. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.Cameron, D. (2001). Working with spoken discourse. London: Sage.Chafe, W. L. (1994). Discourse, consciousness, and time: The flow

and displacement of conscious experience in speaking and writing. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1976). Cohesion in English. London: Longman.

Jaworski, A., & Coupland, N. (Eds.). (1999). The discourse reader. London: Routledge.

Levinson, S. C. (1983). Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

ten Have, P. (2007). Doing conversation analysis (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

(iii) M.Phil. courses

LI 7856 Describing Grammar (Brian Nolan)Aims:The course’s main aims are (i) to introduce students to the ideas and principles of generative grammar; (ii) to familiarize students with one important current theoretical framework – Lexical Functional Grammar; (iii) to give students experience of the practical description of the grammatical structures of languages; and (iv), to familiarize students with the tasks of formulating and evaluating syntactic argumentation.Working methods:The topics of the course are introduced in lectures and explored and developed in workshops and seminars. Exercises and discussion will focus on a range of languages in addition to English.Syllabus:The course topics include the basic features of sentence structure: syntactic categories, constituency, dependency, agreement, the subordination and co-ordination of sentences. The course also covers relationships within sentences (word order, grammatical relations and case systems) and valency processes (for example, passives,

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causatives and applicatives). A major theme is the relationships between syntactic and lexical rules. The course includes exercises in the syntactic description of English and other languages.Assessment: Students write an assignment of 3-4,000 words developing themes introduced in the course and applying them to the syntactic description of one or more languages.

Suggested readings:Kroeger, P. R., 2004: Analyzing Syntax: a Lexical-Functional

Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (textbook)Payne, Thomas E. 2006: Exploring Language Structure: A Student's

Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (textbook)Tallerman, Maggie. 2005. Understanding Syntax. Second edition.

London: Hodder ArnoldVan Valin Jr., R. D., 2001: Introduction to Syntax. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.Van Valin Jr., R. D, 2005: Exploring the Syntax-Semantics Interface.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

LI 7860 Technology, Language and Communication (Breffni O’Rourke)Aims: Participants in this module will explore how language and communication are mediated by various technologies, including that of writing. Students will be encouraged to reflect on the relationship between language, communication and technologies on one hand and individual language processing, communication processes, and the nature of discourse on the other. Lectures, readings and discussions will range over historical, socio-cultural and individual-cognitive levels of analysis as appropriate. There will be opportunities for individual students to focus on what these issues imply for the enterprise of language learning and language teaching.Working methods:The module will be taught through a combination of lecture, workshop activities based on sample authentic texts and practical activities with technologies, and student-led discussion.Syllabus: Specific themes addressed in the module include:

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The historical development of writing; the properties of writing systems

The effects of literacy on our perception of language The historical and cultural significance of the printing press Audio and video technologies The World Wide Web Computer-mediated communicationAssessment Students write an assignment of 3-4,000 words exploring one or more aspects of language and communication as mediated by technologies.Suggested Readings:Coulmas, F. 1989: The Writing Systems of the World. Oxford:

Blackwell.Crystal, D. 2001: Language and the Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.Eisenstein, E. L. 2005: The Printing Revolution in Early Modern

Europe. Second edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Hutchby, I. 2001: Conversation and Technology: From the Telephone

to the Internet. Cambridge: Polity.Olson, D. R. 1994. The World on Paper: The Conceptual and

Cognitive Implications of Reading and Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

LI 7861 Language Variation and Change (Jeffrey Kallen)Aims: This module has three main aims: (i) to examine the principles of language change, including both internally- and externally-motivated change, (ii) to understand language change in relation to linguistic variation, and (iii) to explore the insights arising from different methods in studying language variation. Assignments encourage students to gain first-hand experience in the observation of language variation.Syllabus: Specific themes addressed in the module include:

Linguistic structure and language variation Dialectology: models of language change and variation Real- and apparent-time indications of change Speaker variables: age, gender, social class, ethnicity Social networks and communities of practice Standardization as a social process Dialect convergence and divergence

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Language contact and language changeAssignment Students write an assignment of 3,000 to 4,000 words that presents and analyses a problem in (a) internal and external factors in historical change, (b) conflicts between standard and 'non-standard' realizations of a sociolinguistic variable, or (c) the outcome of dialect or language contact in a particular setting. Direct observation will be encouraged for any of these essay topics.Suggested Readings: Chambers, J. K. and Peter Trudgill. 1998. Dialectology. 2nd ed.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Chambers, J. K. et al. (eds.). 2002. The Handbook of Language

Variation and Change. Oxford: Blackwell.Labov, William. 1972. Sociolinguistic Patterns. Philadelphia: University

of Pennsylvania Press.Milroy, Lesley and Matthew Gordon. 2003. Sociolinguistics: Method

and Interpretation. Oxford: Blackwell.

LI 7864 Corpus Linguistics (Elaine Uí Dhonnchadha)Aims: A corpus consists of a large body of text, speech, or video material, held on computer. Corpora are used in a wide range of areas including linguistic research (e.g. morphology, syntax), language pedagogy, and speech and language processing. This course will introduce students to principles of corpus creation (i.e. design, collection, linguistic annotation, and evaluation), and students will gain experience of using various types of corpus query tools and corpus annotation tools which are currently available.Syllabus:The module will cover: corpus design, and collection and preparation of corpus materials various levels of linguistic annotation, e.g. part-of-speech, phrase

structure, phonetic, prosodic, gesture etc. manual and automatic annotation, and methods of evaluation/

verification of same use of various types of corpora and corpus query toolsLearning Outcomes: An appreciation of the benefits and limitations of using corpora in

various linguistic domains Practical experience of creating and using corpora.

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Assessment:Assessment for this module, amounting to approximately 3-4,000

words will include: A written assignment on an aspect of corpus development or use A small-scale linguistic annotation project Suggested readings:Abeillé, A. 2003. Treebanks: Building and Using Parsed Corpora.

Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.Biber, Douglas, Susan Conrad, and Randi Reppen. 1998. Corpus

Linguistics: Investigating Language Structure and Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kennedy, G. 1998. An Introduction to Corpus Linguistics. Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman.

McEnery, T. and A. Wilson. 2001. Corpus Linguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

McEnery, T., R. Xiao, and Y. Tono. 2006. Corpus-based Language Studies. London: Routledge.

Meyer, Charles F. 2002. English Corpus Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Renouf, A. and A. Kehoe. 2006. The Changing Face of Corpus Linguistics. Amsterdam: Rodopi.

Sinclair, John M. 2004. Trust the Text: Language, Corpus and Discourse. London: Routledge.

LI 7865 History and Globalization of English (Jeffrey Kallen)Aims: This module has four principal aims: (i) to give an overview of the linguistic history of English, covering the major developments in syntax, phonology, the lexicon, and aspects of the writing system, (ii) to show the relationship between variation within English and the historical development of the language, (iii) to survey the spread of English as a world language, and (iv) to examine world Englishes within the context of social, historical, and linguistic theory. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to provide relevant examples of variation in English from their experience of English as a world language.Syllabus: Specific themes addressed in the module include: The ancestries of English from early times to the present Periods of English: what are 'Old', 'Middle', and 'Modern' English?

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Development and variation in English phonology and spelling The lexicon, word-formation, and lexical expansion in English The development of English morphology and syntax Regional variation in English dialects Is there – or was there ever – a Standard English? The spread of English: Scotland and Ireland The growth of national Englishes: social and linguistic aspects English and other languages: outcomes of language contact Beyond colonization: English as a global languageAssessment: Students write an assignment of 3,000 to 4,000 words that presents and analyses a problem in (a) the historical development of English, (b) the role of contact between English and other languages, or (c) the social and political status of English in a newly-independent nation state.Suggested Readings:Brinton, Laurel J. and Leslie K. Arnovick. 2006. The English

Language: A Linguistic History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Crystal, David. 2003. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English

Language. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Hogg, Richard M. (general ed.) 1992-2001. The Cambridge History of

the English Language. 6 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kachru, Braj B., Yamuna Kachru, and Cecil L. Nelson (eds.). 2006. The Handbook of World Englishes. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

McArthur, Tom. 2003. Oxford Guide to World English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Mugglestone, Lynda. 2006. The Oxford History of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Schneider, Edgar W. et al. (eds.). 2004. A Handbook of Varieties of English. 3 vols. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Wells, John. 1982. Accents of English. 3 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

LI 7872 Formal Foundations of Linguistic Theories (Carl Vogel)Aims: The course is designed to establish competence in foundational mathematical concepts used in contemporary cognitive science and computationally-oriented approaches to linguistic theory. Basic concepts of discrete mathematics are reviewed with attention to their

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relevance in linguistics: sets, operators, relations, trees, logic, formal language theory. Emphasis is placed on finite recursive specification of infinite formal languages as an idealization of grammar specification for natural languages (each of which is thought to be infinite but managed by finite brains). Natural languages are modelled as uninterpreted sets of grammatical sentences whose internal structural complexity has implications related to constraints on human syntactic processing. Human languages are also modelled via their translation into logical languages supplied with deductive mechanisms supplying representational and denotational semantic analysis. Logical languages within a range of expressivity classes are considered in terms of their syntax, semantics, and inference mechanisms as simulations of human recognition, interpretation, and reasoning with natural language expressions. Thus, the aims of the course are to (i) establish competence with the core concepts and analytical tools, (ii) develop awareness of the range of applicability of the tools and concepts within linguistic theory and cognitive science, (iii) foster confident and fluent use of formal methods in analysing human language and reasoning.Working methods:The course is divided into 2/3 lecture and 1/3 hands-on practice with the formal tools. An automated theorem prover is introduced to facilitate specification of formal theories of natural language syntax and semantics within one of the logical languages addressed in the lectures in order to use the theorem prover to test the consequences of theories of language on natural language inputs. Thought-problems designed to test understanding of key concepts will be offered at the end of each session.Syllabus: Sets, characteristic functions, operators, relations. Languages as sets of sentences. Propositional logic: syntax, semantics & valid inference Deductive inference and human reasoning Predicate logic: syntax, semantics & valid inference First order logic (FOL): syntax & semantics & valid inference Translating natural language utterances into FOL Axiomatizing theories in Prolog (Horn Logic).Assessment: Students complete a take-home assignment with a mixture of problems intended to elicit demonstration of mastery of core concepts

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and ability to reason with those concepts in representing relevant phenomena.Recommended Readings:Course handouts and sources in their bibliographies.Partee, B. A. ter Meulen and R. Wall. 1993. Mathematical Methods in

Linguistics. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Press.

LI 7874 Speech Production, Hearing and Perception (Christer Gobl, Ailbhe Ní Chasaide)Aims:This course aims to provide (i) an understanding of the whole process of speech communication, encompassing the speaker and the listener and (ii) an understanding of some of the major models of production, perception and hearing, and (iii) practical, hands-on, experience in conducting production and perception experiments. Central to the course is an understanding of the acoustic theory of speech production, and of the acoustic characteristics of speech sounds. Speech materials are analysed to illustrate the acoustic properties of speech, provide insight into to the underlying mechanisms of speech production, while also providing a basis for speech perception experimentation. The processes of hearing are dealt with along with the auditory transforms of the acoustic signal. Students are introduced to speech synthesis, and through synthesis based experimentation to the methods that may be used to explore the perceptual correlates of speech sounds.Syllabus:Specific themes addressed within the module include: Acoustic theory of speech production Resonance Hearing and the auditory system Synthesis and its applications in speech perception Perception of stops: locus theory Categorical perception Analysis and synthesis of the voice source Perception of voice qualityAssessment:The assessment is based on the conducting and writing up of experimental work on a key topic of the course, equivalent to 3-4,000 words.

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Suggested readings:Hayward, K., 2000: Experimental Phonetics. Longman.Borden, G.J., Harris, K.S., & Raphael, L.J., 2003: Speech science primer: Physiology, acoustics, and perception of speech. 4th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.Johnson, K., 2003. Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics. Oxford: Blackwell.Kent, R & Read, C., 2002: The Acoustic Analysis of Speech. 2nd ed. Singular Publishing Group.Moore, B. C. J., 2005: An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing. 5th ed. New York: Academic Press.

LI 7878 Describing English Grammar (Jeffrey Kallen)Aims: This module has three principal aims: (i) to examine the major syntactic and morphological features of English, using insights from more general linguistic theory, (ii) to understand the principles that account for grammatical variation across the different national varieties, styles, and registers that characterize English, and (iii) to develop a critical perspective on the role of standardization in English grammar. Students are encouraged to make use of data from their own experience as teachers or learners of English.Syllabus: Specific themes addressed in the module include: Grammar: description and prescription Words: characteristics and classification Clauses: simple, embedded, finite and non-finite Tense, voice, and aspect Adjectives, adverbs, adverbials: pre- and post-modification Stylistics: variation as a function of text type and register Discourse markers in speech and writing Variation and standardization in world and national Englishes Insights from English-language corpora

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Assessment: Students write an assignment of 3,000 to 4,000 words that presents and analyses a problem in (a) register variation in English, (b) the effects of language contact in national varieties of English, or (c) variability of form and function across different varieties of English.Suggested readings:Biber, Douglas et al. 1999. Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written

English. London: Longman.Carter, Ronald and Michael McCarthy. 2006. Cambridge Grammar of

English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Kortmann, Bernd et al. (eds.). 2004. A Handbook of Varieties of

English. Vol. 2: Morphology and Syntax. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.Thomas, Linda. 1993. Beginning Syntax. Oxford: Blackwell.

Hilary Term(i) Special course for visiting and exchange students

LI1007 The Applied Linguistics of English Language Teaching II (Stergiani Kostopoulou) explores the following topics: evaluation and development of pedagogical materials for particular learner groups; the use of authentic texts; approaches to learning / teaching grammar; applications of media technologies to language education; Corpus Linguistics and English language teaching; models of language tests; issues in test administration and scoring; designing language tests; the social dimension of language testing.

(ii) B.A. courses

LI 231A Aspects of Vocabulary (David Singleton) introduces students to a number of different perspectives on the word as a linguistic unit and to a number of the areas in which the study of vocabulary has practical applications.Textbook:Singleton, D., 2000: Language and the Lexicon: an Introduction. London: Arnold.

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LI 234A Sociolinguistics (Jeffrey Kallen) is an introduction to the study of language in relation to society. Topics include: dialects, registers, standard languages, variation and social class, bilingualism, language planning, and language and sex.Textbook:Holmes, J., 2001: An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, second edition. London: Longman.

LI 4032 Computational Linguistics (Carl Vogel) aims too introduce students to current computational models of syntax and semantics. General contents: unification-based approaches to linguistic theory; head-driven phrase structure grammar; semantic representations. Course work: an incrementally developed project in the computational modelling of natural language, and various assignments.Major references:Pereira, F. & S. Shieber, 1987: Prolog and Natural-Language

Analysis. Stanford: CSLI Publications. Gazdar, Gerald & Chris Mellish, 1989: Natural Language Processing

in Prolog. Addison-Wesley.

LI 4034 Second Language Acquisition (David Singleton) – continued from Michaelmas term.

LI 4035 Discourse and Text Analysis (Breffni O’Rourke) – continued from Michaelmas term.

(iii) M.Phil. courses

LI 7808 Lexicology (David Singleton)Aims: The general aim of this module is to introduce students to the lexical dimension of language in the broadest possible sense. Its leitmotiv will be a claim that the lexicon and lexical issues are implicated in every aspect of language and every domain of language study. It will accordingly explore a wide variety of dimensions of the linguistic system and a wide range of linguistic phenomena from a lexical perspective.Working methods:The topics of the module will be presented in lecture form and will be further explored in group discussion. Students will be pointed towards

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readings dealing with aspects of material covered in class and will be encouraged to link such material to their own experience as language users.Syllabus: Specific themes addressed in the module will include: The word concept and the domain of the lexicon Lexis and syntax Lexis and morphology Lexical partnerships, Lexis and meaning Lexis and phonology Lexis and orthography Lexis and language variation Lexis and language change Lexical acquisition and processing Lexicography Teaching vocabulary Assessment:Students will write an assignment of 3-4,000 words on one of the syllabus themes.Suggested reading:Carter, Ronald. 1998. Vocabulary: Applied Linguistic Perspectives.

2nd ed. London: Routledge.Jackson, Howard and Etienne Ze Amvela. 2007. Words, Meaning and

Vocabulary: An Introduction to Modern English Lexicology. 2nd ed. London: Continuum.

Lardiere, Donna. 2006. Words and their parts. In Ralph W. Fasold and Jeff Connor-Linton (eds.), An Introduction to Language and Linguistics, pp. 55-96. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Portner, Paul 2006. Meaning. In Ralph W. Fasold and Jeff Connor-Linton (eds.), An Introduction to Language and Linguistics, pp. 138-168. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Schmitt, Norbert and Michael McCarthy (eds.). 1997. Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Singleton, David. 2000: Language and the Lexicon: An Introduction. London: Edward Arnold.

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LI 7857 Language Acquisition (David Singleton)Aims: The general aim of this module is to introduce students to the known facts, the principal theoretical issues and the current areas of debate relative to language acquisition. The module will include within its purview child language development involving a single language, the acquisition in childhood of two or more languages, and the learning of additional languages later in life. As well as examining the above acquisitional phenomena themselves, the module will outline the research methodologies deployed in their investigation. Working methods: The topics of the module will be presented in lecture form and will be further explored in group discussion. Students will be pointed towards readings dealing with aspects of material covered in class and will be encouraged to link such material to their own experience as language learners and teachers.Syllabus: Specific themes addressed in the module will include: The major milestones of child language development Conceptual and lexical development Behaviourist and Nativist perspectives Constructionist and Interactionist perspectives Input modification and its effects The Critical Period Hypothesis Bi-/multilinguality Cross-linguistic and developmental aspects of multiple language

learningAssessment Students will write an assignment of 3-4,000 words on one of the syllabus themes.Suggested readingsBaker, Colin. 2006. Foundations of Bilingual Education and

Bilingualism. 4th ed. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.Clark, Eve V. 2003. First Language Acquisition. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.Cook, Vivian. (ed.) 2002. Portraits of the L2 User. Clevedon:

Multilingual Matters.Cook, Vivian and Mark Newson. 1996. Chomsky’s Universal

Grammar. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell.

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Larsen-Freeman, Diane and Michael H. Long. 1992. An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Research. London: Longman.

Ringbom, Håkan. 2007. Cross-linguistic Similarity in Foreign Language Learning. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Singleton, David. 1999. Exploring the Second Language Mental Lexicon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Singleton, David and Lisa Ryan. 2004. Language Acquisition: the Age Factor. 2nd ed. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

LI 7862 Linguistic Pragmatics (John Saeed)Aims:The course’s main aims are (i) to introduce students to inferential theories of pragmatics; (ii) to familiarize students with Relevance Theory in particular; and (iii) to give students experience of the practical description of conversational data.Working methods:The topics of the course are introduced in lectures and explored and developed in workshops and seminars. Practical description will focus on English but student speakers of other languages will be encouraged to apply their analyses to their first languages. Syllabus:Specific topics included in this module include: Grice and conversational maxims the principle of Relevance conceptual and procedural meaning the under-specification of meaning and processes of contextual

enrichment lexical pragmatics coherence relations in discourse metaphor, irony and humour the functions of discourse connectivesAssessment: Students write an assignment of 3-4,000 words developing themes introduced in the course and applying them to the pragmatic description of conversation in a language.Suggested readings:Blakemore, Diane. 1992. Understanding Utterances: An Introduction

to Pragmatics. Oxford: Blackwell.Carston, Robyn. 2002. Thoughts and Utterances: The Pragmatics of

Explicit Communication. Oxford: Blackwell.

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Grice, H. P. 1989. Studies in the Way of Words. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Leech, Geoffrey N. 1983. Principles of Pragmatics. London: Longman.Levinson, Stephen C. 1983. Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.Levinson, Stephen C. 2000. Presumptive Meanings: The Theory of

Generalized Conversational Implicature. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Sperber, D. & D. Wilson 1995. Relevance: Communication and Cognition. Second edition. Oxford: Blackwell.

LI 7866 Bilingualism and the Maintenance of Irish (John Harris)Aims: This module has four aims: (1) to introduce key concepts and theories in bilingualism and to relate them specifically to Irish-English bilingualism, (2) to examine bilingualism and language maintenance in Ireland in historical and comparative context, (3) to critically evaluate successes and failures in national efforts to revitalise Irish, and (4) to assess the contribution of the education system to the intergenerational transmission of the language. The course is intended as an introduction to psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic research for students who are considering research either on bilingualism or on the Irish language.Working methods:The topics are presented in lectures and explored in class discussions. Each student also presents a brief paper to the class on an aspect of bilingualism, on a particular bilingual situation or on a language planning/maintenance issue with which he or she is familiar. Syllabus: Specific themes addressed in the module include: General issues and concepts in individual and societal bilingualism Early bilingual acquisition; bilingualism and thought Minority and endangered languages, language loss and language

attrition The nature and extent of Irish/English bilingualism Number of speakers; ability in and use of Irish National efforts to revitalise Irish since the foundation of the state;

levels of support for various measures Successes and failures in learning Irish at primary level; Long-term

trends in attainment

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Classroom learning of Irish; attitudes of teachers, children and parents

Irish and English in Gaeltacht areas and in Northern Ireland Bilingual education and immersion Evaluating bilingual programmesAssessment: Students write an assignment of 3-4,000 words that addresses one of the topics discussed during the module or that arises in one of the recommended readings.Suggested readings: Baker, C. 2006. Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 4th edition. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Bhatia, T. & W. C. Ritchie (eds.). 2003. The Handbook of Bilingualism.

Oxford: Blackwell. Cenoz, J. & F. Genesee. 2001. Trends in Bilingual Acquisition.

Amsterdam: John Benjamins.Fishman, J. A. (ed.). 2000. Can Threatened Languages be Saved?

Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Harris, J. & L. Murtagh. 1999. Teaching and Learning Irish in Primary

School. Dublin: Institiúid Teangeolaíochta Éireann.Ó Riagáin, P. 1997. Language Policy and Social Reproduction: Ireland 1893-1993. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

LI 7869 Describing Meaning (John Saeed)Aims:The course’s main aims are (i) to introduce students to the basic challenges facing the linguist seeking to analyze meaning communicated through language; (ii) to familiarize students with some leading representational and denotational approaches to semantics; and (iii) to give students experience of the practical description of the semantic structures of languages.Working methods:The topics of the course are introduced in lectures and explored and developed in workshops and seminars. Exercises and discussion will focus on a range of languages in addition to English.Syllabus:Specific topics included in this module include: theories of reference lexical relations and the dictionary

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the logical structure of language verbal argument structure event structure information structure metaphor and metonymy Assessment: Students write an assignment of 3-4,000 words developing themes introduced in the course and applying them to the semantic description of one or more languages.Suggested readings:Allen, K. 1996. Linguistic Meaning. 2 volumes. London: Routledge

Kegan Paul.Cruse, D. A. 1986. Lexical Semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.Lakoff, George. 1987. Women, Fire and Dangerous Things: What

Categories Reveal about the Mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Larson, Richard, and Gabriel Segal. 1995. Knowledge of Meaning: An Introduction to Semantic Theory. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Lyons, John. 1977. Semantics. 2 volumes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Saeed, John I. 2003. Semantics. Second edition. Oxford: Blackwell. (textbook)

LI 7870 Advanced Syntactic Theory (Carl Vogel)Aims:The course should provide students with practice in addressing recent literature in syntax and the syntax-semantics interface, leading to the possibility of contributing to that literature. The focus in 2009-10 will be on categorization. Many semantic categories have graded structure; for example, in terms of membership, a piano is less clearly a piece of furniture than a desk is. In contrast, the primitive categories of syntactic theories are generally discussed as if the membership criteria offer clear binary distinctions. Linguistic categories will be examined with respect to their underlying structure. The relationships among graded categories, degrees of grammaticality, and linguistic innovation will be explored. The analysis will be conducted with respect to the background linguistic frameworks like Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar and Lexical Functional Grammar, with

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reference to the Minimalist paradigm, and will be informed by recent work in cognitive science and corpus linguistics.Working Methods:Participants will digest and present articles, and in doing so will hone abilities in extracting the theoretical relevance of published articles and sharpen competence in providing constructive critique of the claims, methods and argumentation adopted. Readings will draw upon chapters from the readings list, a number of related articles to be announced, partly determined by the prior background of each participant.Syllabus:Atomic categories in linguistic theories; gradience in cognition; gradience in linguistic categories; argument structure and the syntax/semantics interface; 'quirky case'; degrees of grammaticality and eliciting grammaticality judgements; linguistic innovation vs. error; corpus-driven and computational methods of detecting category change.Assessment: The course will be based on the evaluation of a 3-4,000 word essay connected to the theme addressed within the course, the literature addressed specifically in the seminar, and secondary literature on the topic, synthesizing the material addressed.Recommended Readings:Aarts, Bas. 2007. Syntactic Gradience: The Nature of Grammatical Indeterminacy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Aarts, B. et al. 2004. Fuzzy Grammar: A Reader. Oxford: Oxford

University Press.Baker, Mark C. 2003. Lexical Categories: Verbs, Nouns, and

Adjectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Sag, Ivan A., Thomas Wasow, and Emily M. Bender. 2003. Syntactic

Theory: A Formal Introduction. 2nd ed. Stanford, CA: CSLI

LI 7873 Computational Theories of Grammar and Meaning (Carl Vogel, Elaine Uí Dhonnchadha)Aims:The course expands on an earlier module which provides mathematical foundations for linguistic theory, particularly computational linguistics: formal syntax, formal semantics, computational morphology. The course aims to (i) extend participants'

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abilities to describe natural language phenomena as computationally oriented grammars that model natural language parsing, generation, and construction of semantic representation in a deductive logical setting; (ii) apply the tools of formal language theory to analysing the syntactic complexity of human languages in its syntax and morphology with reference to ramifications for human language processing; (iii) develop skill in grammar development for extensive fragments of natural language encompassing important syntactic domains: complex noun phrase structure, relative clauses, arguments and adjuncts, embedding verbs, topic focus constructions and questions.Working methods:The course is divided into 2/3 lecture and 1/3 hands-on practice with the formal tools. Prolog is used as a theorem prover in which to develop definite clause grammars for recognizers, parsers, and constructors of semantic representations for natural language utterances. A grammar for a fragment is constructed iteratively and evaluated against test suites, with considerable focus on unbounded dependency constructions.Syllabus: Basics of definite clause grammars applied to recognizing natural

language DCGs with parsing and semantic construction DCGs and complement subcategorization frames Formal language theory and the complexity of natural language

syntax Unbounded dependency constructions Parsing, interpreting and answering questions Formal language theory and natural language morphology Computational approaches to natural language morphology.Assessment: A fragment grammar will be evaluated with respect to its coverage of a test suite of sentences. Training test suites will be provided covering the essential constructs, and success of the suite will be measure by its coverage of an suite of unseen constructions drawn on the same terminal vocabulary. Computational morphology will be assessed in a way appropriate to the work in that module.Recommended Readings:Nugues, Pierre M. 2006. An Introduction to Language Processing with

Perl and Prolog. Berlin: Springer.Course handouts and sources in their bibliographies

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LI 7876 The English Sound System (Jeffrey Kallen)Aims: This module examines the phonological system of English from two distinct, yet inter-related, points of view: (i) the grammatical, where the rules and constraints which define what is and is not possible in English phonology are understood in a universal framework, and (ii) the descriptive, which relies on accounts of phonological variation in the English-speaking world. The aim of the course is thus to encourage an understanding of English phonology which incorporates both grammatical and descriptive perspectives. Students will be encouraged to make use of data from their own experience as teachers or learners of English.Syllabus: Specific themes addressed in the module include: Articulatory phonetics and the sound pattern of English English phonemic contrasts and distinctive feature systems Syllables in English English stress placement Relationships between English spelling and phonological patterns Comparing English world-wide: lexical sets and reference accents Irish English: a special case Major features of variation: looking backwards and forwards in

history English phonology and contact with other languages: systems and

learnersAssessment: Students write an assignment of 3,000 to 4,000 words that presents and analyses a problem in (a) variation within a national variety of English, (b) teaching and learning of English phonology for non-native speakers, or (c) the relationship between phonological theory and an aspect of English phonology.Suggested readings:Collins, Beverley and Inger M. Mees. 2003. Practical Phonetics and

Phonology: A Resource Book for Students. London: Routledge.Giegerich, Heinz. 1992. English Phonology: An Introduction.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Hughes, Arthur et al. (eds.). 2005. English Accents and Dialects. 4th

ed. London: Hodder Arnold.

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Schneider, Edgar W. et al. (eds.). 2004. A Handbook of Varieties of English. Vol. 1: Phonology. Vol. 3: CD-ROM. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Wells, J. C. 1982. Accents of English. 3 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

LI 7877 The Pedagogical Grammar of English (Breffni O’Rourke)Aims: This module is concerned with the nature and development of L2 grammar, and with grammar as pedagogical content, with specific reference to English. The principal aims are to foster in students a critical awareness of a range of factors affecting the acquisition of L2 grammar, and to provide them with a basis for critically assessing a range of approaches to the teaching of grammar.Working methods:The module will be taught through a combination of lecture, workshop activities based on English grammar points and ELT materials, and student-led discussion.Syllabus: Specific themes addressed in the module include: the nature of grammatical rules declarative and procedural knowledge the roles of conscious and unconscious grammatical knowledge in

learning a second or foreign language the relationship between grammar and lexisAssessment:Students write an assignment of 3-4,000 words exploring one aspect of the theory of grammar pedagogy, underpinned by an understanding of language acquisition. The essay should draw on one or more topics in English grammar by way of illustration and propose a systematic approach to its teaching in a stated context.Suggested readings:Fotos, S. and H. Nassaji (eds.). 2007. Form-focused Instruction and

Teacher Education. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Hinkel, E. and S. Fotos (eds.). 2002. New Perspectives on Grammar

Teaching in Second Language Classrooms.

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Hughes, R., and M. McCarthy. 1998. From sentence to discourse: discourse grammar and English language teaching. TESOL Quarterly 32(2): 263-287.

Larsen-Freeman, D. 2003. Teaching Language: From Grammar to Grammaring. Boston: Thomson Heinle. (Textbook)

Odlin, T. (ed.). 1994. Perspectives on Pedagogical Grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Thornbury, S. 1999. How to Teach Grammar. London: Longman.

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Presentation of term essays

REFERENCESIn term essays references should be given in the main body of the argument thus:(Chomsky 1965, p. 3)(Kasper 1979, pp. 269f.)(Snow 1977, pp. 39-43)

A complete alphabetical list of references must be appended to each essay thus:

Chomsky, N., 1965: Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge, Mass.: M.I.T. Press.

Kasper, G., 1979: Communication strategies: modality reduction, Interlanguage Studies Bulletin 4, pp. 266-83.

Snow, C. E., 1977: Mothers’ speech research: from input to interaction, in C. E. Snow and C. A. Ferguson (eds.), Talking to Children, pp. 31-50. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

ATTRIBUTION AND PLAGIARISMAll quotations from published and unpublished sources must begin and end with quotation marks and be accompanied by a full reference (see above). The following practices are unacceptable and will be treated as plagiarism:• copying without acknowledgement;• selective copying (which omits words, phrases or sentences from

the original) without acknowledgement;• close summary without acknowledgement.

See also the College regulations on plagiarism printed in the appendix to this handbook.

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Appendix

Extract from General Regulations and Information, Calendar 2008–2009, pp. H16–H17

70 Plagiarism is interpreted by the University as the act of presenting the work of others as one’s own work, without acknowledgement.Plagiarism is considered as academically fraudulent, and an offence against University discipline. The University considers plagiarism to be a major offence, and subject to the disciplinary procedures of the University.

71 Plagiarism can arise from deliberate actions and also through careless thinking and/or methodology. The offence lies not in the attitude or intention of the perpetrator, but in the action and in its consequences. Plagiarism can arise from actions such as:(a) copying another student’s work;(b) enlisting another person or persons to complete an assignment

on the student’s behalf;(c) quoting directly, without acknowledgement, from books, articles

or other sources, either in printed, recorded or electronic format;(d) paraphrasing, without acknowledgement, the writings of other

authors.Examples (c) and (d) in particular can arise through careless thinking and/or methodology where students:(i) fail to distinguish between their own ideas and those of others;(ii) fail to take proper notes during preliminary research and

therefore lose track of the sources from which the notes were drawn;

(iii) fail to distinguish between information which needs no acknowledgement because it is firmly in the public domain, and information which might be widely known, but which nevertheless requires some sort of acknowledgement;

(iv) come across a distinctive methodology or idea and fail to record its source.

All the above serve only as examples and are not exhaustive.

Students should submit work done in cooperation with other students only when it is done with the full knowledge and permission of the lecturer concerned. Without this, work submitted which is the product of collusion with other students may be considered to be plagiarism.

72 It is clearly understood that all members of the academic community use and build on the work of others. It is commonly accepted also, however, that we build on the work of others in an open and explicit manner, and with due acknowledgement. Many

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cases of plagiarism that arise could be avoided by following some simple guidelines:(i) Any material used in a piece of work, of any form, that is not the

original thought of the author should be fully referenced in the work and attributed to its source. The material should either be quoted directly or paraphrased. Either way, an explicit citation of the work referred to should be provided, in the text, in a footnote, or both. Not to do so is to commit plagiarism.

(ii) When taking notes from any source it is very important to record the precise words or ideas that are being used and their precise sources.

(iii) While the Internet often offers a wider range of possibilities for researching particular themes, it also requires particular attention to be paid to the distinction between one’s own work and the work of others. Particular care should be taken to keep track of the source of the electronic information obtained from the Internet or other electronic sources and ensure that it is explicitly and correctly acknowledged.

73 It is the responsibility of the author of any work to ensure that he/she does not commit plagiarism.

74 Students should ensure the integrity of their work by seeking advice from their lecturers, tutor or supervisor on avoiding plagiarism. All departments should include, in their handbooks or other literature given to students, advice on the appropriate methodology for the kind of work that students will be expected to undertake.

75 If plagiarism as referred to in §70 above is suspected, in the first instance, the head of school will write to the student, and the student’s tutor advising them of the concerns raised and inviting them to attend an informal meeting with the head of school,7 and the lecturer concerned, in order to put their suspicions to the student and give the student the opportunity to respond. The student will be requested to respond in writing stating his/her agreement to attend such a meeting and confirming on which of the suggested dates and times it will be possible for the student to attend. If the student does not in this manner agree to attend such a meeting, the head of school may refer the case directly to the Junior Dean, who will interview the student and may implement the procedures as referred to under CONDUCT AND COLLEGE REGULATIONS §2.

76 If the head of school forms the view that plagiarism has taken place, he/she must decide if the offence can be dealt with under the 7 The director of teaching and learning (undergraduate) may also attend the meeting as appropriate. As an alternative to their tutor, students may nominate a representative from the Students’ Union to accompany them to the meeting.

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summary procedure set out below. In order for this summary procedure to be followed, all parties attending the informal meeting as noted in §75 above must state their agreement in writing to the head of school. If the facts of the case are in dispute, or if the head of school feels that the penalties provided for under the summary procedure below are inappropriate given the circumstances of the case, he/she will refer the case directly to the Junior Dean, who will interview the student and may implement the procedures as referred to under CONDUCT AND COLLEGE REGULATIONS §2.

77 If the offence can be dealt with under the summary procedure, the head of school or department will recommend to the Senior Lecturer one of the following penalties:(a) that the piece of work in question receives a reduced mark, or a

mark of zero; or

(b) if satisfactory completion of the piece of work is deemed essential for the student to rise with his/her year or to proceed to the award of a degree, the student may be required to re-submit the work. However the student may not receive more than the minimum pass mark applicable to the piece of work on satisfactory re-submission.

78 Provided that the appropriate procedure has been followed and all parties in §75 above are in agreement with the proposed penalty, the Senior Lecturer may approve the penalty and notify the Junior Dean accordingly. The Junior Dean may nevertheless implement the procedures as referred to under CONDUCT AND COLLEGE REGULATIONS §2.

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