LIN4213-Typology I: Languages of the World - 2024/25

This module is an introduction to the diversity in language structure and use around the world. In order to appreciate the basic goals of linguistics as a discipline, students must appreciate the full scope of human language. The module will examine how different language families differ from one another in sounds, word formation, sentence formation, and usage. Using indigenous languages from diverse regions, such as Africa, Australia, Asia, and North America, we will explore the question of whether universal constraints limit the range of what is possible in human language, and if so, why such universals might exist. We will also consider diversity in how social and pragmatic functions are signaled by language use in different speech communities around the world, and the problems associated with language endangerment and death.