LING2060 Languages of China Prof Stephen Matthews Advanced Course, Sem 2, 6 credits Course Description This course surveys languages spoken in China (including Taiwan). These languages belong to various families such as the Sinitic, Tibeto-Burman, Tai-Kadai, Hmong-Mien, Mongolic, Turkic, Tungusic and Austronesian etc. The emphasis of the course will rest on the structure of selected languages from these families rather than the historical relationship between them. The course involves practical work and provides useful background for other courses in linguistics. Pre-requisite LING1000 Assessment 100% coursework

LING2070 Historical Linguistics: Languages, Genes and Human Migrations Dr. Christophe Coupe Advanced. Sem 1, 6 credits| Course Description The history of the world’s languages is deeply linked to our history as a species of diverse and inter-connected human communities. This course provides a survey of the latest developments in historical linguistics, with a focus on computational approaches to the relationships between languages, genes and cultures. Students will cover traditional principles of historical linguistics, before getting acquainted with more recent phylogenetic algorithms and other modelling attempts. Debates around the origins of modern languages (e.g. the question of monogenesis versus polygenesis) will be [...]

LING2069 Origins of Language Dr. Christophe Coupe Advanced Course. Sem 1, 6 credits Course Description How and why how human beings acquired language in prehistory is fundamental to an understanding of who we are today. This course adopts a broad perspective on language and approaches it as one communication system among others, which emerged in our ancestors under specific conditions, and for specific purpose(s). In the course, concepts and methods pertaining to various scientific fields beyond linguistics will be investigated, including paleo-anthropology, archaeology, ethology and comparative psychology. Students will first reflect on animal and human communication contrastively, as well as on [...]

LING2067 Natural Language Processing Dr. Christophe Coupe Advanced Course. Sem 2, 6 credits Course Description Natural Language Processing (NLP) addresses how machines analyze, produce and understand natural language. The field lies at the crossroads of linguistics and computer science and encompasses a wide range of techniques including automatic speech recognition, text mining, machine translation, and speech synthesis. The goal of this course is to provide a thorough introduction to basic methods and issues of NLP, with a specific focus on text mining. No previous experience in programming is required for this course. The acquisition of basic programming skills is an expected [...]

LING2066 Variation Analysis Dr. Jonathan Havenhill Advanced Course. Sem 1, 6 credit Course Description Language is inherently variable. No two people speak the same way, nor does one person use the same speech patterns in all contexts. This type of variation is not random, but structured, and depends on the identities of the speaker and their audience, the topic of conversation, the speaker's attitude, and a variety of other social and linguistic factors. This course will introduce students to the field of variationist sociolinguistics, which is concerned with the systematic study of language variation and its relationship to linguistic structure and [...]

LING2048 Language and Cognition Dr. Heeju Hwang Advanced Course. Sem 2, 6 credits Course Description This course examines various issues regarding cognition and language. Topics to be covered are: How is language processed and represented in the mind and the brain? Commonalities and particularities of cognitive and neuro-cognitive processing of different languages (e.g., English and Chinese). First and second language learning. What are the critical factors that facilitate language learning? The Chinese language and the brain; language and reading disorders. Applied cognitive psychology of language. Headline designs for newspaper, TV program, and advertisement. Cognitive basis of persuasion. Pre-requisite LING1000 and LING2034 [...]

LING2055 Reading Development and Reading Disorders Dr. Wai Ting Siok Advanced Course. Sem 2, 6 credits Course Description This course aims to provide a deep understanding of reading development and reading disorders in different written languages. Through attending the course, students should be able to understand how different cognitive processes contribute to the development of skilled word reading and text comprehension and what possible problems children may encounter during the course of reading development. Effective treatment and instruction approaches will also be discussed. Pre-requisite: LING1000 Assessment: 100% coursework

LING2036 Child Language Dr. Wai Ting Siok Advanced Course. Sem 1, 6 credits Course Description The focus of this course is on how children acquire a first language, including a consideration of the stages of language development, the biological basis of language acquisition, language disorders and cross-linguistic differences in language acquisition. Pre-requisite: LING1000 Assessment: 100% coursework

LING2013 Language Typology: The Study of Linguistic Diversity Dr. Joe Perry Advanced Course. Sem 2, 6 credits Course Description Typology investigates the structural diversity of the world’s languages. Topics covered include: notions of language type with particular reference to morphology case marking, and word order; areal distribution of features; universals of language and their explanation. Pre-requisite: LING1000 and LING2009 Assessment: 100% coursework

LING2012 Experimental Phonetics Dr. Jonathan Havenhill Advanced Course. Sem 2, 6 credits Course Description The course covers the theoretical and instrumental study of the acoustic properties of speech sounds; classificatory criteria; speech analysis and synthesis; experimental techniques; and laboratory work. Pre-requisite LING1000 and LING2004 Assessment 100% coursework