Module Content and Indicative Topics

For students following language modules at university level, it is beneficial to have a grasp of basic linguistic terminology and concepts. This both assists them in learning the languages of their choice and prepares them for later careers in areas such as teaching, translation and publishing.

This module will introduce 1st year students to some basic linguistic concepts within phonetics/phonology, morphology and syntax (including word classes) and apply these to the three mainland Scandinavian languages (Danish, Norwegian and Swedish). A brief historical sketch of the development of these languages and of English for comparison, will also be presented.

This module focuses mainly on language as a set of formal, interdependent sub-systems, such as phonetics/phonology (sound production and sound systems), grammar in the sense of morphology (word-formation and word classes) and syntax (phrases, clauses, sentences and word order), as well as on broader aspects of language as a special communication system. This will initially be illustrated with the help of English and the knowledge thus gained will then be applied to the mainland Scandinavian languages (Danish, Norwegian and Swedish). Where it adds to the discussion and understanding, reference will also be made to Icelandic and Faroese.

The course focuses on: analysing sentences first in English, later in the Scandinavian languages; understanding word classes; introduction to phonetics, including phonetic transcription (IPA) and how sounds are produced; a brief historical background, charting the main stages in the development of English and the mainland Scandinavian languages from Common Germanic to the present; finally, there is scope to include topics in term two which will be decided together with the students (such as English in Scandinavia, the use and status of dialects in the different countries, language purism etc.).

By the end of the module, students should thus have a sound knowledge of basic phonetics and grammar and be able to apply these chiefly to English and their chosen mainland Scandinavian language; they will know about the key stages in the historical development of English and the Scandinavian languages; and they will have touched on various ways to do research into various linguistic disciplines.

Teaching Delivery

This module will be delivered in weekly discussion seminars. The course takes a workshop approach where students have the opportunity to practice the analyses learned, both in class and as part of the homework.

By the end of the module, you should be able to:

Outline the historic developments of the modern Scandinavian languages.
	Conduct full syntactic analyses of English sentences.
	Draw basic sentence trees.
	Analyse Scandinavian sentences using Diderichsen’s sentence schema.
	Outline how speech is produced and read basic IPA transcription
	Recommended Reading
Students are expected to come prepared to the first class – Moodle will contain information about this. While there is no expectation that you have read anything beyond what you can find in Moodle, the following books provide a good starting point and some of each will be used on the module

R.L. Trask, Language: The Basics, 2nd ed. (Routledge, 1999 or later).

L. Vikør, The Nordic Languages, 2nd ed. (Novus Press, 1995 or later).

T. Lundskær-Nielsen, M. Barnes & A. Lindskog, Introduction to Scandinavian Phonetics (Alfabeta, 2005).