In this module you will learn about advanced theoretical topics in Natural Language Semantics, by conducting original research on a linguistic phenomenon that concerns 'meaning' in a language that you do not speak natively, preferably a language that is understudied in the theoretical literature (so, avoid English, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, etc.). The lectures are meant to help you identify a topic to work on.

This module is an introductory survey of linguistics, focusing on natural language phenomena, and the methods and findings of linguists seeking to understand...

This module is an introductory survey of linguistics, focusing on natural language phenomena, and the methods and findings of linguists seeking to understand them. We will address the following subdomains of linguistics during the course: Phonetics (physical properties of language forms, e.g. sounds), Phonology (the psychological representation of language forms), Morphology (how language forms combine to form words), Syntax (how words combine to form phrases and sentences), Semantics (the meanings of words, phrases, and sentences), Pragmatics (how sentences are used in context), Language Acquisition (how languages are learned by children and adults), Sociolinguistics (how language is affected by social context) and Language and the Brain (how language is processed in the brain and language disorders).

The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of language structure and use, as well as some of the major theoretical issues in linguistics. The module is delivered with weekly two-hour lectures and weekly one-hour backups. At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• describe aspects of language structure and use at levels of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics

• explain key properties of how language is acquired

• describe key ways in which language is affected by social context

• describe key properties of how language is processed in the brain and language disorders