Browse Hierarchy LIN4213: Typology I: Languages of the World

This module is an introduction to the great diversity in language structure and use around the world. 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 consider diversity in how social and pragmatic functions are signalled by language use in different speech communities around the world, and the problems associated with language endangerment and death. We will also examine how different language families differ from one another in sounds, word formation, sentence formation, and usage. As a module it will be available to students registered on a degree programme involving English Language or Linguistics only.