Typology investigates different structural types in the world’s languages. It determines where languages diverge from one another, and where they share properties which are common or potentially universal. The purpose of this module is to enhance the knowledge of students who have reached an advanced stage in linguistics. It enables them to understand the diversity of structures in the world’s languages, thereby allowing them to put their theoretical work in context. We will focus on key areas in syntax, morphology and phonology and investigate possible (and by implication impossible) linguistic types, using available online datasets, as well as written resources.
By the end of the module, students will have:
This module will be capped at 35.
Students must have successfully completed:
or by permission of the instructor.
The module will address eight related topics, as outlined below.
1) a. How many languages are there?
b. What do we know about them?
c. How does this affect what generalizations we can make about them?
2) a. Syntax: word order universals.
b. Which word orders occur most often?
c. The challenge of sampling.
d. The relationship between theory and typology, defining S, V and O.
(After the lectures and seminars for this topic, students will be required to investigate word order further by using the online datasets available for the World Atlas of Language Structures, available at http://www.wals.info.)
3) a. Syntax: alignment systems.
b. What are alignment systems?
c. Which alignment systems occur most often?
(After the lectures and seminars for this topic, students will be required to investigate alignment systems further by using the online datasets available for the World Atlas of Language Structures, available at http://www.wals.info.)
4) a. Implicational universals.
b. What happens when we combine what we know about word order and alignment systems?
c. Does the choice of alignment system influence the choice of word order?
d. Relating the results to theoretical claims.
e. Other implicational relations.
5) a. Phonology: consonant-vowel ratios.
b. Consonant-vowel ratios appear to have a geographic distribution.
(After the lectures and seminars for this topic, students will be required to investigate phonological features further by using the online datasets available for the World Atlas of Language Structures, available at http://www.wals.info.)
6) a. Morphology: syncretism.
b. What is syncretism?
c. Syncretism and feature hierarchies.
(After the lectures and seminars for this topic, students will be required to investigate syncretism further by using the online datasets available at http://www.smg.surrey.ac.uk.)
7) a. Morphology: person and number.
b. The animacy hierarchy.
c. Interaction of number with other morphosyntactic features.
d. Person syncretisms.
e. Interaction of person and number.
(After the lectures and seminars for this topic, students will be required to investigate person syncretisms further by using the online datasets available at http://www.smg.surrey.ac.uk.)
8) a. Different approaches to Typology.
b. Greenbergian typology.
c. Typology and parameters.
d. Canonical Typology.
Where possible students will also be encourage to look at source grammars to consider the correspondence between the detail and the type to which they are assigned in different typologies.
Three formative Dataset Investigations in weeks 3, 5 and 7.
All modules provide an opportunity to work on general oral/written communication skills (in class and in assessments) and general self management (organising your studies), alongside the specific skills in language or linguistics that the module teaches.
In addition, this module will allow you to particularly develop skills in the application of data analysis: among other things, you will work with online datasets and resources to determine patterns to be found across languages. You will learn to evaluate the reliability of typological claims. From looking at the different ways in which information is expressed in languages across the planet you will gain an appreciation and awareness of diversity, in particular linguistic diversity.
Follow this link to hear how past students use transferable skills from their degree in their current jobs.
About this module
- Module name
Typology- Course code
L52H (LAN00052H)- Teacher
Dunstan Brown- Term(s) taught
Autumn- Credits
20