Psycholinguistics

Aims

Aims

The module provides an overview of issues in the psychology of language, covering a selection of the following areas (not all areas will be covered each time the module is offered):

• Speech perception, comprehension, and production
• Speech errors
• Language of special populations, such as aphasic language and sign language
• Experimental methods in psycholinguistics
• Developmental psycholinguistics
• Psycholinguistic approaches to second language acquisition
• Language in the brain (a brief introduction)
• Applications of psycholinguistic research
• Theoretical approaches

At the end of the module the student should:

• Have a good understanding of key issues in psycholinguistics
• Be familiar with methods in psycholinguistic research
• Be familiar with major results in the areas of psycholinguistics covered
• Be able to critically evaluate some of the issues involved in psycholinguistics

This module will be capped at 35.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

Students must have successfully completed:

• L09C Introduction to phonetics and phonology
• L11C Introduction to syntax

Also ONE of the following:

• L16I Intermediate syntax
  or
• L09I Intermediate phonetics and phonology
  or
• L08I Introduction to language acquisition

Information for visiting students: You will need to have had at least one year's course work in syntax and one year's in phonetics/phonology.

Programme

Programme

Contact hours

Approximately 3 contact hours per week, divided between lectures and practical work or seminars.

Teaching programme

Topics will include:

• speech perception
• language production (including speech errors)
• language processing
• language in special populations

(experimentation in psycholinguistics is covered in some of these areas)

Teaching materials

Textbook: To be confirmed.
A pack of readings will be available.

Suggestions for reading before the module starts

Try dipping into the suggestions below or into any other ‘Introduction to Psycholinguistics’ textbook you come across. (Note that these are not set textbooks for the module.)

• Aitchison, Jean. 1998. The articulate mammal: an introduction to psycholinguistics. 4th edition. London and New York: Routledge.
• Gaskell, Gareth. 2009. The Oxford handbook of psycholinguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Assessment and feedback

Assessment and feedback

Formative assessment

Written comments on class exercises returned in the following week's seminar.

Summative assessment and feedback

• Four formative one page answers, of which two will be resubmitted in Autumn Term, week 10 as summative work, worth 20% of the mark for the module.
  • Feedback: essay marks and comments provided within four weeks of essay submission
• 2-hour closed examination, Spring Term week 1, worth 80% of the mark for the module. 
  
  • Feedback: Mark on university scale for whole module published by Term 2, Week 6. Students will be entitled to see their exam script with comments made on it, under supervision, on an appointed date after Week 6, Spring Term.

Skills

Transferable skills developed in this module

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 management skills.  This module allows you to develop skills in understanding and interpreting specific sets of data, in a theoretical context.

Follow this link to hear how past students use transferable skills from their degree in their current jobs.