230112 Introduction to English Linguistics (S) (WiSe 2023/2024)

This course is designed to introduce first or second semester students of English to the basic concepts and methods in English linguistics, and hence is a prerequisite for all other lectures and seminars students may want to (or will have to) take in English linguistics. Students are offered a broad outline of the central areas of English linguistics such as the sounds of English (phonetics and phonology), the forms and functions of words (morphology and word formation), the structure of simple and complex sentences (syntax), and how meaning is communicated through language (semantics). We will also look at how speakers utilise language in social interactions, for instance to pursue and achieve certain goals or perform actions in particular contexts (pragmatics).
We may also go beyond such core linguistic topics and venture into the intersections between linguistics and other disciplines, such as literary, cultural and media studies.

Bibliography

O’Grady, W. et al. (2011). Contemporary Linguistics. Harlow: Pearson Longman.
Mair, C. (2022). English Linguistics. An Introduction. 4th Edition. Tübingen: Narr.
Kortmann, B. (2020). English Linguistics. Essentials. 2nd edition. Berlin: J. B. Metzler.
Plag, I. et al. (2015). Introduction to English Linguistics. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.