239851 Introduction to Applied Linguistics (S) (SoSe 2012)

The course wants to give a general overview of different and versatile aspects in the field of applied linguistics. We will review approaches in cognitive linguistics as well as generative grammar and their implications and applications in other fields of knowledge, hence, „applied“ linguistics. It is intended to cover a broad field from models of language learning to the acquisition of prototypes, from semantic categories to systems of conceptual metaphors in language. We will try to evaluate the relevance of these approaches for technical applications that refer to a linguistic background, e.g. automatic translation systems, semantic dictionaries or the definition of entries in a „mental lexicon“. The different topics will be accompanied by a selection of original texts provided by the lecturer.