LAI 581LEC - Linguistics for L2 Education

What are the building blocks of language? What factors affect the learning of second languages: What are stress and intonation and how does their use affect communication in various languages? Is written language superior to spoken language? What exactly is a standard language? How does use of metaphor vary cross-linguistically? Why doesn’t everyone successfully learn a second language? These and many other questions are the topic of discussion in this course. The purpose of this course is to provide pre-service second language teachers with a foundational understanding of the complex multifaceted system that we call language. Through lectures, discussions and problem solving, students will develop an understanding of the various components that constitute language: * the sound system (phonetics and phonology) * vocabulary and its component parts (morphology and the lexicon) * the grammatical system and its organization (syntax) * meaning (pragmatics and semantics) In addition to studying the components of language, we will explore issues in first and second language learning and discuss some of the interesting ways in which languages, societies, and cultures interact. This course meets a requirement of all Ed.M. students in TESOL, foreign language education, and bilingual education. It is open to all other graduate students on a space available basis.

Credits: 3