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Course Description
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Course Name
Language Change
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Host University
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Location
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Area of Study
Linguistics
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Language Level
Taught In English
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Course Level Recommendations
Upper
ISA offers course level recommendations in an effort to facilitate the determination of course levels by credential evaluators.We advice each institution to have their own credentials evaluator make the final decision regrading course levels.
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ECTS Credits
6 -
Recommended U.S. Semester Credits3
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Recommended U.S. Quarter Units4
Hours & Credits
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Overview
COURSE OBJECTIVE
After following this course, you have insight to the main mechanisms of language change in English and can name some common causes for language change. You can explain arguments and counterarguments in the debate on whether language change is good or bad.COURSE CONTENT
Because awesome. Instagrammable. Mood. Language changes constantly. This is most obvious in changes in the meaning of words, but grammatical structures and pronunciation change too. A particularly interesting aspect of language change is that people often have very strong opinions about it, especially those trying to stop language from changing. But as we will see in the course, language change is a natural phenomenon, present in all stages of languages. In this course, we will go through different aspects of language – e.g. syntax, vocabulary, phonology, morphology – and discuss the types of change that has occurred in each particular area. In the course, we will focus on changes in English, but we will also draw some parallels with mechanisms and types of changes in other languages.TEACHING METHODS
Tutorials. Schedule to be agreed with the instructor.TYPE OF ASSESSMENT
Oral exam (50%) and written paper (50%)
Course Disclaimer
Courses and course hours of instruction are subject to change.
Some courses may require additional fees.