Linguistics at SOAS Insight Day – 2 nd March 2016

What is the structure of a linguistics degree at SOAS? All degrees at SOAS have obligatory and optional components. In linguistics, the obligatory courses focus mainly on syntax and phonology… Apart from General Linguistics. 2

General Linguistics gives an overview of some of the many topics that count as ‘linguistics’. It is also an opportunity to reflect on some of the ‘big questions’ concerning language, human beings, minds and societies. We will look at an example of this for most of the rest of the talk… Then there will be more details on the structure of a BA Linguistics, or BA Linguistics and…, degree. 3

A big question: What is intelligence? 4

Is this bird intelligent? 5  As a chick, it studies the night sky.  It works out which is the “fixed” star, which constellations neighbour it, and uses this knowledge to navigate.

What birds (probably) don’t have is consciousness and the ability to do conscious reasoning. 6 In this sense they are not “intelligent” in the way human beings are. But you actually don’t need conscious reasoning to achieve many of the mental feats we think of as “intelligent”. Most of the knowledge human beings have, and most of the thinking we do, is not available for inspection by our conscious “ego”.

This is especially true when it comes to language! 7 We all have a huge amount of knowledge concerning the rules of our native language(s), but 99% of this knowledge is non-conscious. The goal of linguistics is to uncover this hidden knowledge: to observe all aspects of the way people speak (any language), and to articulate the processes underlying what they say.

Linguistics is not (or hardly) concerned with what constitutes “good grammar” or “bad grammar”. 8 If all people knew about their native language were things that are explicitly taught, like who vs. whom and less vs. fewer, then communication would be impossible. The way people speak is determined almost entirely by the type of speech they are habitually exposed to: we tend to have a good idea about things we would and wouldn’t say, but not about why.

An example: 9 1)Your hair needs cutting. 2)Your hair wants cutting. 3)Your hair needs cut.

Another example: 10 4)Yesterday I’ve run a marathon.  The English present perfect tense (with have) cannot be combined with reference to a time period that doesn’t extend to the present (e.g. yesterday, last year, etc.).  Not a rule that native speakers are conscious of, because all native speakers follow it: it only needs to be taught to non-native speakers.

Another example: 11 5)a.What vitamins should I take? b.Which vitamins should I take? 6)a.What height do trees normally grow to? b.Which height do trees normally grow to?  Which can only be used to ask about a set that is already familiar to speaker and hearer.

 Some Hawai’ian words borrowed from English: ʔ enekini, kolūkalaiwa, pipi, makika, lumi, mākeke, kelepona, paikikala, pelekikena, palakalī, kamipulu! ʔ enekinikolūkalaiwapipimakikalumi mākekekeleponapaikikalapelekikena palakalīkamipulu!  Hawai’ian phonology is famous for its simplicity: Very small consonant inventory: /p, ʔ, w ~ v, h, m, n, l, k ~ t/ [orthographic represents /k ~ t/, which are in free variation] No word has two consonants in a row, and no word ends in a consonant. 12 We’re not only concerned with English!

13 Structure of linguistics degrees in detail: Every year at SOAS you need to get four ‘units’ (= credits) Some ‘courses’ (= modules), like General Linguistics, are worth 1 unit, some are worth 0.5. (A few are worth more than 1). If you do a single-subject degree (BA Linguistics), you will need to do 3 linguistics units each of the three years of the degree. The fourth unit each year can be an ‘open option’. With joint degrees (BA Linguistics and…) you will have one open option in the final year.

14 BA Linguistics: Year 1 3 obligatory 1-unit courses (+ 1 language open option): General Linguistics Introduction to Grammatical Structure Introduction to Phonology

15 BA Linguistics: Year 2 3 obligatory 0.5-unit linguistics courses: Intermediate Syntax Intermediate Phonology Intermediate Semantics Plus 1.5 units of optional linguistics courses Plus an open option.

Some of the optional courses we typically offer: Phonetics Psychology of LanguageMorphology Linguistic TypologyHistorical Linguistics Language, Society and Communication Arabic Linguistics Independent Study Project in LinguisticsLanguage in Africa Structure of JapaneseStructure of ChineseArabic Dialects Issues in the Study of Language Learning etc… etc… 16

17 BA Linguistics: Year 3 At least 1 unit of advanced courses in syntax / phonology / semantics. Up to 2 units of optional linguistics courses. An open option.

18 BA Linguistics and… (joint degree): Exact structure depends on the other subject, but: General Linguistics, Introduction to Grammatical Structure, and Introduction to Phonology are all obligatory in the first two years. Thereafter, only 1.5 units of intermediate/advanced ‘core’ linguistics courses are obligatory. And you can choose up to 1.5 units of optional linguistics courses.

Some of the optional courses we typically offer: Phonetics Psychology of LanguageMorphology Linguistic TypologyHistorical Linguistics Language, Society and Communication Arabic Linguistics Independent Study Project in LinguisticsLanguage in Africa Structure of JapaneseStructure of ChineseArabic Dialects Issues in the Study of Language Learning etc… etc… 19

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