1. Language, Mind and Society (LMS)
General introduction to the course
2010/11
11/10/2018
CLCS 2010

2. Course content This course introduces students to the following
topics:
Language, the Individual and Society
Aspects of Language and Mind
The ‘Nuts and Bolts’ of Grammar
Language and Meaning
The Sounds of Language
Language Variation and Language Change
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CLCS 2010

3. Learning Outcomes By the end of this course you will have the capacity to..
Identify a range of relationships that hold between language, the mind and society.
Outline the features of human language and its acquisition/processing.
Problematise the idea that only spoken languages are 'real' languages.
Identify what factors impact on the rate and route of acquisition of first and second languages and evaluate the impact of such factors.
Evaluate how the context of language use contributes to meaning.
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CLCS 2010

4. You will also have the capacity to…
Define basic morphological categories and perform simple morphological analysis.
Define basic syntactic categories and perform simple syntactic analysis.
Define basic semantic relations and categories and perform simple semantic analysis.
Understand the basic principles of phonetic description of speech sounds as well as the basic concepts of phonemic analysis.
Identify the functional sound-units of a language on the basis of relevant data.
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CLCS 2010

5. Who takes this course?
The ENTIRE course is available as a Broad Curriculum option (MT & HT)
The MICHAELMAS term part of the course is taken by
- all Junior Freshman in Computer Science, Linguistics and a Language (CSLL)
- all Junior Freshman in Clinical Speech and Language Studies (CSLS)
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CLCS 2010

6. Timetable
The course is taught in two lectures per week throughout the academic year, at 3 on Mondays and 2 on Tuesdays
Lectures in both Michaelmas and Hilary term will begin in Week 1 in the academic year.
BUT PLEASE NOTE…
There are no lectures during week 7 in either Michaelmas or Hilary terms, because it is a Reading Week.
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CLCS 2010

7. Venues Michaelmas Term Hilary Term
The course is taught here in Rm 1008 (Edmund Burke Theatre) at 3 on Mondays and in Rm 3074 (upstairs) at 2 on Tuesdays
Hilary Term
The course is taught at 3 on Mondays and at 2 on Tuesdays. Venues for Hilary Term lectures have yet to be confirmed.
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CLCS 2010

8. Lectures
The lectures introduce, explain and illustrate the course material. Summaries are available on the web. (See next slide).
Lectures will begin promptly on the hour and end at ten minutes before the hour
Attendence is compulsory
- Please ensure that you sign the attendance
sheet for each lecture you attend.
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CLCS 2010

9. How to view lecture notes, course information etc., for LMS
FROM ANY COMPUTER WITH INTERNET CONNECTION
Type in
Enter your COLLEGE username and password
MT and HT notes, etc., should be accessible from there
Any access problems let me know
*Once you have registered for the course your name will be
added to the online web resource and you will be able to
access the notes each week
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CLCS 2010

10. Course Assessment Broad Curriculum Students
Students taking the Michaelmas and Hilary term parts of the course as a Broad Curriculum option are assessed via two essays (each of 2,500 words and each accounting for 50% of the final mark).
The essay submission deadlines are as follows:
Essay 1: 17th January 2011
Essay 2: 11th April 2011
Results are aggregated (50% - assign1; 50% assign2)
Overall pass mark = 40%
You will receive a mark for the MT assignment
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CLCS 2010

11. Course Assessment CSLS students
JF students from Clinical Speech and Language Studies are required to submit an essay of 2,500 words by 17th January (50% of overall mark)
In addition they are also required to answer two questions from Section A on LMS in the summer examination. (50% of overall mark)
Pass mark: 40%
You will receive a mark for the MT assignment
Please refer to your own Department’s handbook for further information on JF assessment procedures in CSLS
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CLCS 2010

12. Course Assessment CSLL students
JF students from Computer Science, Linguistics and a Language are required to submit an essay of 2,500 words by 17th January (50% of overall mark)
In addition they are also required to answer two questions from Section A on LMS in the summer examination. (50% of overall mark)
Pass mark: 40%
You will receive a mark for the MT assignment
Please refer to your own Department’s handbook for further information on JF assessment procedures in CSLL
Students must pass the coursework and LMS exam section to pass overall
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CLCS 2010

13. Course Outline – Michaelmas term
Language, the Individual and Society
Week Introduction – Denise O’Leary (Library Session Tuesday’s class)
Week How do babies learn language? – David Singleton
Week Do children learn languages better than adults? – Denise O’ Leary
Week Who speaks the best English? – Breffni O’Rourke
Week Does the way you think depend on the language you speak?
Breffni O’Rourke
Week Can threatened languages be saved? - John Harris
Week 7: READING WEEK – NO LECTURES
Week Is Irish a dead language? - John Harris
Week 9 Are signed languages real languages? - Pat Matthews
Week 10 If you want to live here you should speak our language! - Lorna Carson
Week 11 How did writing systems develop? – Breffni O’Rourke
Week 12 MT content review and questions and answers session
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CLCS 2010

14. Course Outline: Hilary Term
Aspects of Language and Mind
Week 1 Second language acquisition – Lorna Carson
Week 2 Language processing – John Harris
Language and Meaning
Week 3 Semantics – David Singleton
Week 4 Pragmatics – Breffni O’Rourke
The Sounds of Language
Week 5 Phonetics and Phonology – Irena Yanushevskaya
Week 6 Phonetics and Phonology – Irena Yanushevskaya
Week 7 READING WEEK: NO LECTURES
Week 8 Sociolinguistics and language change – Dr. Kallen
The “Nuts and Bolts” of Grammar
Week 9 Morphology and syntax – Dr. Kallen
Week 10 Morphology and syntax – Dr. Kallen
Week 11 Morphology and syntax – Dr. Kallen
Week 12 HT content review and question and answer session
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CLCS 2010

15. Keeping on top of things
The secret of success in any programme of study is to take it seriously from the beginning
Don’t imagine that you can pass the exam or write an essay by quickly skimming through your notes the night before
Keep orderly lecture notes – concentrate on capturing key concepts and their relation to one another
Review your notes after each lecture and make sure you understand everything you have written down.
You will receive assignment guidelines and regulations which you will be asked to sign for, to confirm that you have received them. These document how to approach writing and researching your assignment.
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16. For reference and further reading
George Yule (2009) The Study of Language. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Ralph W. Fasold & Jeff Connor-Linton (editors) (2006) An
Introduction to Language and Linguistics (Cambridge
University Press) Multiple copies available in library
Lecturers may also recommend different readings each week
I have reviewed Yules latest edition and I feel it fits very well with course content. I have ordered 10 copies for the library some of which are available on desk reserve as of now.
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CLCS 2010

17. In case of queries…
Any queries relating to the course should be referred to the Course
Coordinator via (see below).
If you have a query that relates to a specific lecture series then you
should mail the lecturer in question or ask at the end of class.
Course Coordinator
Denise O’Leary: /John Harris as of the 21st October)
Individual lecturers
Dr. Breffni O’Rourke:
Dr. Lorna Carson:
Dr. John Harris:
Dr. Jeffrey Kallen:
Prof. David Singleton:
Dr. Irena Yanushevskaya:
Dr. Lorraine Leeson: (Pat Matthews -
As course coordinator I am always available to deal with queries and I would urge you to direct your queries to me at the address given above. Remember – a question is only pointless if you already know the answer! Please note, however, that as of the 21st October Dr. John Harris will take over as course coordinator so please direct all queries to him after this date.
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CLCS 2010