MA Linguistics / Course details

This course is designed to equip students with advanced skills in conducting and presenting linguistic research. It covers the relationship between empirical evidence and theoretical models, methods of data collection in different subdisciplines, an introduction to statistical methods and programming with python for text analysis.

The unit aims to:

• survey current techniques of data collection across a variety of linguistic disciplines;
• address foundational methodological issues concerning the relationship between empirical evidence and theoretical models;
• introduce and provide practice in the writing conventions and main academic genres in linguistics.

Writing and referencing conventions in linguistics

Reading literature, organising information, and writing a literature review

Testing theories and hypotheses

Research questions in Linguistics

Statistics for linguists

Evidence in linguistics

Programming with python for text analysis

Linguistic data in various subdisciplines of linguistics (including corpora, interviews, field work, experiments)

• 11 x 2-hours (lectures and seminars)
• independent study
• at least one careers planning meeting to be arranged with an appropriate member of staff and/or the careers service

On Blackboard, students will find slides for the individual sessions and links to guidance documents on academic writing conventions.

Submission of formative and summative pieces of work will be via Turnitin on Blackboard.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• select appropriate methods for specific research projects from a range of data collection techniques available to linguists
• evaluate linguistic theories in relation to the evidence provided, e.g. in terms of potential falsification and criteria for theory choice
• identify career opportunities and wider applications of linguistics

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• assess the extent to which a piece of evidence supports or challenges a theoretical model in linguistics
• evaluate the fit between research questions and data collection methods in linguistics

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• use bibliographic databases in linguistics
• follow academic writing conventions in linguistics
• apply basic statistical tests relevant for several areas of linguistic research

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• summarize and present research findings in a concise and effective manner
• reflect critically on the empirical evidence for a claim or argument

Online automatically-generated feedback on the portfolio of exercises.

Written or oral feedback on both Written Coursework assessments.

Bauer, Laurie. 2007. The linguistic student's handbook. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Litosseliti, Lia (ed). 2018. Research Methods in Linguistics, 2nd edition. London: Bloomsbury.

Macaulay, Monica. 2011. Surviving linguistics: a guide for graduate students, 2nd edition. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Podesva, Robert J. & Devyani Sharma (eds). 2013. Research methods in linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bauer, Laurie. 2007. The linguistic student's handbook. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Green, Georgia & James L. Morgan. 2002. Practical guide to syntactic analysis, 2nd edn. Stanford: CSLI Publications.

Macaulay, Monica. 2011. Surviving linguistics: a guide for graduate students, 2nd edn. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Podesva, Robert J. & Devyani Sharma (eds.). 2013. Research methods in linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.