BA English Language and German

This course unit deals with the prosodic structure of English words: i.e. how the vowels and consonants that make up English words are organized into higher phonological constituents, particularly syllables and rhythmic units called ‘feet’. We will be addressing this topic from both a synchronic and a diachronic perspective, looking first at the situation in present-day English, and then exploring its historical background. In addition, the course unit has another equally important aim: to help you to understand how linguistic theories work, and how linguists go about building and testing those theories. 

The principal aims of the course unit are as follows:

• to provide students with an advanced critical understanding of the main theories of syllabification in present-day English;
• to introduce students to the generative analysis of present-day English stress;
• to explore the way in which synchronic and diachronic explanation interact in phonology;
• to survey a wide range of empirical evidence (segmental processes, psycholinguistic experiments, versification patterns, etc) bearing on the prosodic structure of English words;
• to equip students with advanced skills in theory evaluation and testing (distinguishing between empirical and conceptual arguments, detecting ad hoc hypotheses, appraising empirical content, etc).

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

• understand the precise conditions for the application of a range of phonological processes in present-day English;
• understand and critically assess the main theories of syllabification in present-day English words;
• explain the location of primary and secondary stress in present-day English words;
• understand the evolution  of syllabification and stress assignment in the history of English

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

• distinguish between conceptual and empirical arguments in linguistics;
• assess the strengths of linguistic theories according to criteria such as restrictiveness, simplicity, and learnability;
• detect ad hoc assumptions in linguistic arguments.

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

• apply theories of syllable and foot structure to the analysis of phonological processes;
• use various types of empirical evidence to assess  theories of prosodic structure;
• incorporate synchronic and diachronic insights into phonological explanations.

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

• assess theoretical models on conceptual and empirical grounds;
• understand the sources of rational disagreement in debates involving competing (scientific) models;
• appreciate the interaction between creativity, logic, and evidence in the development and testing of (scientific) theories and models;
• design a focused piece of research bearing on a larger theoretical debate;
• produce a succint, coherent, and persuasive synthesis of a complex technical argument;
• write an essay in the appropriate style and format.

• Comments made during class discussion regarding the relevance and coherence of student responses or participation in discussion. (In other words, you should be able to judge from the discussion which ideas are better or worse.) 
• Global feedback (delivered orally in class) on a non-assessed mid-term practical assignment. 
• Written comments on the assessed essay, plus face-to-face discussion if desired (on the understanding that this deanonymizes the marking).

There is no textbook for this course. Useful reference works for several of its units include:

Giegerich, Heinz J. (1992). English phonology: an introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Jensen, John T. (1993). English phonology. Amsterdam: John Benjamins