Course: Introduction into General Linguistics

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Course title Introduction into General Linguistics
Course code KOL/UOL
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Seminar
Level of course Bachelor
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 5
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course Compulsory, Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Faltýnek Dan, doc. Mgr. Ph.D.
  • Kořenský Jan, prof. PhDr. DrSc.
  • Benešová Martina, Mgr. Ph.D.
  • Chávez Barreto Eugenio Israel
Course content
(1) Linguistics, subject matter and methods of its investigations, core and complementary linguistic disciplines (2) Relation of linguistics to other sciences, trends in contemporary linguistics (3) Basic linguistic methods and approaches to language (4) Essence of natural language, comparison with artificial languages (5)-(6) Systemic quality of language, language levels, relation between centre and periphery (7) Communication process, core and complementary functions of language (8)-(9) Language as code, langue and parole, competence and performance, speech acts theory (10) Concept of language sign, semiotics (11) Classification of languages, mainly typological (12) Territorial and social stratification of national languages

Learning activities and teaching methods
Lecture, Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training), Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook)
Learning outcomes
The aim of the course is to introduce students to basic concepts of language and linguistics. Students will acquire knowledge of nature of natural language and methods of its investigation. The course is constructed as introduction of basic linguistic disciplines and their methods of learning about language. Certain basic linguistic terms and concepts are demonstrated along with their use in researching language data. Students get acquainted with modelling of language system based on levels of language, with all the advantages and drawbacks that go with this method - semiotically speaking for instance, the level of speech sounds and higher level language units are clearly distinct and their systems are constructed based on different principles, while on the contrary determination of which level of language many language phenomena belong to is far from simple or even impossible (morphological and lexical levels cannot be clearly distinguished between in certain languages, definition of word is problematic and many approaches work with it in completely different manners, concept of sentences is based on various criteria, etc.). Furthermore, the so-called langue-parole hypothesis is presented, along with its historical development and the limits of its background in linguistic description, with elaboration on its non-correspondence with communicatively oriented linguistic descriptions. The course outlines theories of sing in quite some detail, along with sign models and use of sing concepts in grammatical description. In this context, other concepts of linguistic theory are explained, such as speech act, language type, centre and periphery, markedness and other, and are treated analogically to other previously covered language levels and the langue-parole hypothesis. The course attempts to show how linguistics on one hand understands description of language systemically and based on linguistic method, while it also on the other hand investigates language manifestations from dialectological mapping to etymology to social stratification or instrumental tasks of formal languages.
Basic knowledge of linguistic theory, its terminology and systematics
Prerequisites
unspecified

Assessment methods and criteria
Mark, Written exam, Essay, Seminar Work

(1) Regular preparation / required reading (2) Examination
Recommended literature
  • Čermák, Fr. (2001). Jazyk a jazykověda. Praha: Karolinum.
  • Čermák, František. (1997). Základy lingvistické metodologie: Nástin hlavních principů na pozadí obecné teorie vědy. Praha.
  • Černý, J. (1998). Úvod do studia jazyka. Olomouc.
  • Karlík, P. - Nekula, M. - Pleskalová, J. (2002). Encyklopedický slovník češtiny. Praha.
  • Palek, B. (1984). Základy obecné jazykovědy. Praha: SPN.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Lingvistics and Digital Humanities (2020) Category: Philological sciences 2 Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Winter
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): General Linguistics and Communication Theory (2021) Category: Philological sciences 1 Recommended year of study:1, Recommended semester: Winter
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Chinese Studies (2023_24) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Chinese Studies (2015) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Japanese Philology (2016) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): General Linguistics and Communication Theory (2019) Category: Philological sciences 1 Recommended year of study:1, Recommended semester: Winter
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Japanese Philology (2019_24) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): General Linguistics and Communication Theory (2021) Category: Philological sciences 1 Recommended year of study:1, Recommended semester: Winter
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Lingvistics and Digital Humanities (2020) Category: Philological sciences 2 Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Winter
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Chinese Studies (2015) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Indonesian Studies for Tourism (2017) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): General Linguistics and Communication Theory (2019) Category: Philological sciences 1 Recommended year of study:1, Recommended semester: Winter
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Lingvistics and Digital Humanities (2020) Category: Philological sciences 2 Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Winter