EL35NG 1ST AND 2ND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
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30 credit points: 12 weeks
Course co-ordinator: TBA
Pre-requisite(s): Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above who have fulfilled the entry requirements to the Language and Linguistics programme, or by permission of the Programme Co-ordinator.
How children and adults learn language has been the topic of much debate within linguistics. This course will focus on some of the main theories of language learning and introduce students to research in first and second language acquisition. It will answer questions such as: when do children first start learning language? How do they go from babbling to one word sentences to the full complexity of adult grammar in a span of merely a few years? How do the brains of people who learn two languages simultaneously differ from those who learn a second language later on in life? What are some of the causes of the speech errors we find in second language learners? How can using a second language influence the way we use our native language?
1 two-hour seminar and 1 one-hour lecture per week. Mon/Thu at 9
In-course assessment: 1 two-hour written examination (50%), essay (30%), group presentation (10%), and seminar assessment mark (10%).
Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).