Linguistics

This course provides an introduction to Chinese linguistics through an analysis of Chinese language facts. The origin, characteristics, operation rules and mechanisms of Chinese are thoroughly introduced so that students’ understanding of Chinese linguistics are raised from the perceptual cognition to the rational cognition. By completing the course, students utilize the research skills and methods to analyze some Chinese facts by obtaining a profound understanding of Chinese linguistics.

This course gives an overview of the status, features, and use of Hong Kong English (HKE), the variety of English commonly used in Hong Kong. It introduces to the concept of ‘world Englishes’ and examines different theoretical frameworks for conceptualizing the evolution of new varieties of English. The course also examines the relationship between Hong Kong English and Hong Kong culture from cultural, social, historical, and educational perspectives, particularly in relation to and juxtaposition from Cantonese and Putonghua. The second part of the course examines both spoken and written features of HKE, including grammar, discourse particles, vocabulary, and pronunciation, as well as the practices of code-mixing and code-switching. This section of the course also focuses on the social impact of the use of these features in Hong Kong culture. In the third part of the course, language attitudes and ideologies towards ‘standard’ language varieties (for example American and British English) in relation to HKE are explored. The course also examines the relationship between the use of HKE and social identity as well as gender in Hong Kong culture.

This course examines the main historical periods of the English language with particular emphasis on the medieval period (Old and Middle English). It discusses the main changes from Old English to Modern English in terms of phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexis. This course also explores the process of the standardization of English and the varieties of English that exist today.

This course explores current theoretical approaches and research in the area of language development and cognition in neurodiverse populations. These topics are included: Theoretical and methodological issues in the study of neurodiversity and language difficulties in childhood, including dyslexia, developmental language disorder, reading comprehension impairment; autism spectrum disorders; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; assessment and intervention for developmental difficulties in speech and language acquisition.

This advanced course bridges theoretical understanding of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) with practical applications in English language teaching, specifically focused on the Japanese educational context. The class explores the relationship between SLA research and effective pedagogical practices across second language skills.

While the primary language ofinstruction is English, this course is provided in a bilingual format, incorporating both English and Japanese. Some readings will be in Japanese, so students need to be comfortable reading academic Japanese to get the most out of the course.

Recommended course prerequisites: Applied Linguistics (intermediate course) and/or Intermediate seminar to build a basic foundation in SLA. 

This course introduces the core methods of grammatical analysis through data from various languages presented in translation. Students learn to segment the speech stream into words, identify rules of agreement and phrase structure, and analyze syntactic units such as noun phrases and verb phrases. The course also covers the Leipzig Glossing Rules for precise morphological and syntactic annotation. Fundamental linguistic concepts—such as sentence structure, word categories, gender, number, case, person, constituents, and word order—are introduced through a comparative approach. These analytical tools are then applied to spoken French, where students produce morphosyntactic glosses and examine key features of French grammar. By the end of the course, students acquire essential skills for understanding how languages encode grammatical information.

This course provides a concise introduction to sociolinguistics, examining its interdisciplinary foundations and its relationship to linguistic structuralism. Students explore the definition and scope of sociolinguistics, the principal sources of linguistic variation, and the dynamics between linguistic norms and actual language use. The course also introduces key concepts in geolinguistics, focusing on how linguistic practices relate to geographic and social space. Together, these elements offer a foundational understanding of how language functions as a social phenomenon.

This course critically examines the issue of endangered languages, focusing on the impacts of globalization, ethnic identity, and language policies on language survival. It explores historical and contemporary factors, including population movements, war, trade, and colonization, that have shaped linguistic diversity. The course investigates why a small number of global languages dominate while thousands of minor languages face decline, and considers debates around language preservation, revitalization, and the pressures of modernity. Students analyze the political, cultural, and educational forces that influence language use and endangerment, developing insight into the tension between preserving linguistic heritage and adapting to a globalized world.

This course concerns the contexts in which English is used, and the fact that the patterns and variations in language used in the everyday are worthy of analysis. It demonstrates how language-in-use can be studied systematically, and to show how English is used in particular situations and in the module of activities, speech situations, public discourse, and interpersonal interactions that might otherwise be taken for granted.

This course introduces the scientific study of language, its structure, functions, and its connections to human psychology and biology. It explores the fundamental components of language and examines how linguistic data can be analyzed and interpreted through a scientific lens. It draws on a range of real-world materials, popular culture, digital communication, and more, to debunk common myths and deepen the understanding of how language works.