Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to
- understand the main methodologies of Romance linguistics as a comparative discipline
- see the point of a comparative approach to Romance languages (and by extension, to any other group of cognate languages)
- appreciate the usefulness of sociolinguistics in linguistic study (both historical and synchronic).
Brief description
The module will (a) introduce students to the main themes and methodologies of Romance linguistics as a comparative discipline (b) present some case-studies of aspects of Romance linguistics (c) alert students to the need (when studying any one Romance language) to take account of data from adjacent Romance languages and (d) emphasize the need for the broadly sociolinguistic approach in this branch of linguistics.
It is intended (although not exclusively) to serve as a 'bridging' or comparative element in a degree scheme in Romance Languages.
Students taking the module should normally have studied at least two Romance Languages.