Constructed Languages
Module code: PLIN0068
Autumn 2024–25
About
In this module you will learn advanced topics in formal linguistic theory, by ‘constructing a language’. As we all speak at least one human language, it is easy to take human languages for granted, and for this reason studying other types of languages, such as artificial languages (mathematical, logical, and computer languages) and languages used by other creatures, is often surprisingly eye-opening and tells us a lot about the peculiarities and the essence of the human languages we speak. You will experience this by making your own constructed language, or conlang, which will force you to make conscious decisions about every tiny detail of its grammar, and hence to deliberate over different aspects of your language as grammatical systems and a network thereof. You will employ all your knowledge of theoretical linguistics in describing linguistic properties of your conlang in the final essay.
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments: A lot of the material for this module is based on Coppe van Urk’s module at Queen Mary University of London. Huge thanks to Coppe for sharing his teaching material!
Schedule and lecture material
| slides | reading | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture 1 (3 Oct) | Introduction to Constructed Languages | pdf, html | 1. Sanders (2020) A primer on constructed languages, doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198829874.003.0002; 2. “Bliss” by Radiolab; 3. TedEd on conlangs |
| Lecture 2 (10 Oct) | Phonology | pdf, html | Hyman (2008) Universals in phonology, doi: 10.1515/TLIR.2008.003 |
| Lecture 3 (17 Oct) | Morphology | pdf, html | 1. Spencer (2006) Morphological universalsm, doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511618215.006; 2. Odden (2005) Phonological typology and naturalness, doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511808869.010 |
| Lecture 4 (24 Oct) | Writing systems | pdf, html | Daniels (2017) Writing systems, doi: 10.1002/9781119072256.ch5; Omniglot |
| Lecture 5 (31 Oct) | Linguistic relativism | pdf, html | 1. Ted talk by Keith Chen; 2. Pullum (1989) The great Eskimo vocabulary hoax, JSTOR |
| Reading week | NO CLASS | ||
| Lecture 6 (14 Nov) | Student Presentations 1 | ||
| Lecture 7 (21 Nov) | Formal syntax | pdf, html | §§1, 4, and 5 of Nouwen (2021) Lecture notes on formal languages |
| Lecture 8 (28 Nov) | Syntax | pdf, html | Dryer (2007) Word order, doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511619427.002 |
| Lecture 9 (5 Dec) | Semantics and Pragmatics | pdf, html | No reading |
| Lecture 10 (12 Dec) | Student presentations 2 |