Mind And Meaning

AY2016/2017 Semester 1

This course introduces students to the uniqueness of human language as a communication system. Students will examine how language is learnt and the way our mind stores meaning and organises information. The topics include animal communication, biological foundation of human language, language acquisition, sign language and deaf studies, language impairment, word formation and the study of meaning. These concepts are illustrated by examples taken from a wide range of languages. These topics will be discussed with cross?linguistic and interdisciplinary perspectives, as students will analyze data from a wide variety of languages and explore contributions from psychology, sociology, computer science and communication studies.