(Linguistic) Categorization - Are some birds "birdier" than others?

Dozent/in:

Fabian Vetter

Angaben:

Seminar/Übung, 2 SWS, ECTS: 6

Termine:

Do, 10:00 - 12:00, Online-Meeting
This is an online course via MS Teams!

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Anmeldung über FlexNow vom 12. Oktober 2020, 10:00 Uhr bis zum 05. November 2020, 23:59 Uhr.
Abmeldung über FlexNow vom 12. Oktober 2020, 10:00 Uhr bis zum 30. November 2020, 23:59 Uhr.

Bitte beachten Sie die verschiedenen Anmeldemöglichkeiten in FlexNow: Wenn Sie sich die Veranstaltung als Seminar anrechnen lassen möchten, melden Sie sich bitte ausschließlich für das Seminar an ("(Linguistic) Categorization - Are some birds "birdier" than others? (Seminar)"). Für eine Anrechnung als Übung melden Sie sich bitte ausschließlich für die Übung an ("(Linguistic) Categorization - Are some birds "birdier" than others? (Übung)").

Mehrfachanmeldung für Parallelkurse führt zum Verlust des Platzanspruchs! Dies gilt nicht für die Warteliste.

Begrenzte Teilnehmerzahl: 15

Für Studienortwechsler, Erasmusstudenten sowie Studierende, die den Leistungsnachweis zur baldigen Prüfungsanmeldung benötigen, werden im begrenzten Umfang Plätze freigehalten. Bei Überbuchung der Übung fällt die Entscheidung über die Teilnahme in Rücksprache mit dem Dozenten.

Scheinanforderungen:
2 ECTS: regular active participation in class + oral presentation (30 min)
4 ECTS: regular active participation in class + oral presentation (45 min)
6 ECTS: regular active participation in class + oral presentation + written paper
3/4/6 ECTS (BA Ergänzungsmodul in combination with the course Methods and Theories in Linguistics , 1 ECTS): regular active participation in class + oral presentation + oral exam (20 min)

8 ECTS sind nur für BA-Studierende nach Absprache mit dem Dozenten vor Semesterbeginn möglich.

Modulanbindungen:
Diese Lehrveranstaltung ist für alle Studiengänge (Lehramt, BA, MA usw.) geeignet, in denen 2, 3, 4 oder 6 ECTS im Rahmen eines Seminars oder einer frei wählbaren Übung in der englischen Sprachwissenschaft erforderlich sind.

Inhalt:

Usually I'm not a big fan of opening quotes, but I'll make an exception just this once, simply because William Labov hits the nail on the head with this one:

"If linguistics can be said to be any one thing it is the study of categories: that is, the study of how language translates meaning into sound through the categorization of reality into discrete units and sets of units. This categorization is such a fundamental and obvious part of linguistic activity that the properties of categories are normally assumed rather than studied."
(Labov, William. 1973. The boundaries of words and their meanings. In Charles J. N. Bailey & Roger W. Shuy (eds.), New ways of analyzing variation in English, 340–373. Washington: Georgetown University Press)

While Labov speaks of linguistics, categories are omnipresent in our daily lives: we categorize plants into edible and non-edible, objects by the wavelengths of reflected light (i.e. colour) or people into family, friends, or strangers. Without categories, without the act of categorization, we simply could not function and interact with the world. Yet, we rarely concern ourselves with the nature of categories. Do categories have clear-cut boundaries? Are members of a category all of equal status? Is a penguin really a bird? (I mean, like, really really?)
Do not worry, while certainly highly enlightening, I do not plan to engage you in endless philosophical discussions. What I want to show you is how deeply ingrained the so-called classical concept of categorization is in us (and in linguistics). I want to introduce you to the prototype theory as an alternative concept of categorization and show you how we can investigate the nature of categories in language empirically.

Methods and Theories in Linguistics

Dozentinnen/Dozenten:

Julia Schlüter, Fabian Vetter

Angaben:

Übung, 1 SWS, ECTS: 1

Termine:

Einzeltermin am 16.11.2020, 8:00 - 10:00, Online-Meeting
Einzeltermin am 17.11.2020, 10:00 - 16:00, Online-Meeting
Einzeltermin am 19.11.2020, 12:00 - 18:00, Online-Meeting
Einzeltermin am 20.11.2020, 10:00 - 16:00, Online-Meeting
Einzeltermin am 23.11.2020, 8:00 - 12:00, Online-Meeting
Einzeltermin am 24.11.2020, 10:00 - 18:00, Online-Meeting
Einzeltermin am 26.11.2020, 8:00 - 10:00, Online-Meeting
Einzeltermin am 27.11.2020, 8:00 - 11:00, Online-Meeting
This course will take place via MS Teams. To enable pre-planning, please register for the following Virtual Campus course by 12 November at the latest and take part in the survey you will find there: https://vc.uni-bamberg.de/course/view.php?id=42230.

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

General organization

For BA students, this course is part of the Ergänzungsmodul.
BA major English and American studies (75 ECTS): Choose the Ergänzungsmodul in one of the two fields in which you are doing the Aufbaumodule (i.e. Literature, Linguistics or Cultural Studies).
BA minor English and American studies (30 or 45 ECTS): Choose the Ergänzungsmodul in the same field in which you are doing the Aufbaumodul (i.e. Literature, Linguistics or Cultural Studies).

A short note on the time slots above:
The course comprises three sessions, all of which require attendance via MS Teams: Two hours on Monday, 16 November, two hours on Thursday, 26 November, and three hours on Friday, 27 November, with a little project work in between. Please contact the lecturers for special arrangements if you encounter timetabling issues. The sessions from 17 to 24 November (in the computer room U5/02.23 or via MS Teams) are consultation hours for supporting the project work; attendance is not obligatory.

1. Modules:
BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik Ergänzungsmodul: Methoden und Theorien der Sprachwissenschaft Übung (1 ECTS), Studium Generale

2. Prerequisites:
BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik: Basismodul Sprachwissenschaft

3. Registration and Deregistration:
Registration via FlexNow from 12 October 2020, 10:00h, to 5 November 2020, 23:59h.
Deregistration via FlexNow from 12 October 2020, 10:00h, to 30 November 2020, 23:59h.

4. Requirements for successful completion of the course:
regular active participation in class + demo with handout

5. Language of instruction:
English

Inhalt:

Description:
The Übung "Methods and Theories in Linguistics" accompanies a linguistic seminar (for BA: Ergänzungsmodul Sprachwissenschaft; for LA Gym: Vertiefungsmodul Englische Sprachwissenschaft; for MA: Mastermodule English Linguistics). It complements the theoretical and methodological insights and skills in this area. The Übung will introduce and put to work techniques and approaches characteristic of English Linguistics and thereby help students to acquire competence in using specific sources of information and technologies as well as in collecting, analysing and visualizing their own empirical data. The topics treated will include aspects of academic writing (handling secondary literature, referencing, structuring a termpaper), the analysis of linguistic corpora and other databases, the use of online dictionaries, the construction of questionnaires, the analysis of audio-recorded data, the interpretation of experiments, etc.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Recommended reading:

• Brons-Albert, Ruth & Nicole Marx. 2010. Empirisches Arbeiten in Linguistik und Sprachlehrforschung: Anleitung zu quantitativen Studien von der Planungsphase bis zum Forschungsbericht. Tübingen: Narr.
• Wray, Alison & Aileen Bloomer. 2012. Projects in Linguistics and Language Studies. 3rd edition. London: Hodder Education.

Übung zu Haus- und Qualifikationsarbeiten

Dozent/in:

Fabian Vetter

Angaben:

Übung, 2 SWS

Termine:

Do, 14:00 - 16:00, Raum n.V.