Department Of linguistics Programmes At University Of Ghana
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
LNGS 101: Introduction to Linguistics
The course aims at introducing students to the discipline of Linguistics. It deals with some of the
characteristics of human language as a tool for communication. Some of the topics to be discussed
include the origins of language, functions of language, language and the brain, the sounds of
language, and the basic concepts in linguistic analysis (e.g. morphology, syntax and semantics)
LNGS 102: Structure of English Words
The goal of this course is to help students expand their vocabulary. It looks at the structure of
English words with classical roots. It examines some of the common roots and the morphological
rules that determine the combination of such roots, and rules of meaning change. Students are
also introduced to the history of the English language.
LNGS 201: Phonetics
The course introduces students to phonetics as a branch of Linguistics. It focuses on the
mechanisms behind the production of speech sounds. It also deals with the description,
classification and transcription of speech sounds. It will further provide students the opportunity to
practise the production of speech sounds. Topics include: speech organs, airstream mechanisms,
phonation types and articulation, vowels, consonants and suprasegmentals.
LNGS 202: Introduction to Syntax
The goal of the course is to introduce students to the general principles that underlie how words
are combined into larger syntactic units. The course deals with the arrangement of words into
phrases, clauses and sentences as well as how languages differ in the structure of these units.
Topics to be treated include: word classes, phrase structure, sentence structure and syntactic
processes.
LNGS 203: Introduction to Morphology
In this course, we will consider what morphology is and its place in relation to other areas of
linguistics such as phonology and syntax. The course will also examine certain morphological
phenomena found among the world’s languages. Topics to be discussed include the classification
of morphemes according to position, distribution and function. We will also discuss such
morphological processes as inflection, derivation, compounding, reduplication, and other wordformation
processes.
LNGS 204 Languages in Ghana
This course provides an overview of the language situation in Ghana, within the context of the
West African sub-region. It aims to give students a working knowledge of the genetic and
typological groupings of languages spoken in Ghana. Issues of language development, language
in development, and national language policy will also be examined.
LNGS 301: Introduction to Phonology
The course introduces students to how speech sounds are organised across languages. It deals with
the identification of distinctive sounds, the combination of these sounds into unique patterns and
the changes that take place when sounds are combined. Data from a wide range of languages will
be used in problem solving sessions. Topics to be treated include: phonemes, distinctive features,
phonological processes, suprasegmental features and phonological rules.
LNGS 302: Syntax I
In this course, we will be discussing some of the more recent developments in syntactic analysis.
Students will be expected to know the different lexical and grammatical categories and their
morphological and syntactic behaviours. They will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of
phrase structure rules and the different types of clauses and clause combinations and be able to
apply this knowledge to the analysis of simple problems in various languages.
* LNGS 303: Phonetics and Phonology of a Ghanaian Language
This course is designed to enable students apply the principles of phonetics and phonology to the
description of the sounds and sound patterns of a Ghanaian language (e.g. Akan, Dagaare,
Dagbani, Dangme Ewe, Ga, and Guren). It assumes some level of proficiency on the part of
students in the language concerned. Topics include: segmental phonemes (vowels, consonants)
and their distribution, syllable structure, tone, and phonological processes.
*This course is not available to students of the English Department.
LNGS 304: Morphology and Syntax of a Ghanaian language
This course is designed to enable students apply the principles of morphology and syntax to the
description of the words, phrases and sentences of a Ghanaian language (e.g. Akan, Dagaare,
Dagbani, Dangme Ewe, Ga, and Guren). It assumes some level of proficiency on the part of
students in the language concerned. Some of the topics to be treated are: word classes, word
formation processes, and basic phrase and sentence structure.
LNGS 305: Phonetics and Phonology of English
This course is designed to enable students apply the principles of phonetics and phonology to the
description and analyses of English. In this course, L1 and L2 accents of English are discussed.
The course covers the following areas: consonants and vowels, the syllable, stress, intonation and
some phonological processes.
*This course is not available to students of the English Department.
LNGS 306: Morphology and Syntax of English
This course is designed to enable students apply the principles of morphology and syntax to the
description and analyses of the English language. Some of the pertinent areas to be covered
include word classes and their morphological and distributional properties, word formation
processes, inflection, derivation, phrase structure and basic clause patterns.
LNGS 307: Oral Literature
This course surveys various forms of oral literature in Africa, and discusses theories of
composition and aesthetic formations. It will examine the dynamics of form, language, style,
content and performance of verbal genres including: libation poetry, praise appellations, abuse
poetry, dirge, narrative forms, proverbs, riddles, drum poetry, traditional songs, and popular
music. It also considers how such genres are perceived and evaluated in the contexts in which
they occur, and how they have been adapted to deal with contemporary and emerging trends.
LNGS 308: Ethnography of Speaking
This course discusses the social and cultural norms governing communication in general, dwelling
on Dell Hymes’ advocacy for the study of language beyond grammar. Topics discussed include:
linguistic relativity, linguistic determinism, cultural attitudes to speaking, the power of the spoken
word, secret languages, silence, indirection, norms of speaking in various forums, non-verbal
communication and verbal taboos.
LNGS 309: Sociolinguistics
This course is designed to help students (a) gain insight into the social dynamics of language use
and (b) understand certain basic concepts and issues in sociolinguistics. Topics include:
definition and scope of sociolinguistics, linguistic varieties, speech communities/communities of
practice, communicative competence multilingualism,, politeness and solidarity, language and
gender, and language attitudes.
LNGS 311: Child Language Development
This course is designed to introduce students to theories that explain how and when children
achieve proficiency in the language they are exposed to without receiving deliberate instruction in
the rules of language. Students will be required to design and administer simple experiments to
test children’s knowledge of aspects of the grammar of their language. Topics include: linguistics
and language acquisition, phonological acquisition, morphological development and innovation,
acquisition of syntax, syntactic and semantic development, cognition, environment and language
learning.
LNGS 312: Introduction to Translation Theory
This course is meant to introduce students to the principles of translating from one language to
another. Students will be exposed to variations in the connotative and figurative use of words
across languages, which are necessary for doing translation in an efficient manner. Topics to be
covered include: types of translation, analysis of lexical items into semantic features, meaning
variation in lexemes, semantic propositions and negation.
LNGS 314: Discourse Analysis
This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn the tools for text analysis
and evaluation. By the end of the course, students should be confident in analyzing and evaluating
a wide variety of written and spoken texts. Topics include: nature and scope of discourse
analysis; thematic structure; information structure; cohesion; coherence; critical discourse
analysis.
LNGS 316: Second Language Acquisition and Learning
The course examines theories of second language acquisition and learning and current issues in the
field. Socio-cultural, cognitive and personality variables affecting second language learning will
be examined. Topics include: creative construction, interlanguage hypothesis, cognitive
dimension of second language acquisition, personality variable in second language acquisition and
contexts of learning.
LNGS 318: Acoustic Phonetics
This course deals with the study of the acoustical properties of speech sounds including the basic
physical principles involved in the generation and propagation of sound energy and the phenomenon
of resonance. It also focuses on an acoustic model of sound production by the vocal tract and the
principles and techniques of acoustic analysis of speech. Topics to be covered include the physical
structure of sound waves, the human vocal tract as a sound producing device, computer tools for
speech processing and acoustic properties of speech sounds in English and other languages.
LNGS 322: Introduction to Ghanaian Sign Language
The course will introduce students to the phonology and morphology of sign language in general
as well as some practical aspects of Ghanaian Sign Language (GSL). The course will combine
theory with practical work. There will be two hours of practical work each week during which a
sign language instructor will teach students how to sign. Topics to be treated include: simple
statements, adjectival predicates, kinship terms, polar questions, content questions, negation,
directional verbs, possession and modals.
LNGS 324 Introduction to Research Methods in Linguistics
This course introduces students to the basics of doing linguistic research. It focuses on research
design, data collection methods and analysis. It also deals with practical issues in fieldwork as well
as the ethics of research. Topics include sources of linguistic data and literature, research report
writing, referencing and issues regarding plagiarism and academic dishonesty. This course is a
requirement for all students intending to write a Long Essay
LNGS 401: Phonological Theory
This course explores theoretical issues that underlie phonological patterns and processes.
Attention is given to various phonological approaches and representations within linear segmental
phonology, Autosegmental Phonology and Optimality Theory. Data from a variety of languages
are used to evaluate these approaches and their relative strengths in the analyses of various aspects
of phonology. Areas covered include feature theory, segmental processes, and theoretical issues in
prosody such as syllabification, tone, stress, and intonation.
LNGS 402: Semantics
This course will introduce students to some of the basic concepts in the study of meaning in
language and the ways in which meaning is conveyed. Issues in connection with word and
sentence meaning as well as the relationship between sentence structure and
meaning/interpretation will be explored. Some of the topics to be discussed are: semantic
relations (such as synonymy, antonymy, polysemy and homophony); semantic relations involving
sentences (such as paraphrase, entailment, and contradiction); structural ambiguity and thematic
roles.
LNGS 403: Syntax II
This course is aimed at helping students to acquire advanced knowledge in syntactic analysis
using data from a wide variety of languages and to prepare them for further work in any syntactic
theory. Students may be introduced to any of the competing theories of syntax such as functional
grammar, relational grammar, the principles and parameters, framework and/or the minimalist
programme.
LNGS 404 Morphological Theory
This course delves into the various theoretical approaches to the analysis of word structure. The
implications of the approaches for our understanding of the architecture of the grammar will be
assessed. As part of the course, students will be expected to apply the various theoretical
frameworks to the analysis of a morphological pattern in a language other than English. Topics to
be discussed include Construction Morphology, Distributed Morphology, Word and Paradigm
Morphology and Word Grammar.
LNGS 405 Language in Business
In the fast changing world of the workplace, effective communication has become an essential tool
for successful career practice. The idea of this course is to guide students to appreciate the
relevant connection between language analysis and the world of work. Topics covered in the
course include business-writing skills, word building strategies, effective use of words,
presentation skills, cross-cultural business and communications.
LNGS 406: Language and Politics
The course deals with the relationship between language and politics. It exposes students to
language and negotiation and the maintenance of political power relations in traditional and
contemporary societies. Topics include the grammar/linguistics and stylistics of power
negotiation, language and colonial dominations, linguistic determinism, free speech, language and
political persuasion, campaign and propaganda language, language and governance, as well as
language and the resistance of dominant ideology.
LNGS 407: Pidgin and Creole Languages
The course will cover various pidgins and creoles of the world, including those of Haiti, Jamaica,
Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria. It exposes students to theories of their origin, their
socio-cultural significance and their use in the modern world. Their linguistic features will be
compared with those of other languages. Other topics include: structural characteristics,
pidginization, and creolization.
LNGS 408: Language Planning and Development
The course looks at the orientations and processes of language planning and their relation to the
socio-economic development of a nation. Ghana’s language situation and the type of language
policy options available and their consequences will be discussed. The topics include: the
language planning process, orientations, underlying ideologies, language planning and socioeconomic
development, and Ghana’s language situation.
LNGS 409: Advanced Theory of Translation
This course exposes students to advanced techniques and principles of translation. It also
examines the assumed co-operation between source author and translator and target receiver, in
relation to coherence and readability. Topics to be covered include embedded, parallel, and
sequential propositions, textual presentation, cohesion and prominence within information
structure.
LNGS 411: Syntax of a Ghanaian Language
This course aims at providing advanced knowledge of the syntactic structures of a particular
Ghanaian language (e.g. Akan, Dagaare, Dagbani, Dangme Ewe, Ga, and Guren). It assumes
some level of proficiency on the part of students in the language concerned. Topics include
serialization and other multiverb constructions, complementation, interrogative constructions,
relative clauses, reflexivisation, grammaticalisation, and focus constructions.
LNGS 412: Semantics of a Ghanaian Language
This course addresses the issue of how meaning is expressed in a Ghanaian language (e.g. Akan,
Dagaare, Dagbani, Dangme Ewe, Ga, and Guren). It provides students with the knowledge of
sense relations. Each of this set of courses concentrates on the semantics of aspect and aspectual
constructions, including the relations between the semantics of the root and the semantics of the
affix. Verb valency and semantic argument roles, the semantics of derived verbs, topicalization,
focus and related phenomena may be considered.
LNGS 413: Syntax of English
This course provides students the opportunity to appreciate some of the advanced issues in the
syntax of English. Informed by advances in various theoretical approaches to the structure of
English beyond the word level, the course examines topics such as grammatical relations,
complementation, transitivity, relative clause formation, reflexivisation, interrogatives, and
identificational and existential constructions.
LNGS 414: Semantics of English
In this course, the basic semantic unit, the proposition, is analysed into a central predicate plus
various participant’s roles and circumstances, which may be negated. Propositions may be linked
in parallel, in sequence, or with embedding. Other topics include information units, topic, focus,
presupposed information, expression of a sender’s attitude, second-language varieties of Standard
English.
LNGS 415: Linguistics and Language Teaching
The course will expose students to the relevance of insights from linguistic research to the
development of methods of language teaching. Various methods of language teaching and their
effectiveness will be explored. Topics to be covered include the Audio-lingual method,
Communicative Language Teaching, Total Physical Response and the teaching of reading,
comprehension and spelling.