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Introduction to Linguistics

Code: 100228
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics FB 1
Spanish Language and Literature FB 1
English Studies FB 1
English and Catalan Studies FB 1
English and Spanish Studies FB 1
Catalan and Spanish Studies FB 1
English and French Studies FB 1
English and Classics Studies FB 1

Contact lecturer

Name :
Anna Gavarró Algueró
Email :
anna.gavarro@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Txuss Martin Martin
Sergio Balari Ravera
Joaquim Llisterri Boix
Elena Ciutescu
Jingtao Zhu

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

There are no specific prerequisites to take the course. Even when offered in Catalan or Spanish, it is advisable to be able to read in English, to have access to the linguistic literature.

Objectives

The goal of the course is to introduce the student to the scientific study of language.

Learning outcomes

  1. Express ideas effectively in formal academic texts by adopting argumentative and textual procedures.
  2. Construct normatively correct texts.
  3. Summarise the knowledge acquired about the origin of the various fields within the discipline and the transformations they have undergone.
  4. Analyse the main phonetic, phonological morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the present-day language .
  5. Identify the basic components of language structures and analyse and compare the phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic structures of languages.
  6. Describe, identify and compare the basic structures of languages.
  7. Explain the fundamental principles of language, and the properties of natural languages.
  8. Explain the fundamental principles of the processes of linguistic communication and interpretation.
  9. Present content and arguments in reasoned formal discourse (oral and written). .
  10. Organise self-directed learning efficiently and productively.
  11. Construct an oral and written discourse in the corresponding language that is well-organised and correct.
  12. Identify principal and secondary ideas and express them using correct language.
  13. Construct texts according to the established rules.
  14. Express yourself efficiently applying argumentational and textual procedures in formal and scientific texts.
  15. Summarise the knowledge acquired about the origin and changes experienced by the different fields of study in the discipline.
  16. Analyse the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the current language.
  17. Identify the basic components of the structures of languages and analyse and compare the phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic structures of the languages.
  18. Describe, identify and contrast the basic structures of the languages.
  19. Explain the main foundations and principles of language and the properties and characteristics of natural languages.
  20. Explain the bases of linguistic communication and interpreting processes.
  21. Give reasoned expression of content and arguments in formal (written and spoken) discourse.
  22. Organise the autonomous part of learning efficiently and profitably.
  23. Create an organised and correct discourse, spoken and in writing, in the corresponding language.
  24. Identify the primary and secondary ideas and express them correctly.
  25. Preparing an oral and written discourse in the corresponding language in a proper and organized way.
  26. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  27. Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
  28. Locate specialised and academic information and select this according to its relevance.
  29. Understand and apply the knowledge and skills acquired from basic and advanced texts in linguistics and English grammar.
  30. Explaining the foundations and principles of language, as well as the properties and characteristics of natural languages.
  31. Explaining the foundations of the communication processes and linguistic interpretation.
  32. Express oneself orally in English, in an academic register and using appropriate terminology, in relation to the study of English linguistics and grammar.
  33. Express oneself in writing in English, in an academic register and using appropriate terminology, in relation to the study of English linguistics and grammar.
  34. Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  35. Expressing contents and arguments in a reasoned manner in (oral and written) formal discourses.
  36. Understand specialised academic texts on general linguistics and English grammar.
  37. Produce non-extensive specialised texts on general linguistics and English grammar.
  38. Accurately drawing up normative texts.
  39. Summarising acquired knowledge about the origin and transformations experienced in its several fields of study.
  40. Identify, describe and analyse the main morphological and syntactic properties of the English language.
  41. Analysing the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the current language.
  42. Identifying the basic components of the structures of the language and analysing and comparing its phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic structures.
  43. Describing, identifying and contrasting the basic structures of a language.
  44. Distinguish grammatical gender from natural gender.
  45. Organising with efficiency and profitability the autonomous part of the learning process.
  46. Synthesise the knowledge acquired on the origin and transformations undergone by the different fields of study of the discipline.
  47. Describe, identify and contrast the basic structures of languages.
  48. Explain the fundamentals of the processes of linguistic communication and interpretation.
  49. Express oneself effectively by applying argumentative and textual procedures in formal and scientific texts.
  50. Express contents and arguments in a reasoned way in formal discourses (oral and written).
  51. Organise the autonomous part of the learning process efficiently and profitably.
  52. Analyse the structural properties of languages according to the methods of linguistic theory.
  53. Explain the foundations and principles of language, as well as the properties and characteristics of natural languages.
  54. Identify main and secondary ideas and express them with linguistic correctness.
  55. Identify the relationships between literature and language, and the language in which it is spoken and written, and express them with linguistic correctness.
  56. Describe, identify and contrast the basic structures of a language.
  57. Explain the foundations and principles of language, as well as the properties and characteristics of natural languages.
  58. Preparing an oral and written discourse in the corresponding language in a proper and organized way.
  59. Identifying main and supporting ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  60. Explain the foundations of the communication and linguistic interpretation processes.
  61. Identify the basic components of the structures of language and analysing and comparing its phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic structures.
  62. Express content and reasoned arguments in (oral and written) formal speeches.
  63. Express oneself effectively by applying argumentative and textual procedures in formal and scientific texts.
  64. Organising with efficiency and profitability the autonomous part of the learning process.
  65. Effectively communicate and apply the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  66. Develop an organized and correct oral and written speech, in the corresponding language.
  67. Identify the main and secondary ideas and express them with linguistic correctness.
  68. Accurately drawing up normative texts.

Contents

1. Introduction. The diversity and universality of language. Biological aspects of language. Language acquisition. Universal grammar and particular grammar. Grammar and acceptability.


2. The structure of language


2.1 Morphology, syntax and meaning. The units of morphological analysis. Morphological typology. Grammatical categories. Argument structure, word order, case and agreement. Syntactic structure as a hierarchical structure; constituency tests. The functional structure of the sentence. Long distance relations: movement. The principle of compositionality. Reference and truth conditions. Information structure: Interpretation of utterances in context.


2.2. Phonetics and phonology. Phonetic transcription and the International Phonetic Alphabet. The units of phonological analysis: phonological features. The syllable. Phonological processes. Suprasegmental processes.



Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Master lectures and problem discussion 36 1.44 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Search for information and study 60 2.4 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, 24
Problem resolution 28 1.12 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

The course will be based on problem resolution.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Written exercise (1) 30% 12 0.48 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53
Written or oral exercise (2) 25% 12 0.48 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68
Written exam 45% 2 0.08 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55

Assessment will be continuous, and the final mark will be based on the assessment of two exercises, which will be handed in at a time determined by the lecturers, and on the results of a written examination held in class at the end of the course. The final examination covers the course content in its entirety, including that of the exercises. The final exam will be taken without notes or a computer. At the time each assessment activity is carried out, information on the procedure and the date for marking appeals will be provided via the Moodle classroom.


In accordance with faculty regulations, to pass the module a weighted average mark of 4.9 or higher must be achieved from the three learning assessments, and a minimum mark of 3.5 must also be obtained in the in-person written examination. If this second requirement is not met, the maximum grade for the course will be 4.5. Failure to submit an assessment by the deadline without a valid and documented reason will result in a grade of 0 (zero) for that assessment. Exercises 1 and 2 must be the result of each student's individual work, and they may be interviewed by the lecturers about the content of their submitted work if there is any indication that an irregularity has occurred (for example, a significant discrepancy between the marks obtained in the exercises and those in the exam).


The student will receive a ‘not assessable’ grade if they have not submitted a set of evidence whose weighting exceeds 30% of the course's total mark.


At the time each assessment activity takes place, the professor will inform students (via Moodle) of the procedure and the date for reviewing grades.


To be eligible to sit the resit (recuperació), students must have achieved a mark between 3.5 and 4.8 and have submitted a set of evidence worth at least two-thirds of the module's total mark. The resit will consist of an in-person written examination on the course content. Any work that includes AI-generated passages will be considered academic dishonesty and will result in the activity being marked with a 0 (zero) and being unable to be resat. In more serious cases, further sanctions may be applied.


According to article 266.11 of the Academic Regulations of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in the event that a student commits any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment (for example, plagiarism or unauthorised use of AI), that assessment will be marked 0 (zero), regardless of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated. If multiple irregularities occur in assessments, the final grade for this module will be 0 (zero). The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted at any stage of the preparation of assignments for this module. Any assignment that includes AI-generated passages will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and will result in the activity being marked 0 (zero) and being irrecoverable. In more serious cases, harsher sanctions may be applied.


Students on exchange programmes who request to take an exam early must submit a written document from their home university to the lecturers to justify their request.


This module does not use the single assessment system.



Bibliography

Akmajian, A., Farmer, A. K., Bickmore, L., Demers, R. A. & Harnish, R. M. (2017). Linguistics: An introduction to language and communication. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.

Encyclopaedia of Language and Linguistics. (2006) Ed. Brown, Keith. Amsterdam: Elsevier. (Available online at the UAB: https://bibcercador.uab.cat/permalink/34CSUC_UAB/1eqfv2p/alma991010400377406709). New edition, 2026.

Fasold, R. W. & Connor-Linton, J. (Ed.). (2014). An introduction to language and linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707511

Finegan, E. (2015). Language: Its structure and use. Cengage Learning.

*Fromkin, V. (Ed.). (2000). Linguistics: An introduction to linguistic theory. Oxford: Blackwell.

Hayes, Bruce (2011) Introductory Phonology. Malden, Mass./Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Jackendoff, Ray (1994) Patterns in the Mind. Language and Human Nature. New York: Basic Books.

Larson, Richard (2010) Grammar as Science. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press.

O’Grady, W., Archibald, J., Aronoff, M. & Rees-Miller, J. (Ed.). (2017). Contemporary linguistics: An introduction (7a ed.). Bedford/St. Martin’s, Macmillan Learning.

Sandoval, J. B. & Denham, K. K. (2021). Thinking like a linguist: An introduction to the science of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316874967

Sportiche, D., Koopman, H. & Stabler, E. (2014) An Introduction to Syntactic Analysis and Theory. Chichester: Wiley/Blackwell.

Yule, G. (2008). El lenguaje. Madrid: Akal.

Yule, G. (2020). The study of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108582889




Software

https://filcat.uab.cat/einaling/

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 English first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 English first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 2 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 2 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 3 Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 3 Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 4 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 4 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 5 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 5 Catalan second semester morning-mixed