Historical-comparative linguistics

obligatory courses

(in Polish) Znajomość języka litewskiego i łotewskiego w stopniu umożliwiającym pracę na materiale źródłowym w tych językach.

Classroom

The aim of the course is to familiarise students with the assumptions, methods, tasks, history and achievements of Indo-European historical-comparative linguistics. In addition, it will familiarise students with the basic linguistic terminology most frequently encountered in theoretical and material works in this field. Key concepts and phenomena are discussed on material from Indo-European languages with a special focus on Baltic languages and Slavic and Germanic languages.

The following topics will be covered in this class:

- The emergence of historical-comparative linguistics. Its development. The main representatives and their works with particular emphasis on the study of Baltic languages (also with reference to Germanic and Slavic languages).

- A description of the fundamental achievements of historical-comparative linguistics, including, inter alia, the reconstruction of the Praindo-European language, voice laws, analogy, apophony, internal reconstruction, external reconstruction, gene tree theory, wave theory, laryngal theory, etc.

- Indo-European languages. The disintegration of Indo-European unity: satem and kentum. Families and groups of Indo-European languages. Expansion of Indo-European languages around the world.

- The distinction between historical-comparative linguistics and linguistic typology.

- Basic terminology found in historical-comparative studies.

James Clackson, Indo-European Linguistics. An Introduction, Cambridge: University Press, 2007, rozdiały 1,2

I. Wischer. Grammaticalization. In: Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics.

J. Bouma, Sound laws, In:Robert Stephen Paul Beekes (2011). Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction. (Second edition). John Benjamins Publishing Company. (https://archive.org/details/ComparativeIndoEuropeanLinguistics)

Leszek Bednarczuk (red.) (1986). Języki indoeuropejskie. Tom 1. i 2. Warszawa: PWN. (strony: tom 1.: Leszek Bednarczuk, Wprowadzenie: 19-49, tom 2.: Wojciech Smoczyński, Języki bałtyckie: 817-905).

James Clackson (2007). Indo-European Linguistics. An Introduction. New York: Cambridge University Press. (http://caio.ueberalles.net/Indo-European-Linguistics-Introduction/Indo-European%20Linguistics%20-%20James%20Clackson.pdf)

Benjamin W. IV Fortson (2004/2010). Indo-European Language and Culture. An Introduction (2nd Edition). Blackwell Publishing Ltd. (strony: 1-15, 364-389). (http://caio.ueberalles.net/Indo-European-Linguistics-Introduction/Indo-European%20Language%20and%20Culture%20-%20Benjamin%20W.%20Fortson%20IV.pdf )

Adam Heinz (1978). Dzieje językoznawstwa w zarysie. Warszawa: PWN. (strony 122-142, 152-164, 170-205, 438-442).

Kazimierz Polański (red.) (1999). Encyklopedia językoznawstwa ogólnego. Wrocław – Warszawa – Kraków: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich

Wojciech Smoczyński (2007). Słownik etymologiczny języka litewskiego. Wilno: Vilniaus universitetas. (strony XXI–XXVII)

Adam Weinsberg (1983). Językoznawstwo ogólne. Warszawa: PWN. (strony 72-106).

Eva Tichy (2009). Indogermanistisches Grundwissen für Studierende sprachwissenschaftlicher Disziplinen. Bremen: Ute Hempen Verlag.

Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics.

On completion of the course the student

KNOWLEDGE

– understands a number of key notions of historical linguistics, such as sound law, internal reconstruction, reanalysis, grammaticalization etc.

SKILLS

– is able to identify the more obvious instances of operation of diachronic processes in his/her native language and in the Baltic languages.

AWARENESS

– is aware of the connections of linguistics not only with the cognitive sciences, but also with historical sciences.

Assessment based on attendance and activity in class and a final written test (closed and open questions).

Students are allowed two absences per semester, each subsequent absence must be credited in a manner agreed in advance with the instructor.

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