Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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 Gurenɛ). 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.

Credit Hours - 3

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 Gurenɛ). 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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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.

Credit Hours - 3

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