LINGENGL02 Linguistics and English Language

Linguistics and English Language involves the scientific study of language and its applications.The program at Monash has a particular strength in exploring multilingualism and multilingual societies, including areas such as language and globalisation, language learning and teaching and language endangerment. As part of this too, students have the option to specialise in English as an international language. 

Linguistics involves the study of language, its structure, its diversity and its use.  It provides tools for the analysis and description of any given language, and examines how languages differ and what they have in common. Through linguistic analysis we explore identity construction, social and cultural organisation, variation and change, and multilingualism, as well as language patterns in texts and discourses. Knowledge of linguistics is central to the study of languages and is a valuable adjunct to studies in anthropology, education, philosophy, sociology, psychology, law, translation studies and computer science.

English as an international language (EIL) is a newly established area of study. It offers a new perspective on the use of English in today's globalised world. Units examine the different Englishes in the world, and the implications of the global spread of the English language for intercultural communication. They also enable students to reflect critically on their experiences of using English in a variety of contexts, and to develop a high level of understanding of the ideology behind the use of English in both local and global contexts.

The level 1 units of the Linguistics and English language minor introduce students to the nature of language in all its aspects, including its structure and diversity, how it changes and evolves, how people acquire it and use it to communicate. These areas involve phonetics (the production and representation of speech sounds), phonology (the organisation of sounds in a language), morphology (the structures of words), syntax (the organisation of words in sentences), semantics and pragmatics (the analysis of meaning), historical linguistics (language change) and sociolinguistics (language variation and use) with explicit references to the English language and also other languages.

In later years, these areas are developed further and options are available to investigate Aboriginal languages, Pacific languages, sociolinguistics,  the structure of English, varieties of English (e.g., world Englishes), digital literacies, language change, psycholinguistics, cultural linguistics, first and second language acquisition, intercultural communication, endangered languages, and intercultural competence.

Availability

Linguistics and English Language is listed in A2000 Bachelor of Arts at Clayton as a major and a minor, and in A0502 Diploma of Liberal Arts at Clatyon as a major.