APG5046 English grammar, pedagogy and use

Language is infinitely creative, yet governed by a set of rules that speakers learn consciously and subconsciously. This unit focuses on making our implicit knowledge about English more explicit. It does this through the two-pronged approach of introducing terminology and notation systems for talking about language structures, and applying this knowledge to real-world language problems (especially the teaching and learning of English). Through a focus on morpho-syntax ('grammar') the unit gives you deeper insight into the workings of English, while also introducing data from a range of other languages for the purposes of comparison. You also reflect on how utterances are given meaning (semantics and pragmatics) and the importance of contextual factors in determining whether an utterance is grammatically correct or appropriate.