Everywhere, every day, everybody uses language. There is no human society, no matter how small or how isolated, which does not employ a language that is rich and diverse. This course introduces you to linguistics, featuring interviews with well-known linguists and with speakers of many different languages. Join us to explore the miracles of human language!
Miracles du langage humain : Introduction à la linguistique
Offert par
Université de Leyde
Meertens instituut (KNAW)
Miracles du langage humain : Introduction à la linguistique
Université de Leyde
À propos de ce cours
203,379 consultations récentes
Résultats de carrière des étudiants
44%
ont commencé une nouvelle carrière après avoir terminé ce cours
23%
ont bénéficié d'un avantage concret dans leur carrières grâce à ce cours
Compétences que vous acquerrez
Essay WritingHistoryEnglish LanguageChinese Language
Résultats de carrière des étudiants
44%
ont commencé une nouvelle carrière après avoir terminé ce cours
23%
ont bénéficié d'un avantage concret dans leur carrières grâce à ce cours
100 % en ligne
Commencez dès maintenant et apprenez aux horaires qui vous conviennent.
Dates limites flexibles
Réinitialisez les dates limites selon votre disponibilité.
Niveau débutant
Approx. 26 heures pour terminer
Anglais
Sous-titres : Anglais, Roumain, Arabe, Bulgare
Programme du cours : ce que vous apprendrez dans ce cours
4 heures pour terminer
Introduction to Linguistics
In this first week, we will try to determine what makes language human: why do (almost) all human beings have a language, and what makes human language different from animal communication systems? We will furthermore discuss the many different places where linguists work, and the many different methodologies that they use for conducting their research. You will moreover get to know all the other participants in this MOOC: my students Inge and Marten, as well as the speakers of six different languages. Finally, don't forget to watch our first expert interview: Marten and Inge have talked with Dr. Victoria Nyst of Leiden University, who has enlightened us in the fascinating world of sign languages! For the assignments with the support of Ethnologue, please make sure to study the instructions listed in 'required and optional readings' of this module.
4 heures pour terminer
15 vidéos (Total 76 min), 6 lectures, 1 quiz
15 vidéos
How to succeed in your online class?2 min
Human Language and Animal Communication Systems6 min
Human Language Versus Other 'Languages'9 min
Discussion with Marten and Inge: Language Diversity9 min
Language Diversity and Ethnologue8 min
Discussion with Marten and Inge: What do Linguists do?13 min
Interview with Dr. Victoria Nyst10 min
Introduction language informants + introducing Han Hu, Speaker of Mandarin Chinese4 min
Introducing Roberta D'Alessandro, speaker of Abruzzese48s
Introducing Khalid Mourigh, speaker of Tarifit Berber51s
Introducing Varun DeCastro-Arrazola, speaker of Basque1 min
Introducing Beste Sevindik, speaker of Turkish1 min
Introducing Enoch Aboh, speaker of Gungbe1 min
Conclusion; language and dialect2 min
6 lectures
Meet the instructor & his team5 min
Leiden University: Facts & Figures10 min
Community Guidelines 5 min
What is your learning path?5 min
Registration Ethnologue10 min
Required and optional readings30 min
1 exercice pour s'entraîner
Test your knowledge 130 min
2 heures pour terminer
The study of sound: Phonology and Phonetics
In this module we will delve into what appear to be the smallest building blocks of spoken language: 'sounds'. As we will see however, all is not what it seems, as we will in fact encounter an even smaller building block of language, a true atom. Another interesting thing about this module is that as of this week our 6 informants will all only speak their own language. Naturally, there is also an interview with my very special friend Prof. dr. Claartje Levelt, whom I have announced before.
2 heures pour terminer
13 vidéos (Total 62 min), 1 lecture, 1 quiz
13 vidéos
Production of speech sounds7 min
Discussion with Marten and Inge: consonants of world languages8 min
Sounds in systems7 min
Discussion with Marten and Inge: sounds and language change11 min
Interview with Prof. dr. Claartje Levelt7 min
Introduction + Tarifit Berber4 min
Gungbe1 min
Turkish1 min
Abruzzese1 min
Mandarin Chinese1 min
Basque1 min
Conclusion; sounds and gestures1 min
1 lecture
Required and optional readings30 min
1 exercice pour s'entraîner
Test your knowledge 230 min
5 heures pour terminer
The study of words and sentences: Morphology and Syntax
In this module we will discuss words and sentences. All languages have them; but as I will illustrate, they can be organized in very different ways in different languages. I will furthermore demonstrate what cupcakes have in common with words in a sentence. This module's interview is with one of the most cited and re-knowned linguists alive, Prof. Noam Chomsky! Finally, our 6 language informants will provide us with information about the word order in their languages.
5 heures pour terminer
14 vidéos (Total 86 min), 1 lecture, 2 quiz
14 vidéos
Words and sentences3 min
Morphology9 min
Discussion with Marten and Inge: world of words11 min
Syntax and word order (a)8 min
Syntax and word order (b)5 min
Discussion with Marten and Inge: world of word order8 min
Interview with Prof. Noam Chomsky28 min
Introduction + Basque3 min
Tarifit Berber2 min
Gungbe1 min
Turkish58s
Abruzzese1 min
Mandarin Chinese55s
Conclusion; structure beyond sentences1 min
1 lecture
Required and optional readings1 h
1 exercice pour s'entraîner
Test your knowledge 330 min
3 heures pour terminer
The study of meaning: Pragmatics and Semantics
This module deals with a topic which many of you find very interesting: meaning. How do we determine what a word means? To what extent does our language influence our thinking? How can we change the world with language? As usual, we also have an additional interview with an expert of the current module's theme: in this module Barend Beekhuizen talks to Inge and Marten about his work as a Leiden PhD student in computational linguistics.
3 heures pour terminer
13 vidéos (Total 66 min), 2 lectures, 1 quiz
13 vidéos
Layers of meaning5 min
Semantics7 min
Discussion with Marten and Inge: color and snow10 min
Pragmatics11 min
Discussion with Marten and Inge: changing the world with sentences9 min
Interview with Barend Beekhuizen MA11 min
Introduction + Abruzzese1 min
Tarifit Berber1 min
Turkish1 min
Basque52s
Mandarin Chinese2 min
Gungbe1 min
Conclusion; untranslatable words?1 min
2 lectures
Required and optional readings1 h
Quiz readings10 min
1 exercice pour s'entraîner
Test your knowledge 430 min
Avis
4.7
Meilleurs avis pour MIRACLES DU LANGAGE HUMAIN : INTRODUCTION À LA LINGUISTIQUE
par DCSep 23, 2017
Extremely informational, well presented, with questions that stimulate reflection. The optional reading material is food for thought. I hope to see more courses from the same professor and University.
par DPJan 2, 2017
Excellent! Really enjoyed and learnt a lot. I did not expect such a great content and professionalism in a free course. I am definitely purchasing for the title.\n\nThanks to all the team! Great job!
par SSMar 21, 2019
I've taken a number of online courses on linguistics now, and this one was by and far the best. The material covered is indepth and engaging, and the professor's enthusiam makes the videos a delight.
par MPJun 22, 2016
Some of the material could be a bit more analytical, and there were a few problems with the quiz questions. Other than that, perfect! Great introduction to linguistics. Thank you for your hard work!
par LKNov 1, 2018
Very interesting course, well-made videos, interesting interviews and reading materials. Would definitely recommend this course to people who want to know more about different aspects of language.
par JCMar 27, 2019
I found this course extremely challenging. Which I love. I now have a whole know respect for the learners of languages, and the people who study linguistics. I am glad I took part in this program.
par ASMar 21, 2017
This is one of the best MOOCs I've participated in. The lectures are engaging and the student community is vibrant! If you plan to improve your knowledge about the beauty of Languages - Go for it!
par PWJul 20, 2019
I am essentially learning languages for work or for fun but this course gave me an opportunity to consolidate some knowledge / understanding about languages and across many languages. Excellent!
par KEMar 23, 2020
This course was fascinating, and the professor and his students were very personable. You can tell that they love the subject they're teaching, and that makes the material even more palatable.
par BPSep 21, 2018
Dr. Van Oostendorp and Leiden University have created a course of outstanding quality. It far exceeded my expectations and has provided an excellent introduction to the subject of Linguistics.
par BOAug 22, 2017
I loved this course. The professor does a fabulous job explaining the material and bringing in others to show the material's relevance.\n\nIt was very interesting and I want to learn more!
par LBMar 27, 2017
I found this course to be not only educational but extremely interesting. It provides a great overview of the field of linguistics and does so in an engaging manner. I highly recommend it!
par AJan 12, 2019
My time with this course was awesome...I learned things more than my expectations ....\n\nthanks coursera\n\nespecially thanks to " Professor Marc Van Oostendorp",doing a great job ...
par MRAug 19, 2016
It was very interesting and you get to understand a lot about Linguistics, considering the amount of time it requires. It also makes the most of the platform, so it's really well made.
par SRAug 12, 2017
Good introduction to linguistics led by a charming Professor with great enthusiasm for his subject. It was certainly enough to convince me that the study of linguistics is not for me
par NNDec 1, 2016
Loved this course! The professor was informative and engaging, and Inge and Martin made the class interesting and fun. I also enjoyed the interviews with other experts in the field.
par ZZApr 6, 2017
It's fantastic to have a brief look into the intriguing Linguistics. There's so much to learn. But some of the readings and test might be too difficult and improper for a beginner.
par THNov 3, 2018
This is a challenging course, but if you are truly interested in linguistics this is an excellent choice. Certainly the best one available in a MOOC. Thank you for the effort.
par NSOct 9, 2016
I very much enjoyed this course. All of the videos were informative as well as engaging. The material was compelling and I think I may like to learn more in the future!
par KMNov 29, 2018
Brilliant course! Content was engaging and varied, lectures were interesting, assigments were just the right level of difficulty Many thanks to everyone involved! :)
À propos de Université de Leyde
Leiden University is one of Europe's foremost research universities. This prominent position gives our graduates a leading edge and prepares them for careers both within and outside of academia. Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands, founded in 1575. Our motto is: Praesidium Libertatis (Bastion of Liberty) - Freedom of spirit, thought and expression. Leiden University has a campus in Leiden and The Hague, with 7 faculties, 47 Bachelor Programmes, 79 Master Programmes and nearly 30,000 students.
À propos de Meertens instituut (KNAW)
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