MA Linguistics Handbook 2014-15 CD

School of English Literature,
Language & Linguistics

www.ncl.ac.uk/elll
Programme Handbook
2014-2015
MA in Linguistics (with English Language/ Language Acquisition/ European

Languages)
Table of Contents
1 Preface ................................................................................................................................ 4
2 Basic information ............................................................................................................... 6
2.1 Important dates.......................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Key Staff ...................................................................................................................... 6
2.3 Communication .......................................................................................................... 8
2.3.1 Email ......................................................................................................................... 8
2.3.2 Ordinary mail ............................................................................................................ 8
2.3.3 Change of address ..................................................................................................... 8
2.3.4 Blackboard ................................................................................................................ 8
2.4 Registration ................................................................................................................ 9
2.4.1 Process for new students: .......................................................................................... 9
2.4.2 Process for returning students ................................................................................. 10
2.4.3 Registration Locations 2014.................................................................................... 11
2.5 Induction events............................................................................................................ 12
2.5.1 School induction ...................................................................................................... 12
2.5.2 Faculty-level International Postgraduate Induction ................................................ 12
2.5.3 Visa Induction Presentations ................................................................................... 12
2.5.4 Linguistics Section welcome ................................................................................... 12
2.5.5 Recommended things to do before or during registration week ............................. 12
2.6 Module selection ...................................................................................................... 13
2.7 Centres and Societies ............................................................................................... 13
2.7.1 Centre for Research in Linguistics and Language Sciences (CRiLLS) ............. 13
2.7.2 The Linguistics Society ...................................................................................... 14
2.7.3 Other student societies and social activities ....................................................... 15
3 The MA Programme and Module Information ................................................................ 15
3.1 General requirements.............................................................................................. 15
3.1.1 Required modules and degree structure ............................................................. 16
3.2 Additional information on modules ....................................................................... 19
3.2.1 Module selection ................................................................................................ 19
3.2.2 Co- and pre-requisite modules ........................................................................... 20
3.2.3 Taking modules from other schools and auditing modules................................ 20
3.2.4 Your time............................................................................................................ 22
3.3 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 22
3.3.1 Your writing ....................................................................................................... 22
3.3.2 Submission of work ............................................................................................ 24
3.3.3 Evaluation of your work ..................................................................................... 26
4 Module Descriptions ........................................................................................................ 28
4.1 Required research training modules...................................................................... 28
4.2 Linguistics module descriptions ............................................................................. 28
4.4 Additional extra-School modules ........................................................................... 33
5 Additional information ..................................................................................................... 34
5.1 Attendance and progress......................................................................................... 34
5.2 Personal tutors ......................................................................................................... 34
5.3 Student representatives ........................................................................................... 34
5.4 Giving us your feedback.......................................................................................... 35
5.5 Student Conduct and Discipline ............................................................................. 35
5.6 Student Charter ....................................................................................................... 35
2
5.7 Method of MA degree classification....................................................................... 35
5.8 Congregations .......................................................................................................... 36
6 Other information ............................................................................................................. 36
6.1 The Percy Building .................................................................................................. 36
6.2 School and University resources ............................................................................. 36
6.3 School activities ........................................................................................................ 38
6.4 Safety policy and security ........................................................................................ 38
6.5 Student Services........................................................................................................ 39
6.6 What to do if things go wrong ................................................................................. 39
6.6.1 If you are ill ............................................................................................................. 39
6.6.2 Personal Extenuating Circumstances ...................................................................... 40
6.6.3 Change of circumstances (transfer, suspend studies or withdraw) ......................... 40
6.6.4 Complaints and appeals ........................................................................................... 40
6.7 Equal opportunities ................................................................................................. 41
6.8 Careers ...................................................................................................................... 41
Appendices ............................................................................................................................... 43
1. Module registration forms .......................................................................................... 43
2. Dissertation tips ........................................................................................................... 43
3. Linguistics staff outside the School ............................................................................ 43
3
1 Preface
Welcome to the School of English Literature, Language, and Linguistics at Newcastle
University! Linguistics and Language are represented in three schools at Newcastle
University the School of English Literature, Language & Linguistics, the School of
Modern Languages and the School of Education, Communication & Language Science.
Staff and students in the School of English Literature, Language & Linguistics work
alongside colleagues in these other schools and they also enjoy close regular contact with
colleagues at universities throughout Northeast England, the rest of the United Kingdom and
worldwide. What this means for you as a Newcastle student is a wide range of modules
(courses) from which to choose, supervisors with whom to work, reading groups in which to
participate, invited colloquia to attend and workshops or conferences at which to present
papers. We hope you will enjoy your time at Newcastle University.
Please read the entire handbook carefully and keep it for future reference. It contains
everything we think you need to know about your MA degree. Weve tried to anticipate
your questions, so read before you ask! The information here is accurate at the time of
going into print (July 2014). We advise that you regularly consult the School and University
websites for the most up-to-date information.
Please familiarise yourself with the School website (www.ncl.ac.uk/elll). This contains
information on all the research and teaching activities in the School, and the research profiles
of the staff teaching you.
Please check your Newcastle University e-mail account regularly (at least every other
day). This is our main means of contacting you and communicating important up-dates to
you.
Recent events
April 2014: Second International Conference on Discourse-Pragmatic Variation and Change
May 2013: Workshop on New Lexis
April 2013: International Workshop on European Languages and Diachronic Linguistics
June 2012: SLA Seminar Series Newcastle Workshop: Methodology in applied Generative
SLA
The Fourth Sociolinguistics Summer School
Workshop on The Syntax of Answers to Polar Questions
Sociolinguistics: Public lecture by Karen Corrigan The Talk of the Toon and Professor Jack
Chambers, University of Toronto
May 2012: Symposium on the History of English Syntax (spring)
4
September 2011: Second International Workshop on the Structure of the Noun Phrase in
English Synchronic and Diachronic Explorations (NP2)
7th Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Postgraduate Conference in Linguistics
2011: Child Language Seminar
We regularly invite linguists from other institutions to give presentations about their current
research at Newcastle. Talks are usually scheduled for Wednesdays, 4-5 pm. Over the last
year, speakers have included Nigel Vincent (Manchester), John Payne (Manchester) and
Geoff Pullum (Edinburgh), Laurie Bauer (Wellington) and Mark Aronoff (Stony Brook, New
York). Confirmed speakers for the academic year 2013-14 include: Dunstan Brown (York),
Jenny Cheshire (QMUL), Helen Goodluck (York), Pavel Isad (Edinburgh), Giuseppe
Longobardi (York), Devyani Sharma (QMUL), Jennifer Smith (Glasgow), David Stringer
(Indiana) and Ros Temple (Oxford). A detailed schedule of events with titles will be
circulated in early October.
You can find out whats happening this coming year by signing up to get the weekly emailed
newsletters from CRiLLS which will keep you informed about events at Newcastle and
elsewhere. Make sure you are on the list: email Sheila Heppel at crills@ncl.ac.uk. In
addition to conferences such as those listed whose venue varies annually, Newcastle hosts an
annual international postgraduate student conference in the spring. Students organize the
conference that began in 1993 as the Newcastle-Durham postgraduate student conference, and
they also edit its Working Papers, sent to linguistics departments around the world.
5
2 Basic information
2.1 Important dates
There are two teaching semesters at Newcastle University. Each involves 11 or 12 weeks of
teaching followed by an assessment period of several weeks. Assignments such as essays are
normally due at end of the teaching period, on the dates specified in the box below, and exams
typically take place during the examination period. If there is more than one assignment for
the module, the module leader will give you the additional due dates for these. The MA
dissertation is completed during the summer months, and you are expected to maintain
contact with the University during this time.
Semester 1
29 September 2014 to 12 December 2014 teaching weeks 1-11
15 December 2014 to 02 January 2015 no teaching
05 January 2015 to 09 January 2015 teaching week 12
Thursday 8 January 2015: Semester 1 assignments due
12 January 2015 to 23 January 2015 examination period
Semester 2
26 January 2015 to 13 March 2015 teaching weeks 1-7
16 March 2015 to 10 April 2015 no teaching
13 April 2015 to 15 May 2015 teaching weeks 8-12
Thursday 14 May 2015: Semester 2 assignments due
18 May
2.2 2015
Key School Staffto 12 June 2015 examination period
Summer: Dissertation research
4th September 2015 MA dissertations due

2.2 Key Staff
2.2 Key Staff
The School of English Literature, Language & Linguistics has some 50 odd academic staff
members, including about 15 linguistics staff. Below is a list of those staff members that you
will interact with most regularly. A full list of staff members is available at:
www.ncl.ac.uk/ell/people.
Mrs Sherelle Coulson

Postgraduate and Marketing Clerical Officer
School Reception, 3rd floor, Percy Building
(0191 208) 7199
sherelle.coulson@ncl.ac.uk
Mrs Coulson provides administrative assistance on PGT and PGR programmes. You should
contact her for general or administrative queries. She is also the assignment hand-in point.
6
Dr Cristina Dye
Degree Programme Director (DPD) for the MA (linguistics)
Room 2.11, Percy Building
cristina.dye@ncl.ac.uk
As DPD for the MA, Dr Dye has responsibility for the structure, content and standards of the
degree programme. Dr Dye is your first point of contact if you have any queries about
academic issues relating to the programme.
Dr Lucy Pearson
PGT/PGR Senior Tutor
(0191 208) 3894
lucy.pearson@ncl.ac.uk
Dr Pearson is responsible for the overall pastoral care of all PGT and PGR students in the
School and for individual student problems (e.g. involving medical or personal
circumstances). She is available to discuss general pastoral matters as well as any serious
ongoing problems which may impact on your progress
Dr Anne Whitehead
SELLL Director of Postgraduate Studies
(0191 208) 3531
anne.whitehead@ncl.ac.uk
Dr Whitehead has overall responsibility for all research degrees in the School and chairs the
Postgraduate Board of Studies.
Additional members of staff with whom you will have regular contact are listed below.
General enquiries
Julie Wilson
(0191 222) 7763
julie.wilson@ncl.ac.uk
Jill Callender
(0191 222) 6233
jill.callender@ncl.ac.uk
Helen Logan
(0191 222) 7625
helen.logan@ncl.ac.uk
Postgraduate matters in the School of Modern Languages

Lucy Brickwood
Room 6.3 Old Library Building
(0191 222) 5867
7
lucy.brickwood@ncl.ac.uk
Liaison Librarian (Robinson Library)
Lucy Keating
(0191 222) 7627
lucy.keating@ncl.ac.uk
2.3 Communication
2.3.1 Email
Your @ncl.ac.uk e-mail address is the one the University uses for official and academic
communications. Please check your Newcastle e-mail account regularly to avoid missing
urgent or otherwise important messages that will not be sent to any other e-mail accounts
you might have. Problems using e-mail should be sent to helpline@ncl.ac.uk, or call (0191
208) 8111.
E-mail is a convenient way of communicating important messages. However, please bear in
mind that you are not the only person who will be contacting your tutor or module leader and,
although they are available and willing to help you, they, like you, have a lot of demands on
their time. Before sending an email, please consider whether you could find out what you
need to know from somewhere else (e.g. this programme handbook).
2.3.2 Ordinary mail

Mail received for postgraduates is put into pigeonholes according to the first letter of your
surname in the Postgraduate Suite in the basement of the Percy Building. Please check these
pigeonholes regularly. Please do not use the university address for personal correspondence.
2.3.3 Change of address

Let us know immediately if you change your local or home address; just leave details with the
Postgraduate Secretary in the School Office, on the 3rd floor of the Percy Building.
2.3.4 Blackboard
Newcastle University uses a virtual learning environment called Blackboard. You can
access Blackboard from any computer, on or off campus, using your University Windows
username and password. Members of academic staff use Blackboard to provide a range of
information and materials to students. Once youve logged on, youll find links to Blackboard
sites for any of the modules for which you are registered. The login address is:
http://blackboard.ncl.ac.uk/
If you are not registered for a module because youre auditing (sitting in on) it, youll need to
see the Postgraduate Secretary to get Blackboard access for that module.
8
2.4 Registration
Registration and Induction week begins on Monday 22 September 2014. Before this, you
should have registered with the University and you will be invited to do this online via the
Student Self Service Portal (S3P). If you are having problems registering online, you should
call into the School Office and staff will be able to help you.
How to register:
All new and returning students will be registering online via the Student Self Service Portal
(S3P).
2.4.1 Process for new students:
Before Arrival in Newcastle

1. Students will be sent an e-mail/letter giving them their network login/password and
instructions on how to access their Newcastle e-mail account. Once students have
accessed their account they will find an e-mail waiting for them with their S3P
login/password and registration instructions. This will be sent to new postgraduates
from 1 August onwards.
2. Student logs into S3P.
3. Student accepts University terms and conditions.
4. Student checks the registration status screen.
5. Student confirms details (personal data, data required for HESA etc.) as well as their
programme.
6. Student pays tuition fees online if applicable using credit/debit card.
7. Once all tasks are complete student can press the Register button and print the
Registration document.
On arrival in Newcastle
8. Student pays tuition fees in person if applicable and if they havent already done this
before arrival as noted above in step 6.
9. All new students are required to register with a local GP. It is anticipated that
representatives from the local NHS Trust will be available in the Bamburgh Room,
Kings Road Centre, between Monday 16 and Thursday 26 September to advise
students on which local practices are available and to assist them in the registration
process. However, arrangements (as at publication date) are still to be confirmed.
10. Student collects their smart card. They must present their Registration document and
photo ID (passport for international students). Staff will be scanning passports and
visas for international students and attaching to their student records to meet UK
Home Office requirements.
9
11. Students whose native language is not English must sit the University English
Language Assessment (UELA).
12. Students should go to their School/Graduate School and take part in any induction
activities and choose modules if applicable.
2.4.2 Process for returning students

Before arrival in Newcastle
1. Students will be sent an e-mail inviting them to register via S3P (from 1 August
onwards, exact date depending on faculty/programme type).
2. Student logs into S3P.
3. Student accepts University terms and conditions.
4. Student checks the registration status screen.
5. Student confirms details (personal data, data required for HESA etc.) as well as their
programme.
6. Student pays tuition fees online if applicable using credit/debit card.
7. Once all tasks are complete student can press the Register button. (Returning students
do not need to print the Registration document.)
On arrival in Newcastle
8. Student pays tuition fees in person if applicable and if they havent already done this
before arrival as noted above in step 6.
9. Student should go to their School/Graduate School and take part in any induction
activities.
10. International students must have their passport/visa checked by Student Progress
Service staff. From Monday 4 August there will be a drop in facility for ID checking
in the Kings Gate Student Services Building between 10am and 12 noon on Mondays,
Tuesdays and Thursdays and between 2pm and 4pm on Wednesdays and Fridays.
During the main Registration period students will be directed to the ID checking
stations in the Kings Road Centre (between 15 and 25 September).
10
2.4.3 Registration Locations 2014
Kings Road Centre, Lindisfarne Room Student Progress staff for academic and
15 to 25 September general registration queries including S3P
Monday, 15 September 10.0017.00 support
Tuesday, 16 September 09.0017.00 PCs for use by students to complete their
Wednesday, 17 September 09.0017.00 S3P registration and/or print their
Thursday, 18 September 09.0017.00 Registration document.
Friday, 19 September 09.0017.00 Smart Card issuing
Saturday, 20 September 09.0017.00 ID checking
Sunday, 21 September 09.0017.00
Monday, 22 September 09.0017.00
Tuesday, 23 September 09.0017.00
Wednesday, 24 September 09.0017.00
Thursday, 25 September 09.0017.00
Herschel Building University English Language Assessments
17 to 19 September, 22 to 26 September, 1 International Welcome and Induction
October, then every Wednesday for the rest workshops
of the autumn term.
Robinson Library Smart card scanning stations for returning

15 to 25 September students
Old Library Building, OLUA Smart card scanning stations for returning
15 to 25 September students
Kings Gate Building Student Services on Level 2 will be able to

deal with any registration queries from
students outside the main registration period
but between 16 and 26 September all students
should attend the Kings Road Centre for all
registration/tuition fees/smart card etc. issues.
Level 1 in Kings Gate

Finance staff for tuition fee
payments/queries
Accommodation Office staff for
accommodation fee payments/queries
Bank letter production for
International students
Registration queries
As noted above, registration queries from students in person can be dealt with by Student
Progress Service staff in the Kings Road Centre between 16 and 25 September. Outside of
this time students should go to Student Services on Level 2 in Kings Gate.Alternatively
students can send registration queries via e-mail to
student-registration@ncl.ac.uk
*If you are having problems registering online, you should call into the School Office and
staff will be able to help you.
11
2.5 Induction events
During induction week, i.e., the week before teaching begins, you must attend the induction
events listed below. Be sure not to miss any of these as youll be given important information
during these events that will be crucial to your success on the programme
2.5.1 School induction

There is a School induction meeting for new MA Linguistic students on:
Tuesday September 23rd 17:00-17:30, in Room G.09, Percy Building
During this session, youll meet the DPD and other staff and other new students, obtain details
of the School and Faculty induction programmes and other postgraduate events and youll
register for modules. The directors will answer any questions you have about the degrees, and
will discuss your module choices with you. At this meeting, representatives for the
Postgraduate Student Committee will also be appointed.
2.5.2 Faculty-level International Postgraduate Induction

The Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Faculty induction session for international
students will take place on:
Friday 26th September, 11:30 am-12:30 pm in the Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building
You will find this useful for settling down in Newcastle and at the University and youll also
receive information on a year-long programme of skills enhancement sessions and social
events.
2.5.3 Visa Induction Presentations

There will be two Immigration for non-EU students sessions on:
Wednesday, 24th September, 1.00 pm in the Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building OR
Wednesday, 1st October, 1.00 pm in the Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building
2.5.4 Linguistics Section welcome

The Linguistics Society will host their first LinguistLunch in the Percy staff common room in
September (details to follow from the Degree Programme Director during induction week).
After this initial lunch, weekly lunches will be held in CRiLLS. At these sessions, new and
continuing students bring along their lunches and meet with fellow linguists in the university.
2.5.5 Recommended things to do before or during registration week
Email Sheila Heppel at crills@ncl.ac.uk to receive the weekly newsletters of the

Newcastle Centre for Research in Linguistics and Language Sciences.
Join the main linguistics user list (there is a range of other, specifically focused
lists), LinguistList http://linguistlist.org/LL/subs-index.cfm
12
Join the Newcastle Linguistics Society linguistics.society@newcastle.ac.uk, and
join their Facebook group.
Get a SCONUL access card from the Robinson Library Newcastle so you can visit
other university libraries in the region and borrow books.
Sign up for regular table of contents alerts emailed to you for free from publishers of
journals in linguistics and related areas (e.g. psychology, for language acquisition), for
example:
http://www.wiley.com/bw/ealerts/ealertreg.asp?site=1
http://www.cambridge.org/alerts
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/whyregister~db=all
https://online.sagepub.com/cgi/register?registration=FT919
You can also use ZETOC Alerts via the Newcastle University intranet system which takes
you to a log-in portal. Use your student number (as if for Athens login), and youll get to a
create/renew/modify alert list. Library staff can help if youre having problems with this.
http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk/
2.6 Module selection
First read the information about the requirements of your taught postgraduate degree, then
look at the modules available during the 2014 to 2015 academic year and any pre-requisites
which may be required. Also consult the lists of modules offered by Education and Modern
Languages.
Then fill out the appropriate module selection/registration form at the back of this manual
before you come to the 23 Sept. induction meeting. You will discuss your choices with the
programme director with whom you will leave your form so your choices can be entered onto
the Newcastle University database. You cannot access Blackboard (see below) for these
modules until your module selection has been registered.
Keep in mind that modules can be added or dropped within the first two weeks of each
semester; to do so, you need to fill out the module change form which youll find (along with
other useful forms) in the carousel in the foyer outside Reception, 3rd floor, Percy Building.
You will need to get the required signatures and then bring the form to Reception so your
registration reflects the modules you are taking.
2.7 Centres and Societies
2.7.1 Centre for Research in Linguistics and Language Sciences (CRiLLS)
As a new member of the Newcastle linguistics community, you will be a member of CRiLLS.
It groups over 40 academics and students in linguistics and language sciences across 3
different Schools (Education, Communication and Language Sciences; English Literature,
Language and Linguistics; Modern Languages), and is the largest such Research Centre in the
13
UK. The Centre offers a wealth of activities, as well as a resources room with a range of
linguistics software and databases and space for meetings and seminars.
CRiLLS activities include:

Annual Postgraduate Conference in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics
Publication of the student-led Working Paper Series in Linguistics
Workshops on e.g. corpora, statistics, software
Seminar series including international speakers
Research away-days at which members present their research
One-off events such as international conferences and lectures
The Centre also hosts the following Special Interest Groups (SIGs) which meet regularly:
Adult Language Disorder Research Group
Brain and Language Group
Child Language Research Group
Language in Context
Micro-Analysis Research Group (MARG)
Phonetics
Syntax
Theoretical Phonology
More information on these activities can be found at: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/linguistics
2.7.2 The Linguistics Society
The Society was established in 2008 and holds regular events open to all members.
Join their Facebook group Newcastle University Linguistics Society or just bend a
committee members ear if you see them around.
Proof-Reading Co-operative
The Linguistics Society runs the Proof-Reading Co-operative (PRC) which puts those in need
of proof-reading in touch with a proof-reader. If youre not confident in the standard of your
written English, the PRC can improve your work - essential when submitting essays for
assessment or applying for a job. Please be sure to leave enough time before your deadline
when requesting proof-reading. The pool of readers is carefully selected and the service is
fast, accurate and offered at an extremely reasonable price. Members with the requisite skills
are invited to apply to become proof-readers. Any kind of work is considered. Rates are 6/
1,000 words.
And more...
Members meet and make friends with other linguists in the society, making it the perfect way
to form your own events and/or pub groups. If theres anything you think the society could
organise, let them know and theyd be very happy to do so!
Contact
Email them at Linguistics.society@newcastle.ac.uk. Check the blog at
http://ncllinguistics.wordpress.com/.
14
2.7.3 Other student societies and social activities
All registered Newcastle University students are automatically members of the Union Society,
Newcastle University students union. The Union Society runs a wide range of activities:
http://www.unionsociety.co.uk/ and the University also has a thriving culture of postgraduate
societies covering all areas of interest: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/life/clubs.phtml.
3 The MA Programme and Module Information

3.1 General requirements
The MA consists of 180 credits, 120 of which are taught modules and 60 the dissertation.
Most modules carry 20 credits. You must pass all taught modules and have an average of at
least 50 to proceed to the dissertation. If you do not, you may have the possibility of being
awarded a postgraduate diploma. You should familiarize yourself with these degree
regulations, and re-read them prior to the Board of Examiners meeting in June.
Please familiarise yourself with the detailed degree programme regulations for the MA in
Linguistics which is accessible from the following URLs:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/regulations/docs/
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/regulations/programme/2014-2015/documents/LinguisticsMA4140.pdf
These regulations apply in conjunction with the Universitys Taught Postgraduate Degree
Entrance and Progress Regulations, as well as the Universitys Examination Conventions for
Taught Postgraduate Programmes. These are available at:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/regulations/docs/11PGTExam.pdf
MA in Linguistics
This degree allows you to choose from a range of options both within the School and from
other schools and contains three pathways (English Language, Language Acquisition and
European Languages) which allow you to focus on areas of particular interest. All pathways
involve selecting modules covering the two central linguistic disciplines of phonology and
syntax. Beyond the specific pathways, you can also choose from options offered on a variety
of linguistic topics including computational linguistics, language acquisition, language
learning, historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, and various combinations thereof. By
providing broad-based research training in the arts and humanities and social sciences as well
as specific training in linguistics research methods, the first semester equips you with the
skills to undertake independent study on a wide range of topics in linguistics. You will gain
advanced knowledge in several areas, including core disciplines (syntax, phonology). By the
end of the degree, you will be able to engage critically with work at the forefront of linguistic
research, and to address linguistic questions and problems in the light of the latest ideas and
debates.
15
3.1.1 Required modules and degree structure
All full-time MA students take 60 credits worth of taught modules each semester; part-time
students normally take 40 credits worth of taught modules in each of the first three (or six)
semesters of their degree.
Students on all pathways take SEL8500: Research Methods in Language & Linguistics over
the course of Semesters 1 and 2 and SEL8510, the MA dissertation module, during the
summer (Semester 3).
Code Descriptive title Total Credits Credits Credits

Credits Sem 1 Sem 2 Sem 3
SEL8500 Research Methods in 20 10 10
Language and
Linguistics
SEL8510 Dissertation 60 60
All students on all pathways must also select 20 credits from the following list of modules
covering formal syntax and phonology:

SEL8116 Syntactic analysis 10 10
and Phonetics and
SEL8117 Phonology 10 10
SEL8026 Generative Syntax 20 20
SEL8028 Issues in Syntax 20 20
SEL8029 Introduction to Cross- 20 20
Linguistic Syntax
SEL8154 Issues in Phonological 20 20
Theory I
Students who lack training in formal syntax and phonology normally take SEL8116 and
SEL8117 together (10 credits each).
16
MA in Linguistics: English Language
Students who opt for the English Language pathway must take 40 credits from the following
list of modules:

SEL Modern English, 20 20
8646 modern change
SEL8163 The Sociolinguistics 20 20

of Language and
Society
SEL8361 The Social History of 20 20
English
SEL8639 Ethno-Linguistic 20 20
Variation
SEL8328 Extended Study 20 20
MA in Linguistics: Language Acquisition

Students who opt for the Language Acquisition pathway must select 60 credits from the
following list of modules:

SEL8652 Writing simply 20 20
cracking good stories
SEL8040 Neurocognition of 20 20
language
development
ALT8094 Core Issues in SLA 20 20
SEL8643 Introduction to 20 20
Second Language
Acquisition
SEL8338 Phonology in SLA 20 20
Students may also take other modules in language acquisition offered in the School of
Modern Languages or the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences with
permission of the Degree Programme Director.
17
MA in Linguistics: European Languages
Students who opt for the European Languages pathway must select 20 credits from the
following list of modules:

SML8102 German and English 20 20
Word Analysis
SML8100 Semantic Change in 20 20
French
SPA8106 Syntax and History of 20 20
Spanish
All students on all pathways must select additional modules from the following list in order to
bring their total number of credits up to 120 for Semesters 1 and 2 combined:
SEL8652 Writing simply 20 20
cracking good stories
Theory II
SEL8338 Phonology in second
language acquisition
SEL8026 Generative Syntax 20 20
SEL8028 Issues in Syntax 20 20
SEL8029 Introduction to Cross- 20 20
Linguistic Syntax
SEL8033 Evolutionary 20 20
Linguistics
SEL8034 Topics in Semantics 20 20
and Pragmatics
SEL8040 Neurocognition of 20 20
Language development
Theory I
SEL8645 Current topics: 20 20
linguistic controversies
SEL8163 The Sociolinguistics of 20 20
Language and Society
SEL8646 Modern English, 20 20
modern change
SEL8361 The Social History of 20 20
English
SEL8639 Ethno-linguistic 20 20
variation
18
Part time mode:
Part-time candidates shall aim to take 50 or 70 taught credits in Year 1 and 50 or 70 taught
credits in Year 2, along with the dissertation.
In Year 1 this core module will be taken:

SEL8511 Research Methods in Language and Linguistics I
Plus one of the following 20-credit modules or combination of modules:
SEL8116 + SEL8117 Syntactic analysis + Phonetics and Phonology
SEL8026 Generative Syntax
SEL8028 Issues in Syntax
SEL8029 Introduction to Cross-Linguistic Syntax
And one to two additional 20-credit modules as required from their pathway.
Year 2. In Year 2, the following core module will be taken:
SEL8512 Research Methods in Language and
Linguistics II
The remaining credits required in year 2 (50 or 70) shall come from the appropriate list of
modules above for full-time students. The total credits done on taught modules in Years 1 and
2 combined shall come to 120.
With the approval of the Degree Programme Director, MA students can also take a total of 40
credits per year from the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences and
the School of Modern Languages, who offer a range of postgraduate modules in linguistics,
applied linguistics and language (see below). The School of Psychology also offers modules in
which you may be interested. Subject to some restrictions (e.g. extra capacity on a given
module), you can either take these modules for credit as part of your programme, or you can
audit them. See the appendix for list of modules and timetables.
3.2 Additional information on modules
3.2.1 Module selection

Use the degree programme registration form included in the Appendix to this handbook to
guide your choice of modules and be ready to hand it in at the meeting on the 24th of
September. Either before or during this meeting, the Degree Programme Director will advise
you on which modules to select. Once you have registered, changes to optional module
choices may subsequently be made only for a limited period at the start of each semester, with
the permission of the Director.
Modules in the School of English Literature, Language & Linguistics typically involve one
lecture and one seminar per week during the term time. Some may involve more weekly
19
lectures or more seminars. Note that some lectures but not seminars might be shared with
other modules, including undergraduate modules.
Lectures deliver basic information on the topics covered by the module.
Seminars demand development of analytic and presentational skills with regard to material
to which you have devoted independent study time. In order to benefit fully from seminars,
you must attend all sessions (lectures and seminars), do the required reading in advance,
prepare exercises and presentations when required, and be willing to participate in discussion.
3.2.2 Co- and pre-requisite modules

Some Semester 2 modules are based on knowledge gained on Semester 1 modules. You must
make sure that when registering for a Semester 2 module you will fulfill the requirements by
taking the Semester 1 module listed. Note that some modules on this standard list are not
offered in 2014-2015.
For these Semester 2 modules, students need to take these Semester

1 pre-requisite modules:
syntax SEL8028 Issues in Syntax SEL8026 Generative syntax
phonology SEL8205 Issues in phonological SEL8154 Issues in phonological
theory II theory I
language SEL8652 Writing simply cracking SEL8643 Intro to second language
acquisition good stories acquisition (AND ability to write good
prose in English)
SEL8338 Phonology in second SEL8117 Phonetics & phonology (or
language acquisition equivalent)
sociolinguistics SEL8639 Ethno-linguistic variation SEL8163 The sociolinguistics of
and change language and society
language SEL8361 The social history of English basic knowledge of syntax & phonetics
change & required
evolution SEL8646 Modern English, modern basic knowledge of methods of
change linguistic analysis (syntax,
morphology, phonology) required
3.2.3 Taking modules from other schools and auditing modules
Students should visit the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences
(SECLS) website and the School of Modern Languages (SML) webpages for complete
information on modules offered this coming academic year. You are normally allowed to take
up to 20 credits per year from either school; for the MA, these count as Band 4 modules.
It is also possible to sit in on (audit) modules for which you are not registered, i.e. for which
you will not submit a piece of work for assessment. Auditing gives you the opportunity to
investigate topics beyond your taught credits. You might, for example, wish to audit a module
on a topic on which you will write your dissertation or thesis.
20
We encourage students to audit modules, but module directors vary considerably in their
personal policies on auditing. These range from those who will allow you to drop in on the
odd lecture to those who will expect you to attend every class session and to keep up with the
reading. In addition to an individuals participation policy, there are also School-level policies
and restrictions on auditing when a given module is over-subscribed. You must therefore
always check with the module director - as well as the school (SECLS and SML) - regarding
auditing policies.
ECLS MODULES 2014-15

(unless otherwise stated, all modules are worth 20 credits)
SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2
SPE8022 Fundamental elements in SPE8022 Fundamental elements in
phonetics & phonology I phonetics & phonology II
SPE8024 Core issues in experimental SPE8024 Core issues in experimental
phonetics & phonology I phonetics & phonology II
CCC8001 The social psychology of SPE8025 Advanced issues in socio-
communication phonetics
CCC8086 Language & cross-cultural SPE8028 Phonological acquisition
communication
CCC8087 English in the world: global & CCC8015 Sociolinguistics
cross cultural issues of English
as a 'lingua franca'
ALT8019 Language planning, policy and ALT8100 English writing systems
practice
ALT8094 Core issues in SLA ALT8011 Multimodal interaction in the
language classroom
ALT8108 Introduction to corpus ALT8096 Thinking skills in English
linguistics language teaching
ALT8016 Computer assisted language ALT8102 Task-based language teaching
learning and
assessment
ALT8084 Introduction to TESOL ALT8107 Discourse analysis for English
language teachers
ALT8104 Classroom discourse and
teacher development for
TESOL
SML MODULES 2014-15

(unless otherwise stated, all modules are worth 20 credits)
SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2
SML8020 German and English word
analysis: From Germanic times
to the present day
NB: advanced knowledge of
German required
SML8105 Issues in the diachrony of
21
French
SPA8106 Syntax and history of Spanish
Please visit these Schools webpages for more information about these modules:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sml/study/postgraduate/index.html
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/modules/4056.htm
3.2.4 Your time

How much time will you devote to each 20-credit module? As a rule, you should expect to
spend at least 30 hours for attendance at lectures, seminars and study groups and at least 70
hours on your assignments over a semester. Every week you should be spending nine hours
per module for lecture/ seminar preparation and on reading in the form of at least two or three
short readings (e.g. chapters from a textbook, or from a popular science introduction), or two
more demanding papers/chapters from primary sources or one difficult major paper (this will
depend on the outline for that module).
3.3 Assessment
Taught modules are assessed in a variety of ways, typically by means of a set of assignments,
an essay, an oral presentation, a written examination or various combinations of these. The
details of the assessment procedure for any taught module will be made available during the
first week of classes by the module leader. If the assessment of a given module requires only
an essay, the length for this essay cannot exceed 4,000 words for a 20-credit module. You
should aim for the agreed word limit, but work may be 10% longer or shorter than this. If
submissions go more than 10% over the limit, markers will not read the excess, and at 10% or
more below the limit, work risks being self-penalising, i.e. it may well have insufficient
breadth or depth.
3.3.1 Your writing

To do well on your degree, your writing must be up to par. For details on what we expect, the
document Writing an essay in language and linguistics gives all the requirements for written
work in linguistics:
http://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/hermann.moisl/essayformatlinguistics.doc
Download this document and pay very careful attention to every detail.
In-School support for those who require it is provided in SEL8500 during Semester 1.
The Writing Development Centre
Location: Level 2, Robinson Library

Website: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wdc/
E-mail: wdc@newcastle.ac.uk
Telephone: 0191 222 7659 or 0191 222 5650
22
The Writing Development Centre offers tuition, guidance and support for students wishing to
improve their writing skills for study purposes. Help is available with the following:
understanding assignment and examination questions

planning, structuring and revising assignments
using reading sources without plagiarism
developing an argument
writing critically and analytically
using an appropriate authorial voice
writing different types of assignment (e.g. essays, reports, reviews, reflective pieces)
writing theses and dissertations
answering examination questions
using grammar and punctuation accurately and effectively
using appropriate vocabulary and style
learning from feedback on previous assignments
We run a series of lectures, seminars and workshops throughout the academic year. Some
are open to all students; others have been developed for specific degree programmes or
modules. More information about these sessions is available on the Group Teaching pages of
our website: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wdc/group/.
We also offer a one-to-one support service. You can have an individual consultation with an
academic writing tutor to discuss any difficulties you may have with writing, seek feedback
on your written work, or gain a better understanding of academic writing conventions and the
standards expected at University. We recommend that you book a session in advance via our
online booking system: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wdc/support/. For more information,
see Opening hours below.
International students with English as an additional language please note: You can use
the Writing Development Centre one-to-one support service if you meet one of the following
conditions:
You have been exempted from language testing and/or the UELA assessment
You have attained a mark of 70 or over (level 3) in the UELA writing assessment
You are a continuing student who has attended one full year of INTO In-Sessional
writing classes in the past.
If you are a new international student with a UELA writing score of less than 70, you will be
supported by the INTO In-Sessional programme in the first instance.
Opening hours
Semesters 1 and 2
Monday: 1 to 4pm
Tuesday: 10am to 4pm
Wednesday: 10am to 4pm
Thursday: 10am to 4pm
Friday: 10am to 1pm
23
Demand for the service is high so we strongly recommend that you book a slot in advance.
A timetable showing free slots will be displayed at the entrance to the Centre. If a slot is free,
you may drop in at the appropriate time.
Easter and summer breaks

One-to-one sessions are available by appointment only.
Online resources
You will find a collection of learning resources for academic writing and general writing
skills at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wdc/learning/.
The INTO Centre

Training in English language at Newcastle University for international students is provided
by the INTO Centre. It offers a wide range of English language courses for international
students, enabling them to continue to build their English language skills once enrolled on a
course, for instance the INTO Academic English modules. For more information, see:
http://www.intohigher.com/uk/en-gb/our-courses/course-selector.aspx
English Language Materials Online (ELMO)

ELMO is a website of multimedia, self-study English language activities to help you improve
your English for Academic Purposes (EAP). It is free for Newcastle University students and
staff. The website and the materials have been designed and written by English language
teachers at Newcastle who work to support Newcastles international students and staff. This
innovative learning resource is the only one of its kind in the UK. ELMO has a combination
of general and subject-specific Academic English activities divided into units and activities.
You can use it anywhere, anytime, at your own speed for any length of time. All activities
give you feedback and scores. You can save these scores to create your own personalised
Study Record. It includes video and audio material, so you will need to use a computer with
headphones or speakers. You can use your own headphones with computers in on-campus
clusters. You can discover ELMO by simply exploring the website. Alternatively, you can
download a simple instructions document. When logged in to a campus computer, ELMO
will identify you automatically. If you are off-campus, use your University login and
password to log on to ELMO. For more details, contact elmo@ncl.ac.uk or see
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/langcen/facilities/ elmo.htm
3.3.2 Submission of work

Submit two copies of each essay or assignment by leaving it in the drop-box outside
Reception by 4.00pm on the due date; note that procedures may vary for modules taken in
other Schools. Submitted work must normally be word-processed or typed, double-spaced,
paginated, and held together with a paper clip. Please note that it is School policy to
encourage environmentally sustainable practices; we therefore expect you to print your
assignments out on both sides of the paper! Please also buy recycled paper for your personal
printer, if you have one. Attach the postgraduate coversheet to your essay/assignment. This
is supplied by the School and available from the carousel on the 3rd floor, Percy Building.
Make sure that you fill in all details appropriately. Essays/assignments are marked
24
anonymously: do not write your name anywhere on the cover or in the body of the essay.
Remember: you should submit two copies of your assignment with one coversheet.
The Postgraduate and Research Secretary keeps track of submitted assignments before they
are distributed to markers; you will therefore obtain a receipt for your submission and you
should retain this as proof of - punctual - submission. Unless your module leader establishes
another date(s) for work handed in during the semester, the due date for all assignments
for Semester 1 modules is Thursday 8th January and for all Semester 2 assignments is
Thursday 14th May. Work submitted late without good cause will be graded to a maximum
of 50.
Submission dates are strictly observed and exist to help students keep up with the demands of
the programme as well as to help staff organize marking. You should take particular care to
ensure that the essays with deadlines in May are submitted on time as marking coincides with
the bulk of undergraduate assessment, and late submission means your work might not be
considered by the Board of Examiners. Essays allowed in late (see below) may result in your
taught modules being incomplete at the Board of Examiners meeting.
Steps from assignment submission to feedback

1. Submit the assignment on the due date to the Postgraduate and Research Secretary (via the
relevant drop-box).
2. Over the following four weeks, the assignment will be first marked by the module leader
and then second marked by another member of staff. You will then receive an email
informing you that assignments can be picked up.
3. A selection of assignments from each module, including any that have failed, is sent to the
external examiner after the end of each semester. The external examiner confirms marks and
may alter some.
4. In June, the Board of Examiners meets to confirm all module marks from Semester 1 and
Semester 2.
5. Soon after the BoE, if you need to resubmit a module assignment, the degree programme
director will email you to arrange to meet and discuss the process of doing so.
6. Several days after the BoE, you will be able to obtain a transcript of your module marks via
S3P.
7. The Board of Examiners meets again in late October to decide on degree results:
Fail/Pass/Merit/Distinction.
8. You will be notified of the outcome shortly after the meeting and can then make plans to
join us for congregation.
Late Submission and Extensions

If you have a legitimate reason that makes you unable to submit a piece of assessed work by
the deadline, a PEC form (together with evidence where appropriate) must be submitted to the
Postgraduate and Research Secretary within 7 days of the original assessment date. These
forms can be found in the carousel in the foyer outside Reception. Alternatively, an electronic
version can be downloaded from http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/student-
resources/help/ and submitted via email to sels-pec@ncl.ac.uk. They are checked and
approved by the Senior Tutor (Dr Lucy Pearson).
25
When working with human subjects (collecting any kind of language data from them), you
should make sure from the start of your investigation that you are complying with ethical
procedures by visiting the relevant University website
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/res/research/ethics_governance/ethics/index.htm
If you run into difficulties beyond your control during the year, please dont suffer in silence.
You must immediately see the module leader and the Degree Programme Director for advice
or the Postgraduate Senior Tutor and, if necessary, arrange for an extension, which only the
Postgraduate Senior Tutor can grant. If you experience medical or other serious personal
difficulties, you may need to obtain evidence (e.g. a doctors note) and you will need to fill in
a PEC form (see above). Before the Board of Examiners meeting in June, students cases are
confidentially considered during a meeting of the Scrutiny Committee, which is made up of
Degree Programme Directors and the Senior Tutor and chaired by the School Postgraduate
Director. The Board of Examiners (made up of all those who teach on the degrees and
chaired by the Degree Programme Directors) takes the Scrutiny Committees
recommendations into account when considering late submissions as well as failed
assignments.
3.3.3 Evaluation of your work

Essays and assignments are normally returned to you with a mark and comments within four
weeks of submission. Assessed coursework is marked and commented upon both by the
module leader or dissertation/project supervisor (as first marker) and by another member of
the teaching staff (the second marker). After you have seen these comments, the External
Examiner subsequently will monitor the marking of all assessed work for each module.
Internally agreed (by first and second marker) marks are provisional and may be altered at the
request of the External Examiner.
The following marking scale applies to modules as well as to the MA dissertation and to
projects.
lower than 50% Fail

50% - 59% Pass
60% - 69% Pass with Merit
70% or higher Pass with Distinction
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences provides the following verbal descriptors for
these classifications (available at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/internal/arts/maclassi.htm):
Distinction: 70% - 100% is work which displays depth of knowledge and mastery of skills in
the students specialist area. It should be clearly presented with a well-structured, sharply
focused argument. Work should explore the limits of knowledge in the area covered and
suggest the ability of the student to expand those limits through doctoral study. Examiners
should use the mark range 70%-79% for good performance at distinction level and 80%-100%
for publishable work.
26
Merit: 60% - 69% is well-written and informed work which indicates awareness of recent
developments in the subject but lacks the sustained level of achievement worthy of a
distinction. Some indications of potential for work at doctoral level would be expected.
Pass: 50% - 59% is work which displays competence and general understanding of
developments in the subject. It contains relevant information but lacks the sophistication and
incisiveness of work at higher grades.
Fail: 49% or below only displays adequate general comprehension of the subject but fails to
focus its argument with sufficient clarity or relevance. Work which fails to display even the
grasp of the basics of the subject expected at postgraduate level. It may contain significant
errors, poorly constructed argument, or irrelevant material.
Plagiarism is the use of another persons ideas, words, or works without proper
acknowledgment. Whatever the nature of your sources, you must acknowledge all of them
clearly and fully using the appropriate conventions, such as quotation marks, bibliographic
references, etc.
If in any doubt about how to discuss others ideas, consult your module leader or
supervisor.
In addition, Princeton University maintains a useful website on plagiarism at:
http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/intro/
The following points are particularly important:

Plagiarised material can come from any source, whether published or unpublished,
printed, electronic, or manuscript. This specifically includes websites and other students
work.
Plagiarism is no less culpable for being unintentional. It can result from incomplete note-
taking or from haste in the final stages of completing a piece of coursework. To avoid this,
always ensure that any notes, photocopies, or electronic files that you keep are fully
documented with the name of the author and the source (including page numbers), and
that you incorporate this information in the final product.
There are specific rules on what constitutes proper acknowledgement: merely listing a
source in the bibliography is not enough; you must provide an appropriate reference at the
point in which material is used.
You must provide a full acknowledgement not only if you quote verbatim from a source,
but also if you paraphrase it or use a sources distinctive ideas.
Plagiarism is an extremely serious offence and will not be tolerated. Any student found
to have committed plagiarism will be subject to a disciplinary procedure and may incur
very severe penalties.
27
4 Module Descriptions
Below you find details about the SELL modules offered in 2014-15. For a more detailed
description each module, see:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/elll/study/postgraduate/modules/index.htm
For timetable information for modules (and info on how to read your timetable), see the
Student Timetables websites:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable; http://www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/StudentTimetableGuide.pdf
Modules which are neither required nor an essential part of the degree need a minimum
number of six registered students to run. Decisions about the viability of modules are made
at the start of each term; if a module doesnt run, students will be informed as soon as possible
and the DPD will discuss alternative options with them
4.1 Required research training modules

SEL8500 Research Methods in Language and Linguistics
Credits: 20
Semesters: 1 and 2
Leader: Jennifer Thorburn
Staff members provide basic training in working with various types of linguistic and language
data appropriate for postgraduate work in linguistics, including extensive generic and subject-
specific library training. As part of this module, your linguistics writing will be assessed near
the beginning of the first semester, and if you require additional support, this will be provided.
For MA students, the second semester of the module includes dissertation preparation.
4.2 Linguistics module descriptions
Syntax & Semantics
SEL8116
Syntactic analysis
Credits: 10
Semester: 1
Director: Joel Wallenberg
This module aims to heighten metalinguistic awareness of English sentence structure in a
systematic way that will inform and enhance your analytical skills, and the sensitivity,
accuracy, and clarity of your own teaching of English to speakers of other languages. The
module will also prepare you for more advanced work in syntactic theory.
SEL8026 Generative Syntax
Credits: 20
Semester: 1
Leader: Geoff Poole
This module introduces major syntactic phenomena and their theoretical analysis. It trains
students to construct arguments in developing syntactic explanations within the Principles
and Parameters framework developed by Chomsky and others. By the end of the module
students will be acquainted with a variety of syntactic phenomena, and will grasp fundamental
28
concepts and explanatory mechanisms in syntactic theory, and will be familiar with the
underlying hypotheses and rationale of the Principles and Parameters approach
SEL8028 Issues in Syntax

Credits: 20
Semester: 2
Leader: Geoff Poole, Joel Wallenberg
Following on from SEL8026, this module is an advanced module investigating the formal
properties of the syntax of English and other languages within the Principles and Parameters
and Minimalist Program frameworks developed by Chomsky and others. As with SEL8026,
syntactic analysis and argumentation are the most important elements of the module. The
topics covered will vary from year to year but representative topics covered in past years
include: null categories, existential constructions, the double object construction, control, NP-
structure.
SEL8029 Introduction to Cross-Linguistic Syntax

Credits: 20
Semester: 1
Director: Maggie Tallerman
Building on the foundations laid down by the study of "Analysing Sentences", this module
introduces the student to the essential concepts, terminology and constructions required in
order to understand the basics of cross-linguistic syntax, i.e. the syntax of the world's
languages. We start with a brief revision of the terminology and concepts, based on English,
before moving on to more exotic data. You will learn how to read and interpret examples in
languages other than English, and how to analyse data from other languages. The topics
covered will include: grammatical categories; case, agreement and word order; grammatical
constructions such as the passive, antipassive, causative and applicative; and wh-constructions
such as questions and relative clauses. You will manipulate data from a wide variety of
languages and language types, and assessment exercises will involve work with materials of
this nature. No prior knowledge of a language other than English is required, though this may
well be helpful.
SEL8034 Topics in Semantics and Pragmatics

Credits: 20
Semester: 2
Director: TBC
This module looks at different kinds of meaning and how they interact: (a) purely linguistic
meaning, (linguistic semantics) and (b) more general kinds of meaning which pure linguistics
cannot (and is not intended to) handle (pragmatics). Having first looked at some basic issues
in linguistic semantics, we will look at the semantics-pragmatics distinction developed by H.
P. Grice in the 1960s (Gricean pragmatics). Then we turn to a post-Gricean conception of the
semantics-pragmatics distinction: Relevance Theory, first developed by Dan Sperber and
Deidre Wilson in the 1980s.
29
Phonology
SEL8117 Phonetics and Phonology
Credits: 10
Semester: 1
Director: S.J. Hannahs
This module builds a basic understanding of phonetics and phonology, developing the skills
necessary for examining data and describing observations formally. The module also forms an
introduction to argumentation in phonological theory.
SEL8154 Issues in Phonological Theory I

Credits: 20 (prior experience with formal linguistics expected)
Semester: 1
Director: S.J. Hannahs
Through lectures and directed readings the student will explore phonological relationships as
expressed in a number of different phonological models, including autosegmental and
metrical phonology. The student will also become familiar with phonological structure.
Moreover, the important distinction between derivational phonology and optimality theory
will be developed. By the end of the module the student will be expected to be able to apply
the knowledge gained to analysis of language data.
SEL8205 Issues in Phonological Theory II

Credits: 20
Semester: 2
Leader: S.J. Hannahs, Danielle Turton
Building on SEL8154, this module engages students with advanced concepts and topics of
current interest in phonological theory in order to enable students to approach the primary
literature confidently and critically and to explore data and theoretical implications relative to
the issues covered. Students will develop critical thinking skills through the examination of
different explanatory approaches to problems in phonological modelling, particularly with
reference to the students native language (often other than English).
Language acquisition and psycholinguistics
SEL8040 Neurocognition of language development

Credits: 20
Semester: 2
Leader: Cristina Dye
This module considers different theoretical approaches to child language acquisition and
explores the role of innate linguistic knowledge, cognition and social context in language
development. You will gain an understanding of the fundamental concepts in the literature on
grammar and lexical development, and become acquainted with both linguistic and
psycholinguistic views on language acquisition. You will be introduced to further research
topics in the field, including the role of input and contextual influences, the development of
discourse organization and bilingualism.
SEL8643 Intro to second language acquisition

Credits: 20
Semester: 1
30
Leader: Martha Young-Scholten
This module introduces students to the study of language acquisition, in terms of different
theoretical models. Particular focus will be given to the generative linguistics framework, and
to the role of general cognitive mechanisms in the acquisition process. The module will
provide a foundation enabling students to follow more specialised option modules in first and
second language acquisition. There will be an introduction to first language acquisition, but
the course will mainly focus on the following issues in second language acquisition:
similarities and differences between first and second language acquisition; the role of the first
language in the second language acquisition process; the role played by Universal Grammar,
age of initial exposure, and general cognitive mechanisms in acquisition and learning; and
variability in eventual attainment.
SEL8643 Writing simply cracking stories

Credits: 20
Semester: 2
Leader: Martha Young-Scholten
Students will build a general understanding of the second language oral proficiency and
reading development of adult immigrants with little or no primary language literacy who are
just learning to read in English. They will apply this knowledge to their existing knowledge of
and skills in writing narrative fiction to produce fiction specifically for this population of
second language learners.
SEL8338 Phonological Interfaces in Second Language Acquisition

Credits: 20
Semester: 2
Director: Martha Young-Scholten
There is now considerable research on the acquisition of a second phonology but rather than
focus solely on L2 phonology, this module offers a means of navigation through and around
the edges of this large body of work. The module is divided into two relatively discrete sub-
modules. One considers the acquisition of a second phonology and then looks at proposed
influences on its acquisition including the L1, age and input (including from orthography).
The other looks at the ways in which phonology might explain variation in L2 learners
production in the domain of morpho-syntax and considers recent ideas on prosodic licensing
as well as metalinguistic processing and selection of triggers.
Sociolinguistics
SEL8163 Sociolinguistics of Language and Society

Credits: 20
Semester: 1
Leader: Heike Pichler
This module examines the premises which underlie recent studies of the complex relationship
between language and society. The focus will be on those fundamental methodological and
theoretical considerations associated with the quantification and definition of linguistic and
speaker variables within Labovian paradigm. In addition, there will be discussion of the
symbolic function of language and the effect which this has on the perception of language as a
social problem and resource. Students will gain detailed understanding of fieldwork
31
techniques used within these paradigms to subsequently apply these to their own fieldwork
projects.
SEL8639 Ethno-linguistic variation

Credits: 20
Semester: 2
Leader: Heike Pichler
This advanced module in variationist sociolinguistics examines the complex relationship
between language and ethnicity. It provides students with a critical overview of key studies
exploring the language-ethnicity interface and introduces them to the diversity of
methodological and theoretical frameworks for studying ethno-linguistic variation and
change. Students will learn to apply these frameworks to the variationist analysis of an ethnic
variety of UK English. The module also examines the potential effects of ethno-linguistic
practice in institutional settings, and defines sociolinguists role in combating ethno-linguistic
discrimination.
Language change & evolution
SEL8033 Evolutionary Linguistics

Credits: 20 (prerequisite: SEL8026 Generative syntax AND speak to module
leader)
Semester: 1
Leader: Maggie Tallerman
This module considers from the linguists perspective the question of how Language evolved
into the fully-fledged faculty found in Homo sapiens, the only species ever known to possess
it. The module is introduced by an outline of the evolution of the species itself. This
background is followed by examination of the known facts concerning language evolution,
together with discussion of the main hypotheses concerning the development of speech,
syntax and word structure. Students are expected to read extensively in the primary literature.
Three major themes are followed (1) Human evolution and phylogeny; (2) prerequisites for
language and issues of continuity with the communication systems of other species; (3)
protolanguage and the evolution of syntax.
SEL8361 The Social History of English

Credits: 20
Semester: 2
Leader: William van der Wurff
This module is for PGs who have little or no prior knowledge of the history of the English
language but who want to know why and how English has come to be the way it currently is.
Students will be introduced to the major developments that have taken place at the various
linguistic levels over the centuries, read key texts illustrating the nature of English as used in
different places and at different points in time, from Old English to the present day, and be
shown ways of analysing the language at its different stages. Another area of interest will be
the emergence of different geographical varieties of English in the British Isles. Throughout,
there will be a strong focus on the social factors that have driven historical change. Students
will be prepared for carrying out independent work into linguistic developments with the use
of analytic concepts and techniques in syntax, phonology and vocabulary and with the use of
the main electronic resources that are available for the study of the history of English.
32
SEL8646 Modern English, modern change
Credits: 20
Semester: 2
Leader: TBC
This module equips students with the methods needed for identifying and exploring variation
and change in Modern English. It encourages students to view properties of Modern English
in the context of long-term developments in the history of English. It develops students skills
in carrying out independent collection and analysis of linguistic data for change and in using
the analysis to assess the adequacy of concepts and categories used in theoretical approaches
to change.
Other
SEL8361 Topics in language structure: Bengali

Credits: 20
Semester: 1
Leader: William van der Wurff
This module will familiarize students with the grammatical properties as well as some of the
history and social context of a language other than English. Students will learn to apply
methods of syntactic, morphological and phonological analysis to the study of a particular
language. They will explore in more detail the theoretical issues raised by phenomena in a
particular language, in order to determine their bearing on general linguistic theory.
SEL8645 Current topics: linguistic controversies

Credits: 20
Semester: 1
Leader: Danielle Turton
This module will cover some of the long-standing debates in linguistics from both a
theoretical and societal perspective. Theoretical topics include the Neogrammarian
controversy, the past-tense debate, and theories of the initiation of sound change.
Controversies of language in society covered in this module include language complexity,
language and discrimination, and inherent betterness of accents or dialects.
4.4 Additional extra-School modules

These are modules you can (and in some cases must) take for credit to count towards your
degree or which you can audit (sit in on the module). For any module you wish to take or
audit, you should always check with the module director. A list of extra-School staff with
their contact emails and research specialisms is in Appendix 3.
For School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences modules, see for applied
linguistics/language and second language acquisition: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/
postgraduate/modules/4056.htm and for child language development
33
5 Additional information
5.1 Attendance and progress
The University wants to make sure that students succeed on their course. We have therefore
introduced attendance monitoring of some timetabled sessions to ensure the welfare of our
students and support their academic progress.
It is important that all students adhere to the terms of the Student Charter and the Universitys
attendance requirements
(http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/Regulations/SPS/Attendance/) and ensure that they
are punctual and attend all timetabled sessions. Students are required to let their academic unit
or tutor/supervisor know as soon as possible if they are ill or have other good reason for non-
attendance. Students should submit a notice of absence via the Student Portal#:
https://s3p.ncl.ac.uk/.
During the summer months students are expected to be working on their dissertations. While
there is no scheduled teaching you should remain in contact with the University (e.g. by
checking email) and you make arrangements for regular contact with your dissertation
supervisor. If you wish to take a period of holiday you should register this on the Student
Portal.
The University has a legal obligation to monitor the attendance of international students and
to report to the UK Border Agency any student who is not attending. International students
should therefore be aware that they must attend all timetabled sessions in order to comply
with the terms of their visa, and must attend on Census Days during the research period. If
they are unable to attend because they are ill they must promptly submit a notice of absence
along with any additional evidence; they should also seek approval for vacations or plans
to leave the UK in the summer period as this may have implications for their visa and
eligibility to return to the UK.
5.2 Personal tutors

Each student will be assigned a personal tutor at the registration and briefing session. You
should make sure you see your personal tutor at least once in each semester. Your personal
tutor will give you advice concerning problems that affect your academic work. The MA
Degree Programme Director, Dr Cristina Dye, and the IPhD Director, Dr Heike Pichler, are
responsible for ensuring that the programmes are organised and delivered effectively, and you
can also consult them when the need arises.
5.3 Student representatives

There are two committees concerned with postgraduate issues in the school, both of which are
attended by staff and postgraduate representatives (the latter are nominated by all taught and
research postgraduates at the start of the academic year). The first of these is the Student-Staff
Postgraduate Committee; it meets once each semester to discuss any issues or concerns raised
by postgraduates through their representatives. The second committee, the Postgraduate
Board of Studies, meets three times a year; it reviews any changes made to postgraduate
programmes and also the general running of the degrees.
34
What are the responsibilities of the postgraduate representatives? Representatives are
nominated for each degree programme (MA, MLitt, and the different stages of the IPhD/PhD)
by the postgraduate communities. Contact Azad Maudaressi (a.maduaressi@ncl.ac.uk) if you
are interested in taking part. Representatives will be required to attend the meetings of the
Student-Staff-Postgraduate Committee and of the Postgraduate Board of Studies (the length of
meetings varies from one to two hours), and to report on any concerns raised by the
postgraduates they represent. Training is provided by the Union Society. Some representatives
e-mail their peers ahead of the meeting; others rely on word of mouth. Representatives will be
asked ahead of the Student-Staff-Postgraduate Committee to nominate items for the agenda.
The Postgraduate Board of Studies is more akin to a business meeting, and the agenda is set
in advance by the Director of Postgraduate Studies (see 2.1). However, at this meeting
representatives are invited to report any concerns or issues. Minutes for these meeting are
distributed via Blackboard to all postgraduates. Any matters arising are addressed either by
the Schools Staff-Postgraduate Committee or the Management Committee. Any action taken
will always be reported back.
For further information on new policies relating to committees, please visit
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/yousaidwedid.
5.4 Giving us your feedback

Students will be invited to complete anonymous evaluation questionnaires on each of their
modules at the end of each semester. Their comments will be considered by the Degree
Programme Director and teaching staff, and issues raised fed back to students through
minutes of the meetings of the Postgraduate Board of Studies.
University procedures in respect of student complaints and appeals are described at:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/Regulations/
5.5 Student Conduct and Discipline

As a Newcastle University student, you are expected to behave responsibly whether on
campus, in university accommodation or in the community. In return, you can expect the
university to endeavour to provide a safe and secure environment.
Any serious breaches of conduct will result in disciplinary procedures against a student, or a
group of students, and penalties as set out in the Student Disciplinary Procedures at
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/student-resources/regulations /disciplinary.htm.
5.6 Student Charter

As a student, you can expect key elements of service during your studies, just as you are
expected to conduct yourself in an appropriate manner. For details, see the Student Charter at
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/student-resources/guide/.
International students may also wish to consult the International Student Handbook at
http://newcastle.cld.bz/International-Student-Handbook-2014
5.7 Method of MA degree classification

A candidate is entitled as of right to the degree class yielded by the weighted average mark
for all modules according to the marking scale.
A student who successfully completes the taught component of the programme but not the
dissertation may at the discretion of the Board of Examiners be considered for the award of a
Postgraduate Diploma in Linguistics.
35
For further information about the awarding of degree classifications, consult the Universitys
Postgraduate Examination Conventions (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/
regulations/docs/PGTExamConv1213.pdf).
5.8 Congregations
The University holds Congregations for the conferment of degrees in December, May, and
July. The School tries to process degrees completed in September in time for the December
ceremony, but cannot guarantee to do so; the timing of the confirmation of degree
classifications depends on the External Examiner, over whose commitments the School has no
control. For more information on Congregations and the degree conferral process, see the
Congregations Office website (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/congregations/).
6 Other information
6.1 The Percy Building
The School of English Literature, Language, and Linguistics is situated in the Percy Building
on the Quadrangle. It contains the following relevant rooms:
Basement: Postgraduate Suite: student common room, reading room, kitchen,

postgraduate computer cluster, mailboxes for postgraduate students.
1st floor: Undergraduate Student Common Room; Catherine Cookson Archive; Seminar
Rooms 1 & 2; Postgraduate Directors office (1.15).
2nd floor: IPhD Programme Directors office (2.17)
3rd floor: Head of Schools room (3.05), MA programme directors office (3.22) School
Reception, administrative offices, Staff Common Room.
6.2 School and University resources

The entire Percy Building is WiFi enabled. You can use your laptop in any of the
workspaces, the common rooms and in the open seating areas.
Laptops: six laptop computers are available for research use by School of English
postgraduates anywhere in the Percy Building during office hours. Wifi is available
throughout the building. These can be borrowed from Jeff Wilsons office (room 1.18, first
floor, Percy Building). You may need to leave your student card as a deposit.
Digital recorders: there are twelve recorders available for use by School of English
postgraduates. See Jeff Wilson for information.
Catherine Cookson Archive of Tyneside and Northumbrian Dialect

This archive, funded by the Catherine Cookson Trust with additional contributions from the
Arts and Humanities Research Board, is used for teaching and research. Address enquiries to
Professor Karen Corrigan (2.2).
36
MA dissertations and PhD theses
You will find a selection of Newcastle University and *Durham University MA dissertations
in a box in the Student Resource Centre and Newcastle and Durham PhD theses in a locked
cupboard outside Reception. These must be checked out with the Postgraduate and Research
Secretary. Members of staff also have copies of their own students dissertations and theses.
*Four Newcastle linguists were part of the Durham Linguistics Department, which closed in 2007.
Faculty Postgraduate Centre (7th Floor, Daysh Building)

The Faculty Postgraduate Centre provides a focus for postgraduates in the University. The
Centre will be available every day between 12 noon and 3 pm for use as a common room
exclusively for postgraduates and their friends. Please feel free to make use of this facility as
much as you like!
Lockers in the Percy Building

There are lockers available in the basement (5 refundable deposit). If you want to check
availability, please ask the Postgraduate and Research Secretary.
Postgraduate Suite
The English Literature, Language and Linguistics postgraduate-only suite is accessible by
smart-card between 7am and 11pm weekdays and between 7am and 8pm weekends. The
newly refurbished and expanded area is situated in the basement of the Percy Building. It
includes a large work area with a reading room for quiet study and a small interview room.
The work area contains 50 computers running the Windows operating system, including a
workspace accessible by disabled users. Two networked printers are available for use free of
charge. There is also a large kitchen with table and chairs and a spacious common room with
sofas and chairs for socializing and relaxing.
If you experience problems using the Universitys computing network, please consult the
Universitys Information Systems and Services unit:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ucs/postgraduate/; helpline (0191 222) 8111.
There is a strict no-talking (including on the telephone and incoming call ring tones) policy.
Robinson Library
The Robinson Library is one of the best university libraries in the UK. It has an excellent
collection of primary and secondary texts available for short and long loan. A wide range of
periodicals are available in hard and electronic copy. You should acquaint yourself with all
the facilities as soon as possible. Lucy Keating, the liaison librarian, will be able to help you
with any specialist queries.
Library homepage: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/
Library catalogue: http://sparky.ncl.ac.uk/F
Electronic journals: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/resources/ejs/
Interlibrary loans: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/services/lending/ill/
Northumbria University (see http://librarycat.northumbria.ac.uk),
Durham University (see http://library.dur.ac.uk/screens/opacmenu.html)
The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne, with the
permission of the Librarian (see http://www.litandphil.org.uk/).
37
Research Support
The School offers some financial assistance to MA students for research purposes. Students
may claim up to ten inter-library loan tokens while working on their dissertations, obtainable
from the post-graduate secretary. If dissertation research requires travel, a sustained period of
archival study, or if, (in exceptional circumstances), students wish to present their research at
a scholarly conference, they may apply for an award from the School's post-graduate research
support fund. The fund is competitive, applications are assessed by a committee of academic
staff, and are considered in two rounds (December and March/April). Application forms are
available from the post-graduate secretary. All applications must be fully and carefully costed
and supported by the dissertation supervisor. Students are encouraged to seek guidance from
their dissertation supervisors and/ or MA DPDs at an early stage if they are considering
making an application to the fund.
Opportunities for funded postgraduate research are listed on the School and University
websites. Details are available on the AHRC website. Note that AHRC studentships are only
available to home (UK) or EU students. It should be stressed that it is vital to prepare well in
advance of any research funding application; the most successful applications are those that
have been meticulously prepared and scrutinised by experienced staff.
6.3 School activities
Colloquium Programme
A programme of lectures by visiting speakers on linguistic topics runs at Newcastle
throughout the year on Wednesdays at 4-5pm. Maggie Tallerman organizes those talks
sponsored by the School; information on the venues of talks sponsored by other schools will
be sent with notification of these talks. Post-talk receptions are a great opportunity to get to
know other postgraduate students and to relax with staff - and the speaker in an informal
context. Email William van der Wurff if you have any suggestions, including for speakers.
Also see the CRiLLS newsletter and/or website for announcements of CRiLLS activities,
including talks.
Student Work-in-Progress Forum

Each subject-specific (e.g. language acquisition/language learning) forum involves an hour
devoted to a single (I)PhD student presenting the current state of his/her thesis, and answering
questions about it from other PhD students. This is one of the best opportunities for you to
observe the various stages an extended study goes through. All post-graduate students
including MA students from SEL and from other schools are invited to attend SWIP
sessions. Schedules for this academic year will be posted in October.
6.4 Safety policy and security

To summon the fire brigade, police, or an ambulance from any university telephone, dial
6666.
The University acknowledges that it has a statutory duty to ensure, as far as is reasonably
practicable, the health, safety, and welfare at work of all its employees and students, and it has
enshrined this duty within its management structure at the most senior level. The University
Safety Office has a website
http://www.safety.ncl.ac.uk/
38
The University Security Control Centre can be contacted 24 hours a day on extension 6817.
Access to the Percy Building out of hours is by smartcard. There is a smartcard reader at the
entrance to the basement, and to the first, second and third floors. The doors are locked at 5
pm in the vacation and 6 pm in term-time and are locked all weekend. Outside these hours
you will need to press the release button to exit. Please note from the floor plans that access
and egress are from only one side of the Percy Building; the other doors are for egress only in
case of emergency.
6.5 Student Services

A wide range of student services are available in the Kings Gate building. These include:
Academic information
Accommodation
Career and Work
Finance and Financial Support
Counselling and Mental Health Support
Disability/Dyslexia Support
Exchange/ Study Abroad Information
Visa Support
These services are available to all students at any stage. The normal opening hours are 9-5
Monday to Friday.
https://my.ncl.ac.uk/students/documents/kingsgateleaflet.PDF
6.6 What to do if things go wrong
6.6.1 If you are ill
If you are ill at any point while at University, you should inform your personal tutor as soon
as possible. If you are absent for more than three working days (Monday through Friday), you
must obtain a Self-Certification of Illness form either from the School Office or printed from
S3P: https://s3p.ncl.ac.uk/login/welcome.aspx. This should be returned to the School Office.
If you are absent for more than seven working days, you must obtain a medical certificate
from your doctor and send it to the School office as well. If you believe that your absence has
affected your academic performance in an assessment (coursework or exam) or prevented you
from attending a required session, you should inform the Postgraduate Senior Tutor and/or the
DPD. You should also fill in a Personal Extenuating Circumstances form to explain how your
illness has affected your studies. If you are reluctant for any details to be known, even to the
DPD, because they are sensitive, then you can provide a confidential letter and information in
a sealed envelope for the Chair of the School PEC committee. More information about
sickness and absence procedure is available here:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/Regulations/SPS/Attendance/sickness.htm.
39
6.6.2 Personal Extenuating Circumstances
If you believe that your performance has been affected by illness or other personal
circumstances, then you should first discuss this with the DPD (who will treat anything you
say in strict confidence). The DPD may advise you to fill in a Personal Extenuating
Circumstances (PEC) form: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/marine/assets/docs/PEC_form2012.pdf. If
you do so, the form will only be seen by those people who need to know in order to help you.
The PEC form is the best way of communicating any personal or medical problems that might
have affected your performance. This one form will be a way of telling the School about your
problems, providing evidence, and requesting a number of types of adjustment (extensions,
deferrals, or discretion). For more details see: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/student-
resources/help/.
In general, you must ensure that:
You provide clear evidence of all problems and the period of impact (i.e., how long
you were affected). A doctors note, letter from your employer, or statement of support from
your personal tutor can all be submitted as evidence.
You must be specific about the problem.
You must be precise about how your work was affected (e.g., that you didnt have
enough time to complete or that you missed so many hours of class).
You must indicate how long the problems lasted.
You must list all modules and assessments that were affected.
The more specific the problem, the easier it is for the PEC Committee to understand and
support your case. The more independent third-party evidence that there is, the more likely
the PEC Committee is to support the case. Once a decision has been made, you will be
notified. For decisions regarding extensions to coursework, you will likely be notified within
a few days. All other decisions will be considered at a meeting of the PEC Committee.
6.6.3 Change of circumstances (transfer, suspend studies or withdraw)

Sometimes circumstances do change, and you may decide that you want to transfer degree
programmes, suspend your studies or withdraw from the University. If you are thinking about
any of these scenarios, you should first speak with the DPD so that you can discuss your
options. You can also seek confidential advice from Student Wellbeing
(http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wellbeing/about/student/). Permission to make these changes
often depends upon approval from the DPD. More information on the relevant procedures and
the forms you may need to fill in are available here:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/student-resources/change/.
6.6.4 Complaints and appeals

The Student Complaints Procedure is the Universitys formal complaints procedure under the
Student Charter. It is intended to allow students to make a complaint about a service, a
member of staff or another student within the University. The procedure applies to all formal
complaints, including those related to harassment or racial equality:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/Regulations/SPS/complaints.htm.
A complaint can be made on nearly any aspect of your academic studies, but you should be
prepared to provide evidence to support any allegation. Please note: a complaint cannot be
used to seek to overturn the academic decision of examiners. In all cases you should consider
trying to resolve your complaint informally with the individual concerned. Usually, before a
formal complaint is accepted, you should have sought to resolve the issue informally. The
40
Student Academic Appeals Procedure is for appeals against the decisions of the Boards of
Examiners (excepting those relating to assessment irregularities), Personal Extenuating
Circumstance (PEC) Committees, and sanctions imposed under Unsatisfactory Progress
procedures. More information is available at:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/Regulations/SPS/appeals.htm.
There are only three possible grounds for appeal:
You were adversely affected by illness or other relevant factors, of which you were
previously unaware, or which for a good cause you were unable to disclose to the examiners
in advance.
Procedural irregularity on the part of the examiners.
Bias or prejudice on the part of an examiner or examiners.
An appeal relates to the decision of the examiners and should not be used to raise general
complaints about tuition or support over the length of your degree programme. Impartial
advice on both the complaints and appeals procedures may be sought from the Student
Progress Service. Assistance with submitting a formal complaint or an appeal may be sought
from the appropriate officer of the Students Union, from the Student Advice Centre, or from
a Personal Tutor.
6.7 Equal opportunities

The University aims to ensure equality of opportunity for applicants and for all its students in
teaching, learning, and assessment, and in the provision of services. The University aims to
create conditions whereby students are treated solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and
potential, regardless of age, socio-economic background, religious belief, ethnic origin,
gender, marital or family status, sexual orientation, or disability.
6.8 Careers
Newcastle Universitys award-winning Careers Service can help you make the most of your
unique skills and experiences. Whether you plan on embarking on a graduate career, going
onto further study or starting your own business, we offer a range of support to help you
realise your potential while you are studying and for up to three years after you graduate.
We offer you:
Information on occupations and employers
Advice on working life during and after your degree
Business start-up resources
We can help you with:

Working out what to do next
Gaining enterprise, entrepreneurial and employability skills
Getting professional experience
Building up your contacts and networks
Developing your business ideas and getting them off the ground
Marketing yourself
Finding graduate vacancies and postgraduate courses
41
The Careers Service will also be holding a Creative Careers week, starting February 6 th,
with different events and activities to give you an insight into making a living from being
creative. Keep your eye on our events page for more details.
The Careers Service where opportunities begin

Student Services, Kings Gate, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm (except Wed 10am-5pm)
Tel: 0191 222 7748
Email: careers@ncl.ac.uk
Web: www.ncl.ac.uk/careers
Those students interested in pursuing doctoral research should speak to the Degree
Programme Director by December (December of the final year in the case of part-time
students). Detailed advice and support in completing application forms for doctoral funding is
given by the Faculty and the School in February and March. See:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/elll/study/postgraduate/funding/
42
Appendices
1. Module registration forms
2. Dissertation tips
3. Linguistics staff outside the School
43
Full-time MA in Linguistics 2014-2015
REGISTRATION FORM
Please note that the form is not valid unless signed by the Degree Programme Director.
MA Pathway:
Code Title Credits Semester
SEL8500 Research Methods in Language and Linguistics 20 1&2
SEL8510 Dissertation 60
TOTAL 180
Number of taught credits taken in semester 1 ____ (target = 60)

Student name ______________

Signed by the student ______________ Date: ____________
Signed by the DPD ______________ Date: ____________
44
Part-time MA in Linguistics 2014-2015
REGISTRATION FORM
YEAR 1
Please note that the form is not valid unless signed by the Degree Programme Director.
MA Pathway:
SEL8500 Research Methods in Language and Linguistics 20 1&2
TOTAL 80

Student name ________________

Signed by the student ________________ Date: ___________
Signed by the DPD ________________ Date: ___________
45
Part-time MA in English Language & Linguistics 2014-2015
REGISTRATION FORM
Year 2
Please note that the form is not valid unless signed by the Degree Director.
MA Pathway:
SEL8510 Dissertation 60
TOTAL 100

Student name _________________

Signed by the student _________________ Date: ___________
Signed by the DPD _________________ Date: ___________
46
Appendix 2
MA Dissertation format, description, and some additional writing tips.
The cover:
Newcastle University
[The header in Times New Roman; 14 point; bold; centred]
Your title
[The title in Times New Roman; 18 point; bold; centred]
Your student number:

Supervisor:
September 2015
[Your student number, supervisor and date in Times New Roman; 14 point; bold;
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the MA in [put your MA title HERE] at

Newcastle University. I declare that this work is entirely my own and that in all cases where I
have drawn on the work of any other author, either directly or indirectly, this is fully and
specifically acknowledged in the text of my dissertation and the work cited in the
bibliographical references listed at the end of the Dissertation.
[Declarations in Times New Roman; 12 point; justified; boxed]
47
The MA dissertation
Please read this information before you prepare your proposal for SEL8500. Re-read this
section before you begin working in earnest on your dissertation. We have tried to anticipate
the questions youll have. If anything is unclear, discuss these concerns with the MA director,
or with your dissertation supervisor.
Overview
The dissertation gives you the opportunity to consolidate, develop, and refine your knowledge
and skills through a substantial piece of research on a specialist topic. It is your chance to
research a topic of your choosing with the guidance of an experienced researcher. This
opportunity is often what motivates students to take up postgraduate study in the first place.
At 15,000-18,000 words, the dissertation is much longer than undergraduate work of a similar
nature. It is the equivalent of two to three academic journal articles of the type you will have
read during your programme. The dissertation requires careful planning and research, and
considerable determination to stick to a carefully worked out timetable. Your supervisor will
help you to do this, but in the end, this is your responsibility. This handbook will guide you
through this process.
Stages
Although this may seem a little confusing, you will only receive official confirmation that you
can proceed to the dissertation once you have satisfied the examiners in the assessment for
the taught element of the programme. This occurs after the Board of Examiners has met
(towards the end of June) to confirm all the marks on the modules you will have taken. But
you need to begin working on your dissertation long before June. (If youre a part-time
student, you may start your dissertation during the research semester of your first stage of
study, but you only are only formally eligible to proceed to a dissertation once you have been
assessed in all your taught modules and the Board of Examiners has confirmed your marks.)
Permission to proceed is purely a formality except in the event that you are required to
resubmit a piece of assessment, i.e. when the mark received on a module is below 50. In most
cases, the Board of Examiners will recommend that you work on the module resubmission
alongside your dissertation, i.e. over the summer.
Towards the end of the first semester you should meet with your prospective dissertation
supervisor to discuss a topic. At this point, your supervisor will advise you on reading and
methodology. During the second semester, you will submit a proposal of up to 2000 words as
part of the assessment for SEL8500 (Research Methods in Language and Linguistics). The
specifics of what you propose can be expected to change after the proposal has been
submitted. During the second semester, in early June, you should arrange to meet with your
supervisor for the following purposes:
(i) to discuss your final proposal;
(ii) to agree a timetable that will ensure that you are able to complete your dissertation on
schedule, paying due attention to matters of presentation;
(iii) to discuss fundamental issues relating to researching and developing your dissertation
topic, further to the work done during the second semester.
A second meeting with your supervisor should take place sometime between early July and
the first week of August. By this time, your supervisor may have read and commented on
drafts of parts of your dissertation. After this date you will only consult your supervisor
48
concerning matters of presentation, or for further suggestions for reading. The maximum
length of the dissertation is 18,000 words, but the Schools recommendation is 15,000 words.
Starting the process and choosing a topic
In February, you should informally discuss your ideas about a dissertation topic with the MA
director. We want to ensure that what you have chosen can be done within the period of time
available (roughly three months), that you have not chosen a topic which is too broad or
unfocused, or for which there is a problem in obtaining materials or data. This discussion can
take place by email or face-to-face.
You may select a topic entirely of your own choosing, and we are in general happy to
supervise most suitable topics, particularly those in which we have expertise (see the list of
staff specialisms at the start of this handbook). You are strongly encouraged to select a topic
which is related to what you have explored in the modules you will have taken. This can be in
direct relationship with one or more of these. However, the topic can be in an area in which
you have not taken a module. In this case, you should normally have at least audited a module
in the area you would like to pursue. If you select a topic with which you have little
experience, the programme director or supervisor will closely question you to be sure that you
have not chosen something inappropriate for completion of a dissertation of 15,000-18,000
words within the time available.
Your supervisor will be confirmed when (1) the proposal you submit for SEL8500 has been
read by a potential supervisor, and after (2) you have discussed your topic with that person. It
is up to you to approach the potential supervisor. To confirm supervision, you should let the
programme director know that you have discussed your ideas with your potential supervisor.
This is necessary to ensure that supervision is appropriate and that supervision for the
dissertation period is evenly distributed across available members of staff.
Start the discussion on your topic before the spring break. It is your responsibility to set
this in motion, not a potential supervisors. In theory a meeting can be set up at the beginning
of the break if both you and your supervisor are available. The key issues you should discuss
at your first meeting are (1) the nature of the topic: should you limit or extend it or is it fine as
it stands? (2) the reading you will need to do. Working effectively over the March-April break
will reap dividends later.
After the Easter vacation you should meet your supervisor a second time after emailing
him/her a brief outline that presents the ideas you are considering for your dissertation. It is
your responsibility to set up this meeting. Unlike the first meeting/discussion you MUST meet
face to face at this critical stage. This is when you will decide on the overall scope of your
dissertation and you need to be able to discuss this at length, exchanging views in the light of
your reading. This meeting will involve brainstorming that is best done face to face. From
May to August any meetings should be based on sections of your dissertation-in-progress
that you will have given your supervisor in advance of these meetings.
Proposing February Discuss a topic with the MA Director (this can be

the topic done by email or face-to-face).
April Submit your dissertation proposal for SEL8500

Preparation March Consult potential supervisor (before Easter break).
49
March Attend a refresher session on library/database
research skills.
Early May Confirm your supervisor and discuss your proposal
in more depth.

Dissertation Early June Meet your supervisor to discuss the outline of your
dissertation and sample sections, which you will
have sent him/her prior to the meeting.
June-August You may request further meetings, but note that
supervisors will not be available over the entire
summer. Set up any summer meetings before the end
of the semester.
Submission of the dissertation

By working with your supervisor to make sure to select a topic which does not demand
extensive treatment, you should not have to worry about submitting a piece of work which is
too long. You should regularly check your word count as you are working on final drafts of
your chapters; you are required to indicate the word count when you submit your dissertation.
We will normally accept a dissertation which exceeds the stated length by approximately 5%
(so approximately 18,900), but if your work is significantly over the required length, you may
be penalised.
The dissertation should be handed in to the Postgraduate and Research Secretary by no

later than 4.00pm on 4th September 2015. This deadline will be enforced strictly:
unauthorized late submission will be treated as non-submission and incur a mark of 0%.
In case of illness or other major mitigating circumstances, you may, on presentation of
appropriate evidence to the Degree Programme Director, request an extension of up to
one month. Requests for longer extensions will be referred to the Faculty Dean of
Postgraduate Studies; such extensions may be granted for a maximum of a further two
months in total and only in extreme circumstances. If you anticipate needing such an
extension, contact the MA director well before this due date. If you require a longer
extension, you must complete a form (available from the Postgraduate and Research
Secretary), and attach a letter to the MA director explaining why you are unable to
submit on time. Extensions of up to two months may be granted at the discretion of the
Dean of Postgraduate Studies. Note that you will not be able to graduate in December if
you submit after the due date.
Additional writing tips
In many respects, the MA dissertation is a longer and more complex version of your MA
essays. This is especially the case if you have done one or more essays of the open-ended
type where you yourself defined the parameters. The more general guidelines for essay-
writing therefore apply in exactly the same ways where issues of argument, structure of
paragraphs, and general presentation are concerned (line-spacing, punctuation,
references, pagination).
Broad structure
The dissertation should always have the following structure:
50
Abstract
Table of contents
Introductory chapter (including a review of the literature)
The chapters
Conclusion
Bibliography
The Abstract
The abstract should be 300-500 words long. You should consider a second draft at the start of
writing the dissertation, and a third and final draft after you have completed the dissertation,
because in the course of writing, you may well end up inflecting the arguments you began
with.
The finished abstract should do the following:
State clearly and in specific terms what the dissertation is about. This will generally be more
effective if you explain how the dissertation aims to answer some specific question or set of
questions. Your research questions will help you to stay on target and to avoid being
distracted by interesting (but irrelevant) digressions.
Give a clear outline of how the dissertation is structured and what is in each of the chapters.
Give a clear idea of the outcomes or conclusions of your research.
The Literature Review (but give yours a specific chapter title)
The opening chapter of the dissertation must include a critical review of the literature
pertaining to your topic. This serves as the research context for your own work, indicating
what has been done, as well as what has not been done in the area you are investigating. It is
the springboard for your work. The quality of your work will to a large extent depend on how
extensive and how focused this review is. The work for this should already have been started
well before the beginning of the dissertation proper. At this stage, the survey of the critical
literature would have allowed you to do the following:
to decide on the issues you wished to address;

to become aware of appropriate research methodologies;
to see how research on your topic fitted into a broader framework;
to prepare you for approaching the literature review.
Now, however, you will inevitably need to extend this work for the literature review proper.
Clearly, if you are new to research in the field you are not in a position to 'criticise' the work
of experienced researchers on the basis of your own knowledge of the topic or of research
methodology. Where you are reporting on well-known research closely related to your topic,
however, some critical comments may well be available from other established researchers
(often in textbooks on the topic). These criticisms of methodology, conclusions and so on can
and should be reported in your review, as should published reactions to these criticisms.
However, the use of the term critical is not usually meant to suggest that you should focus on
criticising the work of established researchers. It is primarily meant to indicate that your
material is not just a descriptive list of a number of research projects related to the topic, but
that you are capable of thinking critically and with insight about the issues raised by previous
51
research. Its functions include most of the following, and often in the following order, all of
which can be subsumed under the general heading of demonstrating your grasp of the topic:
to indicate major questions in the topic area;

to indicate what researchers in the field already know about the topic;
to draw together the main themes and arguments covered by them;
to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the literature relevant to your own research;
to draw out key issues essential to your own research;
to indicate what those in the field do not yet know about the topic (the 'gaps'), thus validating
your approach.
You should try to do all of this while also developing an argument. As to how much you
should cover, there is no simple answer. You will have to decide what is appropriate in your
case, in discussion with your supervisor. As a start, think about providing answers to
questions of this type:
What has been done in my field of research?

What is relevant in terms of my research interests/objectives/questions?
What do I need to cover given the scope of my topic, my level of study and the time I have
available to write my thesis?
Why might I cover certain bodies of literature and not others?
You will be expected to
cover the most recent, relevant publications available;

focus on key writers in the field, which, remember, may not be that recent, but may still be
widely cited.
If you have chosen to work on a relatively new issue, area, phenomenon or language, you may
well find that there is not much material. You would then be expected to cover the main
related theoretical material even if the sources talks about the specific issue you are pursuing.
A further issue that arises in the context of coverage is what to cover where. You may find it
difficult to decide what material to cover in a literature review chapter, and what to cover in
other chapters of your dissertation. It may help to think in terms of the writing having
different levels, and so different objectives:
Literature Review chapter Specific chapter level

Your purpose in this chapter is to provide At the level of the chapter, you could
a broad-based review of the literature as undertake detailed discussion of aspects
it applies to your overall research of the literature relevant to the specific
objectives. objectives of the particular chapter you
In the process of this review, it may at are writing.
times be necessary to signal your Your use of the literature in specific
intention to reserve more detailed chapters is likely to be integrated
discussion of points or aspects of studies throughout your discussion to advance
for relevant chapters. and support points you are developing.
But you might want mini-literature
reviews at the beginning of each
52
chapter.
There are different ways of organising a literature review; some writers, for example, opt for a
thematic, conceptual or methodological approach; others organise their review around key
issues or debates that they want to engage with. The key issue is to let the interests and
objectives of your own research determine the most appropriate structure for you. As with all
other writing, do not forget to tell your reader, at appropriate points, what you are doing and
why you are doing it.
The end of the review is not necessarily the end of the introductory chapter. Your Introduction
must not only say who has said what about your topic, and give a context for your discussion,
it must also show that you are able to extrapolate from this groundwork and suggest ways
forward which justify your own approach.
By the end of your first chapter, your reader should be able to see that
the scope of your review is appropriate for your degree level;

you have reviewed the sources relevant to your research topic;
there has been full critical engagement with the literature;
it is clear how your research objectives/questions fit in with previous scholarly work;
it is clear how you will proceed in the following chapters.
The Chapters
Each chapter should end with a reference to what will be covered in the following chapter and
how it relates to your general focus. Similarly, each chapter should begin with a more
extended version of exactly the same kind of reminder. This is called flagging or
signposting, and is even more crucial for longer pieces of work than it might be for essays.
You do not want your dissertation to appear to the reader as a haphazard collection of mini-
essays.
Conclusion
Your dissertation must have a conclusion. Do not just stop abruptly after the last chapter. The
point of the conclusion, just like for an essay, is to ensure that your readers understand where
you have taken them. You therefore need to remind them about your research questions and
the framework in which these questions operate, as well as what your investigations have
revealed. A good way to complete the conclusion is to suggest ways forward, or aspects that
you are well aware that you have not been able to cover given the restricted scope of your
focus. Such where now statements are not easy to write; they can often sound rather banal,
or seemingly state the obvious, so be prepared to try out several drafts before committing
yourself.
53
Finally, Six Key Tips
You do not have to start writing at the beginning. Although it is helpful to have written a
draft literature review before you start the dissertation proper, it sometimes helps, especially if
you suffer from writers block, to begin with what you are most comfortable with. Then move
about in your writing by completing various sections as you think of them. At some point you
will be able to spread out in front of you all of the sections that you have written. You will be
able to sequence them in the best order and then see what is missing and should be added to
the dissertation. This approach builds on those aspects of your study that are of most interest
to you at any particular time. Go with what interests you, because that will help you focus.
Never stop writing. Even if all you can write is notes, do not yield to the temptation of
saying to yourself: I just need to read another two books before getting the right ideas. The
right ideas are not other peoples ideas; they are your own.
Use WORDs Table of Contents and Headings facilities. This allows you to see your
structure on one page, and if necessary move whole chunks of text around with one click.
Read your draft out loud to yourself once you have written a first draft. If you get lost in
the argument, the argument is not clear, even though it might have seemed so to you. If you
lose your breath, you are writing sentences which are too long and complicated, or you are not
punctuating your text properly.
Print out draft versions frequently and remember to date-stamp them. This way you can
constantly compare and contrast different approaches.
The end is the beginning Write the first chapter, or at least the part of the first chapter which
follows the literature review, last of all. And then review your abstract. It is only when you
arrive at the end of the journey that you can understand and explain to others (i.e. your reader)
how to get there. Edit and proofread your work and enlist the services of a proof-reader, if
need be.
Now youre ready to get your dissertation bound. You dont need to and really should not
(as its an added expense) get your dissertation hard bound, but it is expected that you will
have it soft bound. The dissertation should be submitted to the Postgraduate and Research
Secretary. If youre having a trusted friend submit it for you, make sure your supervisor and
the programme director are aware of this.
54
Appendix 3
Additional linguistics/applied linguistics/language staff at Newcastle University
School of Modern Languages

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sml/postgrad/
Dr Carol Fehringer carol.fehringer@ncl.ac.uk

Theoretical morphology, especially German, Dutch and English; also phonology,
specifically metrical phonology, and its application in standard Dutch and in Low German
dialects
Prof Rosaleen Howard r.e.howard@ncl.ac.uk
Sociolinguistics,, anthropological linguistics of the Andes; Quechua-Spanish contact;
language ideaologies; Latin American language policy; Critical Discourse Analysis in
multicultural settings; teaching indigenous languages.
Dr Francis Jones f.r.jones@ncl.ac.uk
Translation studies, especially poetry and the social/ethical role of the literary
translator; foreign/second language learning, particularly self-instruction.
Dr Ian MacKenzie i.e.mackenzie@ncl.ac.uk

Spanish syntax and semantics; Rmance linguistics; philosophy of language; Latin
American linguistics.
Dr Richard Waltereit Richard.waltereit@ncl.ac.uk

Semantics and semantic change in French and other Romance languages; semantics-
pragmatics interface.
School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences

Prof Vivian Cook vivian.cook@ncl.ac.uk
First and second language acquisition, multicompetence, theory language teaching
methodology, linguistics and EFL and writing systems.
Dr Alan Firth alan. firth@ncl.ac.uk

Spoken discourse and social interaction; Conversation Analysis; second/foreign language
use and learning, especially in non-instructional settings.
Prof David Howard david.howard@ncl.ac.uk

Cognitive neuropsychology of language and memory; acquired disorders of and word
retrieval/production, reading, spelling, short term memory and syntactic processing;
neuropsychology of dementia; representation of language in the brain.
Dr Ghada Khattab ghada.khattab@ncl.ac.uk

Bilingual and second language acquisition, particularly the acquisition of phonetics and
phonology (Arabic/English/French); assessment and management of children with English as
an additional language who have communication impairments.
55
Dr Nicole Lallini Nicole.lallini@ncl.ac.uk
Acquired apraxia (German and English); motor disorders.
Dr Carolyn Letts c.a.letts@ncl.ac.uk

Early characteristics of language impairment; clinical and educational application of
theory with children with specific language impairment and pragmatic impairment;
assessment and treatment of bilingual language impaired children.
Dr Mei Lin mei.lin@ncl.ac.uk

Effective teaching and learning in the classroom, especially thinking skills and strategies
in the foreign language classroom; learning disabilities in the classroom; young English
Language learners in schools.
Dr Julie Morris julie.morris@ncl.ac.uk

Aphasia, particular auditory comprehension breakdown in aphasia and speech and
language therapy in aphasia.
Prof Paul Seedhouse paul.seedhouse@ncl.ac.uk

Conversation analysis; interaction in the language classroom; task-based learning;
negotiation of repair in the foreign language classroom.
Dr Peter Sercombe peter.sercombe@ncl.ac.uk

Sociolinguistics, with particular interest in code-switching, and language maintenance and
change among minority groups; cultural adaptation; and intercultural communication.
Dr Steve Walsh steve.walsh@ncl.ac.uk

Spoken and written discourse, especially classroom discourse; the relationship between
talk and learning; classroom interaction/interactional awareness; second language teacher
education; action research and critical reflective practice.
Dr Janet Webster janet.webster@ncl.ac.uk

Sentence processing (semantic and syntactic deficits) in aphasia; assessment and therapy
for aphasia.
Mr Scott Windeatt scott.windeatt@ncl.ac.uk

Computer-Assisted Language Learning; use of the internet and multimedia for language
learning; teacher training, especially using technology to train teachers/training teachers to
use technology; autonomous learning; language testing.
Dr Tony Young tony.young@ncl.ac.uk

Culture, language and communication in educational, non-governmental organisations
and health care contexts; codification/dissemination of good practice among professionals
(teachers, health care providers, business people).
56
57

MA Linguistics Handbook 2014-15 CD

Diunggah oleh

Informasi Dokumen

Hak Cipta

Format Tersedia

Bagikan dokumen Ini

Bagikan atau Tanam Dokumen

Opsi Berbagi

Apakah menurut Anda dokumen ini bermanfaat?

Apakah konten ini tidak pantas?

Hak Cipta:

Format Tersedia

MA Linguistics Handbook 2014-15 CD

Diunggah oleh

Hak Cipta:

Format Tersedia

School of English Literature,

Language & Linguistics

MA in Linguistics (with English Language/ Language Acquisition/ European

April 2014: Second International Conference on Discourse-Pragmatic Variation and Change

May 2013: Workshop on New Lexis

April 2013: International Workshop on European Languages and Diachronic Linguistics

Workshop on The Syntax of Answers to Polar Questions

May 2012: Symposium on the History of English Syntax (spring)

7th Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Postgraduate Conference in Linguistics

2011: Child Language Seminar

Summer: Dissertation research

4th September 2015 MA dissertations due

2.2 Key Staff

Mrs Sherelle Coulson

Postgraduate matters in the School of Modern Languages

2.3.2 Ordinary mail

2.3.3 Change of address

2.4.1 Process for new students:

Before Arrival in Newcastle

2. Student logs into S3P.

3. Student accepts University terms and conditions.

4. Student checks the registration status screen.

6. Student pays tuition fees online if applicable using credit/debit card.

2.4.2 Process for returning students

2. Student logs into S3P.

3. Student accepts University terms and conditions.

4. Student checks the registration status screen.

6. Student pays tuition fees online if applicable using credit/debit card.

Robinson Library Smart card scanning stations for returning

Kings Gate Building Student Services on Level 2 will be able to

Level 1 in Kings Gate

2.5.1 School induction

2.5.2 Faculty-level International Postgraduate Induction

2.5.3 Visa Induction Presentations

2.5.4 Linguistics Section welcome

2.5.5 Recommended things to do before or during registration week

Email Sheila Heppel at crills@ncl.ac.uk to receive the weekly newsletters of the

2.6 Module selection

2.7 Centres and Societies

2.7.1 Centre for Research in Linguistics and Language Sciences (CRiLLS)

CRiLLS activities include:

More information on these activities can be found at: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/linguistics

2.7.2 The Linguistics Society

3 The MA Programme and Module Information

Code Descriptive title Total Credits Credits Credits

Code Descriptive title Total Credits Credits Credits

Code Descriptive title Total Credits Credits Credits

SEL8163 The Sociolinguistics 20 20

MA in Linguistics: Language Acquisition

Code Descriptive title Total Credits Credits Credits

Code Descriptive title Total Credits Credits Credits

In Year 1 this core module will be taken:

3.2 Additional information on modules

3.2.1 Module selection

3.2.2 Co- and pre-requisite modules

For these Semester 2 modules, students need to take these Semester

3.2.3 Taking modules from other schools and auditing modules

ECLS MODULES 2014-15

SML MODULES 2014-15

3.2.4 Your time

3.3.1 Your writing

The Writing Development Centre

Location: Level 2, Robinson Library

understanding assignment and examination questions