(in Polish) Wstęp do językoznawstwa 4100-1SWDJ

Module I. Linguistics and its Development
1. From the Tower of Babel to the present – a brief history of linguistics
2. Linguistics as a science: synchrony and diachronic; general and applied linguistics
3. Links between linguistics and other disciplines (psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, translation studies, language didactics)

Module II. Language and Communication
4. What is language? Language as a system and a tool
5. Defining features of human language
6. Verbal communication: conditions, processes, and disruptions
7. Models of communication and language functions
8. Non-verbal communication and its role in interaction

Module III. Language Structure and Linguistic Competence
9. Main branches of linguistics and components of linguistic competence
10. Subsystems of language: phonetics and phonology
11. Lexicology and lexicography
12. Morphology and syntax
13. Semantics and pragmatics

Module IV. Language in Use and Cross-Linguistic Perspectives
14. Speech act theory (Austin, Searle) and its applications in language teaching
15. Comparative linguistics and its relevance to language pedagogy

Term 2025Z:

Type of course

obligatory courses

Mode

Remote learning

Prerequisites (description)

The aim of the course Introduction to Linguistics is to acquaint students with the basic concepts and research directions in linguistics from both diachronic and synchronic perspectives. The course also provides a systematic introduction to the structure of the linguistic discipline, with particular emphasis on its division into general linguistics and applied linguistics. Students will become familiar with the main branches of linguistics, their interrelations, and the place of research on language acquisition and language education within this field. The lecture develops the theoretical foundations necessary for further linguistic and pedagogical studies. The course enables students to understand the structure of language as a system and the basic mechanisms of its functioning, with reference to selected aspects of the historical development of linguistic thought. It prepares students to consciously analyze linguistic phenomena and to understand their place within a broader educational and communicative context.

Course coordinators

Mieczysław Gajos

Learning outcomes

Knowledge:
K_W01 The graduate has advanced knowledge and understanding of the main issues, achievements, trends, and directions of development in general and applied linguistics.
K_W02 The graduate has advanced knowledge and understanding of selected models and theories explaining the structure and functioning of language.
K_W03 The graduate has advanced knowledge and understanding of the complex nature of language and its description within the main branches of linguistics, as well as the interrelations and dependencies between them.

Skills:
K_U01 The graduate is able to apply their knowledge of general and applied linguistics to analyse, interpret, and critically evaluate linguistic phenomena.

Assessment criteria

1. Course completion requirements
Attendance at lectures is required (a maximum of two absences per semester is permitted). To pass the course, students must take the final test and achieve the passing threshold.
The use of AI tools and language processing technologies is permitted only with the instructor’s prior consent and after approval of the scope of their use. Using such tools without permission will be treated as a violation of academic integrity — the work will be considered unauthentic and graded as a fail.

2. Assessment methods
Final test (100% weight, individual; K_W01, K_W02, K_W03, K_U01).

3. Assessment criteria
- factual correctness of answers (compliance with lecture content),
- completeness of answers,
- compliance with instructions.

4. Grading scale (with passing threshold)
60–100% – pass
0–59% – fail

Bibliography

Grzegorczykowa R., Wstęp do językoznawstwa, PWN, Warszawa, 2008.
Łuczyński E., Maćkiewicz J., Językoznawstwo ogólne. Wybrane zagadnienia, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego, Gdańsk, 2002.
Milewski T., Językoznawstwo, PWN, Warszawa, 2005.
Polański K. (red.), Encyklopedia językoznawstwa ogólnego, Ossolineum, Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków, 1999.
Stalmaszczyk P. (red.), Metodologie językoznawstwa. Podstawy teoretyczne, WUŁ, Łódź, 2006.
Vater H., Wprowadzenie do lingwistyki, Atut, Wrocław, 2015.

Term 2025Z:

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 4100-1SWDJ in USOSweb