Teaching linguistics through language construction: A project-based approach

Yılmaz Köylü

doi:10.1075/pl.21013.koy

ISSN 2665-9581
E-ISSN: 2665-959X

GBP

Teaching linguistics through language construction

A project-based approach
Author(s): Yılmaz Köylü¹
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Affiliations: ¹ The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Source: Pedagogical Linguistics, Volume 4, Issue 2, Jun 2023, p. 119 - 158
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/pl.21013.koy
- Received: 26 Jun 2021
- Accepted: 30 Sept 2021
- Version of Record published : 21 Oct 2021

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Abstract

This article details how introductory linguistics courses can increase student engagement and learning through a project-based approach, whereby the students first study the subfields of linguistics with a view to complete the main project of the course, namely to construct a novel language. I provide information from a semester-long course with specific project-based activities teachers could utilize in their classes. I also thoroughly examine the constructed language projects based on 33 student submissions in an introductory linguistics course in the US. The analysis indicates a high level of engagement and creativity by the students in creating a distinct orthography, phonetic, morphological, and syntactic rules and semantic properties for their constructed languages. The results from a 20-item questionnaire and student exit interviews indicate that the project-based approach adopted in the completion of their constructed languages proved effective in (a) improving student motivation and engagement; (b) helping students apply the knowledge of the material to carry out linguistic analysis; (c) enhancing students’ language learning skills; (d) encouraging them to study additional foreign languages; and finally (e) promoting linguistic diversity. Hence, as an innovative and effective method still in its infancy, project-based learning should be more widely implemented in linguistics instruction.

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2024-04-19

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Teaching linguistics through language construction

Pedagogical Linguistics 4, 119 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1075/pl.21013.koy

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Article Type: Research Article

Keyword(s): constructed languages; project-based learning (PBL); teaching linguistics

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Teaching linguistics through language construction

A project-based approach

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