Master of Arts in Linguistics (MAL)
Department of Linguistics
The University of Hong Kong

INTRODUCTION

We offer one-year full-time or two-year part-time MA in Linguistics. The programme provides an important forum for staff and postgraduates to keep abreast of the latest in the subject and to contribute to its advancement. The progarmme has been approved by the Vetting Committee of the Education Bureau to be included on the list of "Programmes accepted for Grants under the Professional Development Incentive Grant Scheme for Language Teachers" of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR).

Objectives

The objectives of the programme are:

Academic Focus

Linguistics is a theoretical subject. In studying languages the linguist's aim is to build a theory of language in order to explain how language originated, how it has evolved, in what form it exists in the human brain, how languages change over time and space, and how they are used to communicate information and feelings. Such theory comes with an in-depth understanding of the structure of language based on empirical investigations of languages. The MA in Linguistics also provides training in the use of the computer in different areas of linguistic research.

In the second year students can specialise in a number of fields, including phonetics and phonology, syntax and semantics, computational linguistics, discourse and conversation analysis, and the study of language types and language universals.

Social Relevance

At a time when a strong need is felt for the standards of Chinese and English to be improved in the work force and in the community generally, this MA programme can provide students with the understanding and skills necessary to raise the effectiveness of language use in a variety of communicative situations. We also hope to contribute to the educational authorities' endeavour to provide more opportunities for language teachers to obtain pre-service as well as in-service training in language. Participants will have plenty of opportunity to reflect upon their use of English and Chinese and update their knowledge about language more generally.

ADMISSIONS

2012-13 ADMISSION IS NOW OPEN. APPLICATION CLOSES ON FEB 15, 2012.

Entrance Requirements

Applicants shall hold a Bachelor's degree with Honours in linguistics or language studies of this University or another qualification of equivalent standard from this University or from another university or comparable institution. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview. For more details on admission requirements and application procedures, please click here.

The Faculty of Arts has more stringent TOEFL and IELTS requirements. For TOEFL, it requires a score of 4 or above in the Test of Written English (TWE) or a score of 25 or above in the Writing section of the Internet-based TOEFL (with the exception of applicants seeking admission to the postgraduate programmes offered by the School of Chinese and the Master of Buddhist Studies programmes.) For IELTS, the Faculty of Arts requires, for all programmes (with exception of the Master of Buddhist Studies programme), a minimum overall band of 7 with no subtest lower than 5.5.

Overseas Applicants

Non-local students (including those from Mainland China) need to obtain a visa in order to study in Hong Kong. Details of the visa application procedures are available from the CEDARS website.

Students intending to stay for more than 6 months should obtain a Hong Kong Identity Card after their arrival.

If you are not a local student, you must apply for a student visa before registration in our programmes. Normally the student visa is only granted to those admitted for full-time studies. While the Faculty may in exceptional cases consider offering non-local students admission to our part-time postgraduate programmes, it remains individual students’ responsibility to ensure that they have a valid student visa and register in the programmes before the semester begins. If any student fails to register in time, the offer of admission may be withdrawn and all fees already paid may not be refunded.

Applications

Application and application fees are required to be made via the online application system. Application will start from early January. To apply, please click here. Application closes on Feb 15, 2012.

Tuition Fee

Full-time (1 year) / Part-time (2 years): HK$90,000.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

To fulfil the degree requirements for MA in Linguistics, full-time and part-time students are required to take 6 courses (1 core and 5 elective) and a dissertation.

(1) Courses

Students are required to take ONE core course “LING6029 Current Issues in Linguistics” and FIVE elective courses. Students are expected to submit a dissertation by the end of their studies. Courses normally take place on weekday evenings or Saturdays.

(I) Core course

LING6029 Current Issues in Linguistics
In this course current issues in different sub-fields of Linguistics are discussed, with an emphasis on new approaches, methodologies and findings. The topics may vary from year to year but will include a selection from such major fields of research as linguistic theory, sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics.

(II) Elective courses (subject to availability of teachers)

LING6010 Readings in LInguistics
In this course students are asked to read a selection of classical works and exemplary books and research papers in linguistics. Selections may vary from year to year, but will usually include important works by early masters including Bloomfield, Sapir, and Chao, as well as influential works by current linguists. Students are required to submit written reports and give oral presentations on the readings.

LING6013 Data-driven Linguistic Analysis
This course offers students training in the latest data-based approaches in linguistic analysis. Different kinds of linguistic data and their theoretical status are first presented, followed by a discussion of the methods currently being used for constructing natural language corpora. Topics including corpus design and annotation, the sampling and retrieval of information from language corpora, and their use in linguistic analysis are discussed.

LING6015 Discourse and Conversation
This course covers fundamental concepts and methods in Discourse Analysis. Several approaches that describe and explain the structure and function of conversational and written discourse will be presented. Examples will be drawn from different discourse genres, including literary discourse. Students will be introduced to ten acclaimed literary novels, which have also been made into award-winning movies. Data collection and handling will be an important element of the course and practical applications of discourse analytic approaches will also be considered.

LING6017 Language Development and Language Behavior
The aims of this course are to introduce students to some research methods employed in the study of language acquisition and language behavior, and to assess the significance of research results in these fields. The main topics to be covered include: stages of language development, reading acquisition, second language learning, language and reading disorders, and the influences of writing systems on language processing.

LING6018 Readings in the Syntax of Language Acquisition
In this course, participants will be assigned fortnightly readings on prominent and relevant works on the syntax of language acquisition. Participants will read, review, and submit their readings for discussions. Topics include: The theory of first language acquisition, historical perspectives on second language acquisition research, current trends in second language acquisition, trilingualism in second language acquisition. This course is suitable for participants who are writing theses about language acquisition and for those who want further insights on grammar and language learning.

LING6019 Grammar and Interaction
This course introduces students to the recent advances in the study of the interface between linguistic structure (grammar) and human interaction (spontaneous communication). It focuses on issues of the identity of basic interactional units and how syntax, prosody, semantics and conversational structure shape one another in naturally occurring talk. Topics include: Syntax of sentences in progress, Adverbial clauses in conversation, Repair and syntax, Conversational turns and their extension.

LING6020 Advanced Topics in Psycholinguistics
This course will examine issues concerning how language is acquired and processed in the mind. Advanced research topics to be covered in this course are as follows: brain and language development, language and thought, mental systems for words, word segmentation in Chinese and English, dyslexia, language disorders. There will also be practical laboratory classes.

LING6021 Language Types and Universals
This course introduces linguistic typology as an approach to language structure based inductively on investigation of a wide range of languages. It does not require prior knowledge of many languages, although some knowledge of a language such as German or Japanese is a useful asset. The course includes applications of typology in the field of language acquisition.

LING6022 Reading Acquisition and Development Dyslexia
This course aims to provide a theoretical understanding of reading development and reading disorders in different writing systems, with a specific focus on alphabetic (English) and logographic (Chinese) writing systems. Through attending the course, students will be able to understand how different cognitive processes contribute to the development of skilled word reading and text comprehension and what problems children may encounter during the course of reading development. Effective treatment and instruction approaches will also be discussed.

LING6023 Researching Language in Hong Kong
This course introduces students to contemporary research on languages issues with special reference to the study of language and linguistics in Hong Kong. This course will survey recent research on the languages of the HKSAR, and discuss how language research may be critically read and interpreted, with particular attention to research design and methodology. The central aim of the course is to help students to understand the techniques of quantitative and qualitative research, with case studies relevant to Hong Kong. It will be of special interest to students intending to carry out locally-based research for their dissertation.

LING6024 Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)
This course focuses on the theory and practice of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Areas covered in the course include: a brief review of the history of CALL; latest pedagogical approaches based on CALL (such as the Data-Driven Learning approach); the introduction of various CALL software packages (vocabulary and grammar learning programs, electronic-storybooks, language quizzes and games, etc.); introduction of online language teaching and learning (WebQuest, online communication, WWW resources, etc.); the use of E-dictionaries and thesauruses; and the use of corpus and concordancing programs for language teaching and learning (both monolingual concordancing and English-Chinese parallel concordancing will be introduced). Other related topics such as machine translation, speech recognition and language learning through PDA (Personal Data Assistants) will also be briefly introduced.

LING6025 Language Planning and Language Management
Most societies in the world are officially multilingual and face many problems relating to language planning and language management. Language planning typically refers to language policies in such areas as government and education, while language management refers to small-scale decisions and applications within institutions and business organizations. The broad aim of this course is to inform students about recent trends in language planning internationally and in Hong Kong and, with reference to such topics as national language traditions, official language policies, and the use of languages in at work.

LING6027 Topics in Functional Linguistics
This course examines a selection of topics within a field of study which has come to be known as ‘functional linguistics’. The topics may vary from year to year, but will include a sample of influential functional approaches to the study of language from the following list: cognitive linguistics, construction grammar, information structure and sentence form, grammaticalization theory, bio-linguistics. Through an in-depth discussion of a small number of studies the selected approaches will be evaluated for their theoretical and methodological contributions to linguistics.

LING6028 Topics in Language Acquisition
The course introduces current linguistic approaches to language acquisition. Topics will include the acquisition of Cantonese and English by bilingual children; acquisition of English as second language by Chinese speakers, and vice versa; and the analysis of interlanguage grammar. The course is intended for those with some experience of language teaching.

LING6031 Multilingualism
This course provides a broad overview of issues pertinent to multilingualism, with an emphasis on the linguistic, social and cultural diversity of multilingual societies. Theories and approaches to the study of multilingualism will be illustrated by different multilingual settings around the world, with special focus on Hong Kong and Asian contexts. Topics related to the linguistic consequences of multilingualism include diglossia, code-switching and language change. We also look at educational issues created by multilingualism and how they are resolved.

LING7005 Grammar: Theories and Applications
This course offers an in-depth study of recent advances in syntactic research. Theories of language and theories of grammar are first discussed, followed by a consideration of the methods with which syntactic structures and syntactic functions are handled in the major theoretical frameworks. The role of the lexicon in these theories is examined. It is shown how these contemporary theories find applications in areas such as language learning.

(2) Dissertation

Both full-time and part-time candidates should write and submit a dissertation. A topic should be submitted for approval by May 20 of the academic year for full-time candidates or May 20 of the second year of study for part-time candidates. On approval of the dissertation topic, a supervisor will be assigned to each candidate. The dissertation, which should normally be between 12,000 and 15,000 words in length, should be submitted by August 20 of the academic year.

Subject to the provisions of Regulation MA 5(b), the title of the dissertation or its equivalent requirement shall be submitted for approval by a date as prescribed in the syllabuses for each field of study; similarly, the dissertation or its equivalent requirement shall be presented by a date as prescribed in the syllabuses for each field of study; the candidate shall submit a statement that the dissertation or its equivalent requirement represents his own work (or in the case of conjoint work, a statement countersigned by his co-worker, which shows his share of the work) undertaken after registration as a candidate for the degree.

CURRENT STUDENTS

2011-12 Timetables <NEW>

First Semester

*There is no fixed meeting time and place for LING6010. Students should arrange meetings with their supervisors.

Second Semester

Assessment

Courses are assessed either by coursework, or by examination, or by a combination of coursework and examination as specified in the descriptions of individual courses. Coursework assessment is based on essays, term papers, projects, oral presentations, quizzes, and other kinds of oral or written work as prescribed by the course instructors. Examinations may be in the form of written examinations, open-book examinations, or take-home examinations.

Part-time students will be allowed to proceed to the second year of study provided that they can satisfy the examiners in all core courses in the first year. Examinations will normally be held at the end of the semester in which the courses are taken. Students who fail to satisfy the examiners in not more than 2 courses may be re-assessed. Re-assessment may take the form of re-submitting term papers or projects, or re-sitting examinations, as appropriate, the exact format of re-assessment will be determined in each case by the Board of Examiners. Students who fail to satisfy the examiners in the re-assessment may be required to discontinue their studies. Students who fail to satisfy the examiners in more than 2 courses may be required to discontinue their studies.

Dissertation

Students have to decide their dissertation topics at the beginning of the second semester of the academic year (second year of study for part-time students). The final dissertation title must be submitted at least three months before the final dissertation is due. Following is a suggested schedule for preparing your dissertation. Various forms will be available in due course.

Timeline for Preparing and Submitting Dissertation

Plagiarism

According the Faculty of Arts’ circular on Plagiarism in Assessments and Examinations, “Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. The Faculty of Arts upholds the principle that plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and any student found plagiarizing is liable to disciplinary action in addition to failing the examination.” Regulation 6 of the University's Regulations Governing Conduct at Examinations also states "A candidate shall not engage in plagiarism nor employ nor seek to employ any other unfair means at an examination or in any other form of work submitted for assessment as part of a University examination. Plagiarism is defined as the unacknowledged use, as one's own, of work of another person, whether or not such work has been published." For more details, please read the Art's Faculty's circular on plagiarism in assessments and examinations and the Protocol on the Handling of Plagiarism.

Faculty of Arts’ circular on Plagiarism on Assessments and Examinations:
http://arts.hku.hk/PGprogrammes/plagiarism.pdf

Protocol on the Handling of plagiarism:
http://arts.hku.hk/BAprogramme/2010/assessment/plagiarism.html

If you have questions, please consult your teacher and the two booklets below.
What is plagiarism: http://www0.hku.hk/plagiarism/
Plagiarism and How to Avoid it: http://www4.caes.hku.hk/plagiarism/

Discontinuation

A candidate who
(a) is not permitted to present himself for re-examination in any paper or papers in which he has failed to satisfy the examiners or to revise and re-present his dissertation or its equivalent requirement; or
(b) has failed to satisfy the examiners in a second attempt in any course(s) or examination or in his dissertation or its equivalent requirement; or
(c) has failed more than two courses in a first attempt in an academic year
may be required to discontinue his studies under the provisions of General Regulation G 12.

Useful Links

Faculty of Arts: http://arts.hku.hk/
School of Humanities: http://www.soh.hku.hk/
Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS): http://beta.cedars.hku.hk/
China Affairs Office (CAO): http://www0.hku.hk/cao/
Finance and Enterprises Office: http://www0.hku.hk/finance/

DATES OF SEMESTERS

FORMS

Course Selection Form Sem 1 (First Semester) (Word, PDF)
Course Selection Form Sem 2 (Second Semester) (Word, PDF)
Proposed Dissertation Supervisor and Topic (Word, PDF)
Finalized Dissertation Title (Word, PDF)

UPDATED NEWS

[29 August] <NEW>
Subject: Course Selection for First Semester Courses
To: All second year part-time students (2009-11) and full-time students (2010-11)

Course Selection Form is now available for download. Completed form should be returned to Dr Michelle Li on or before 15 September.

[29 August]
Subject: Orientation for New Students
To: Full-time students admitted in 2011

Date & time: 7 September, 5:00p.m. - 6:00p.m.
Venue: MB141, Main Building
Refreshments will be served.

[12 August]
Subject: Submission of Dissertation
To: All second year part-time students (2009-11) and full-time students (2010-11)

You are reminded that three temporarily bound dissertations are due on 22 August, 2011. Please submit your dissertation to the Faculty of Arts Office (G14, Main Building) by 5:45 p.m. on that day. The presentation of your dissertation must follow the “Guidelines on the Presentation of Taught Postgraduate Dissertation” (document A75/311.

CONTACT US

Department of Linguistics

MAL Programme Chair:
Prof. Li-Hai Tan
E-mail: tanlh@hku.hk

MAL Programme Coordinator (General Inquiry):
Dr. Michelle Li
E-mail: mklli@hku.hk or li.michellekl@gmail.com