15-WM206-OG-11
Languages differ in their sound systems as well as word and sentence structure, based on which they are often described as more or less complex. In this course we will look at the ways in which linguistic complexity has been defined and measured, and how our understanding of complexity has been influenced by the changing views on language structure and its relation to cultural complexity. The course is divided into five parts: a) introduction; b) sound systems; c) morphosyntax and discourse; d) language change and contact; and e) ideological and theoretical contexts. In each part an introductory class will be followed by a case study drawing on the articles in von Prince and Kilarski (2021), a state-of-the-art collection aimed at investigating the motivations behind the recent rise of interest in linguistic complexity.
- Teacher: Marcin Kilarski