The meaning of words and sentences is often determined by the context, for instance in irony. How do listeners understand us if we don‘t always say what we mean? What do conversations in different cultures and languages have in common? In this course we will examine language in interaction from different perspectives. Key concepts in linguistic pragmatics will be introduced, including the contribution of context to meaning. The methodology and key topics of conversation analysis will be described along with recent comparative studies on language in interaction around the world. We will also briefly discuss interdisciplinary psycholinguistic research on pragmatics. Students will get hands-on experience with recording conversations, the conceptual analysis of talk, and use of relevant software (including Praat for analyzing and processing sound files and ELAN for annotation of conversation).

This is a joint course for students in Icelandic, General Linguistics and Sign Language Linguistics. It falls into two parts. On the one hand, in Thursday classes, the students receive training in critical thinking, scientific methods and academic writing. Topics include the use of handbooks and other sources, the style and structure of academic papers, research methods in linguistics and literature, conventions regarding citations and bibliographies, etc.

In the second part of the course, taught on Tuesdays, the students are introduced to the various sub-disciplines of Icelandic, General Linguistics and Sign Language Linguistics as academic subjects and their connection to other subject areas. Different teachers and other guests introduce their sub-disciplines and areas of specialization.

The course gives an introduction to linguistics and methods of linguistic analyses. The goal is to acquaint students with the nature of human languages and the main features of Icelandic grammar. 

The major aspects of the history of linguistics traced from the antiquity through the middle ages till the beginning of the 19th Century. The Old Icelandic grammatical treatises. The major aspects of the history of linguistics in the 19th and 20th century. Emphasis is placed on the theories and discoveries that have been most influential in the development of ideas and methods in linguistics.

An introductory course in Icelandic phonetics, phonology, and morphology. The basics of acoustic phonetics and Icelandic articulatory phonetics will be introduced, accompanied by training in phonetic transcription. The main concepts of phonology will be presented, followed by an overview of sound alternations in Icelandic and their conditions. Basic concepts in morphology will be presented and the main word formation processes in Icelandic and their productivity will be dealt with. Grammatical categories in Icelandic will be outlined, the inflection of the main parts of speech will be described, and an overview given of inflectional classes and variations.

The aim of this course is to cover types of language change and aspects of the history of the Icelandic language that are not dealt with in detail in the core courses of the BA-program in Icelandic. The focus will be on the vocabulary. The course will discuss the nature and the main types of changes that affect the vocabulary, in particular, semantic change and linguistic borrowing. We will also study the history of the Icelandic vocabulary using text samples from different periods. In addition, the course will introduce methods used in the fields of etymology and onomastics; one the one hand, we will discuss word origins and the relationship between cognates, on the other hand, we will discuss changes in proper names, both personal names and place names.

This course will introduce concepts and methods in Historical Linguistics, i.e., the field of Linguistics that studies language change. The various kinds of language change will be discussed, their causes and characteristics. We will study examples of language changes from different periods, from Germanic and other Indo-European languages, in particular, but also from other language families. The development of ideas about the nature of language change will be discussed along the way.

This course covers the basic issues in Icelandic syntax, including parts of speech, phrasal categories, the syntactic classification of verbs, movements of various kinds and grammatical functions. The ways in which language use, semantics, and pragmatics relate to syntax will also be discussed.

This course covers the basics of phonetics and phonology. The first half of the course will focus on phonetics. The speech articulators and sound production will be described. Students will receive training in phonetic transcription. The main acoustic methods will be introduced and the relationship between phonetics and phonology will be discussed. In the second part of the course, concepts and methods in the analysis of phonological systems will be introduced and students will be trained in their use. Different theories in phonology will be examined in relation to language in general and Icelandic phonology in particular.

This course offers a unique perspective on syntax, drawing parallels between linguistic structures and phenomena such as bird flocking, the spread of information in social networks, and neural network dynamics. We will examine how language, like these systems, exhibits intricate, dynamic, and often non-linear properties. Throughout the semester, we will cover a variety of topics. These include the concept of recursion in syntax, drawing an analogy to iterative processes in complex systems, where simple rules can generate diverse and intricate patterns. We will explore the concept of phases in Minimalism, which is reminiscent of modularity in complex systems, where different stages entail specific processes or transformations. We will also examine derivational approaches to syntax, which emphasize a step-wise construction of sentences that mirrors processes in complex systems.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course aims at explaining the connection between diachronic language change and synchronic language variation, as it is generally assumed that language changes generate variants that coexist for a time and that all synchronic variants are caused by a language change of some kind. The course will, on the one hand, discuss the nature of language change and the main types of changes, and on the other hand, the nature of synchronic variation. We will focus on the development of Icelandic; hence, examples will primarily be taken from the history of Icelandic and from present-day Icelandic, but we will also look at parallels in other languages.

This course is primarily intended for undergraduate student in the humanities at the University of Iceland who wish to be able to use programming in their work. An emphasis is placed on the analysis of textual data and the course is appropriate for those who would like to get to know language technology at the undergraduate level, especially those who are interested in pursuing the language technology program at the MA-level. When solving various programming tasks involving the analysis of text it is beneficial for students to be at least somewhat familiar with important concepts in the grammatical analysis of natural languages but if a student is unsure whether they have the appropriate background for the course, they should feel free to contact the instructor for further information.

The main goal of this course is to support students in taking their first step toward learning programming, help them to knack the basis and train them in solving simple but diverse assignments in language technology using Python. Besides, students will be introduced to NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) that they will use further in other courses in natural language processing. Students who subsequently enroll in the MA-program in language technology will build on skills acquired in this course in other courses about natural language processing.

The course will discuss grammatical gender, the gender system of Icelandic and its history. The use of the three grammatical genders in Icelandic will be discussed, Icelandic words referring to men and women and the difference between men's and women's speech. The fight for equality in language (feminist language planning) will be covered as well and the Icelandic situation compared to other countries. Guests from within and outside the university will be invited to contribute to the seminar.

This is a basic composition course. Writing skills will be honed through weekly assignments, lectures, class discussions and workshops.Approaches to writing research papers will be addressed, such as choosing and narrowing a topic, structure, and sources. Register, style, spelling, punctuation, and resources for writers will be discussed. Students write essays and papers of various kinds and get regular feedback from peers and teachers. Course assessment is based on written assignments and class participation. The course can only be passed if all assignments are turned in.

The first two or three weeks of the course are focused on the study of the Arabic alphabet and its sounds. After this, the focus shifts onto key grammar points, simple sentences and vocabulary, along with the practice of listening and oral skills. Attendance and homework are of great importance in this course. The course is taught in English.

This course is a prerequisite for MAF204G Arabic II.

The main topics of this course are descriptive statistics and exploratory data analysis. Measures of central tendency and spread will be covered as well as Pearson's correlation and simple linear regression. The use of graphs to display distributions and relationships is emphasised. Sampling designs, probability theory and sampling distributions are also addressed.

Distance learning is not an option for this course. Students are expected to attend all lectures.

The aim of this course is to cover types of language change and aspects of the history of the Icelandic language that are not dealt with in detail in the core courses of the BA-program in Icelandic. The focus will be on the vocabulary. The course will discuss the nature and the main types of changes that affect the vocabulary, in particular, semantic change and linguistic borrowing. We will also study the history of the Icelandic vocabulary using text samples from different periods. In addition, the course will introduce methods used in the fields of etymology and onomastics; one the one hand, we will discuss word origins and the relationship between cognates, on the other hand, we will discuss changes in proper names, both personal names and place names.

This course is an introduction into some of the basic ideas and topics in theoretical syntax. The topics include phrase structure, X-bar theory, functional projections, verb raising, argument structure, case marking, binding principles and locality principles. The discussion will be based on examples from Icelandic, English and many other languages.

This course will introduce the key methods of psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience in research on language. We will discuss how the brain processes meaning and syntax, in addition to topics such as bilingualism, speech production, language development and comprehension of indirect language (such as irony). At the end of the course students will get insights into recent research on the genetics of language.

The course is taught in English alongside a masters level course, but the course requirements will be different.

This is an advanced morphology course that is taught every other year. The aim of the course is introduce to students various theories and topics in morphology, using examples from Icelandic and other languages, and to train students to work on morphology on their own.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

In this course we concern ourselves with how language and society interact by examining sociolinguistic methods and concepts with regard to international and domestic research in the field.

Among the topics discussed are language attitudes, language contact, dialects, language style and language management. We take a look at different manifestations of language use and language variation as well as contemplating on how factors such as environment, context and background of a language user potentially influence language use and choice of style.

We provide an overview of principal research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, discuss recent trends in sociolinguistics and evaluate methods and methodologies with respect to the particular research topic.

Besides presenting research on attitudes towards language and language use, considering both attitudes towards one’s own language and that of others, we consider possible outcomes of unconventional language use. Special emphasis will be put on considering the language use of those who speak Icelandic as a foreign language as well as the status of immigrants in Iceland.

Additionally, we address the current status of the Icelandic language, particularly in relation to English and other languages. Principles of language management are discussed along with people’s ideas and believes about language through time. In that respect, we have a look at Icelandic language policy, language management, language standardization and linguistic purism from different perspectives, e.g. a synchronic and diachronic angle as well as with regard to other speech communities. 

We will discuss language use of particular social groups (e.g. teenagers) in terms of its social meaning for the group on the one hand and for the speech community as a whole on the other hand.

Students are expected to complete group or individual tasks on questions and problems originating from topics and discussions in the class room.

The course gives an overview of the phonological system of Old Icelandic and its prehistory. We will read the First Grammatical Treatise and discuss its importance as source of evidence of Old Icelandic phonology and its contribution to the history of linguistics. The morphological structure of Old Icelandic will be treated in detail.

The teaching consists of lectures and special tutorial classes that will discuss homework assignments.

Recent years have seen an increased focus on data collection and statistical analysis within the humanities. This is particularly apparent in growing branches such as psycholinguistics, cognitive literary studies and experimental philosophy, to name a few. The push towards quantitative methods occurs at a time where the validity and reliability of well-established statistical methods are called into question in other fields, with increased demands of replicability and open access as well as data protection and responsibility. In this course, students explore the value of quantitative methods in their field while getting training in the collection and analysis of data. A diverse set of research methods will be introduced, ranging from surveys to corpus analysis and experiments in which participants’ response to stimuli (such as words, texts or audio-visual materials) is quantified. Basic concepts in statistics will be reviewed, enabling students to know the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, understand statistical significance and interpret visual representations of data in graphs. The course will be largely practical and students are expected to apply their knowledge of data collection and analysis under the instructor’s guidance. Students will work on a project within their own discipline but will also explore the possibility of cross-disciplinary work. Open source tools such as R Studio will be used for all assignments but no prior knowledge of the software or statistics in general is required. The course is suitable for all students within the humanities who want to collect quantitative data to answer interesting questions and could therefore be a useful preparation for a BA or MA project.

This course discusses how texts, especially literary texts, can be analyzed from the perspective of theoretical linguistics.  The course is therefore suitable for students who have an interest in both literary studies and linguistics. The topics include style types, the use of tenses, word order, character designations, gender-neutral language, sound symbolism, the effects of verbs and nouns, focalization and metaphors. Many guest lecturers will participate in this class, both literary scholars and linguists.

An interdisciplinary and introductory course entailing a dialogue between the academic fields of the department, i.e. comparative literature, film studies, gender studies, art studies, linguistics, cultural studies, sign language and interpreting studies and translation studies. The latest international developments in the field of humanities will be examined and questions asked about the relationship of academic studies and our world view(s). We will analyse the semiotic system of language, inquiring whether it can serve as the basis for our understanding of other semiotic systems. We will ask about the connection and relationship between different languages and linguistic worlds. What is "multiculture"? How are spoken language, written language and visual language interconnected within society? What constitutes cultural literacy? Literature, art, film and other visual material will be examined in both a national and international context, with a view to how these semiotic systems influence the borderlines of gender, race, class, nation, and different world cultures. The study materials include theoretical and critical writings, literary works, visual art and images, and films, as well as some current media coverage. Evaluation is based on four assignments and a written exam.

A survey of the major features of the linguistic structure off Icelandic Sign Language and sign languages in general. The aim is that students understand the basic elements and structure of sign languages in general.

This course offers a unique perspective on syntax, drawing parallels between linguistic structures and phenomena such as bird flocking, the spread of information in social networks, and neural network dynamics. We will examine how language, like these systems, exhibits intricate, dynamic, and often non-linear properties. Throughout the semester, we will cover a variety of topics. These include the concept of recursion in syntax, drawing an analogy to iterative processes in complex systems, where simple rules can generate diverse and intricate patterns. We will explore the concept of phases in Minimalism, which is reminiscent of modularity in complex systems, where different stages entail specific processes or transformations. We will also examine derivational approaches to syntax, which emphasize a step-wise construction of sentences that mirrors processes in complex systems.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course aims at explaining the connection between diachronic language change and synchronic language variation, as it is generally assumed that language changes generate variants that coexist for a time and that all synchronic variants are caused by a language change of some kind. The course will, on the one hand, discuss the nature of language change and the main types of changes, and on the other hand, the nature of synchronic variation. We will focus on the development of Icelandic; hence, examples will primarily be taken from the history of Icelandic and from present-day Icelandic, but we will also look at parallels in other languages.

This course is primarily intended for undergraduate student in the humanities at the University of Iceland who wish to be able to use programming in their work. An emphasis is placed on the analysis of textual data and the course is appropriate for those who would like to get to know language technology at the undergraduate level, especially those who are interested in pursuing the language technology program at the MA-level. When solving various programming tasks involving the analysis of text it is beneficial for students to be at least somewhat familiar with important concepts in the grammatical analysis of natural languages but if a student is unsure whether they have the appropriate background for the course, they should feel free to contact the instructor for further information.

The main goal of this course is to support students in taking their first step toward learning programming, help them to knack the basis and train them in solving simple but diverse assignments in language technology using Python. Besides, students will be introduced to NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) that they will use further in other courses in natural language processing. Students who subsequently enroll in the MA-program in language technology will build on skills acquired in this course in other courses about natural language processing.

The course will discuss grammatical gender, the gender system of Icelandic and its history. The use of the three grammatical genders in Icelandic will be discussed, Icelandic words referring to men and women and the difference between men's and women's speech. The fight for equality in language (feminist language planning) will be covered as well and the Icelandic situation compared to other countries. Guests from within and outside the university will be invited to contribute to the seminar.

This is a basic composition course. Writing skills will be honed through weekly assignments, lectures, class discussions and workshops.Approaches to writing research papers will be addressed, such as choosing and narrowing a topic, structure, and sources. Register, style, spelling, punctuation, and resources for writers will be discussed. Students write essays and papers of various kinds and get regular feedback from peers and teachers. Course assessment is based on written assignments and class participation. The course can only be passed if all assignments are turned in.

The first two or three weeks of the course are focused on the study of the Arabic alphabet and its sounds. After this, the focus shifts onto key grammar points, simple sentences and vocabulary, along with the practice of listening and oral skills. Attendance and homework are of great importance in this course. The course is taught in English.

This course is a prerequisite for MAF204G Arabic II.

The main topics of this course are descriptive statistics and exploratory data analysis. Measures of central tendency and spread will be covered as well as Pearson's correlation and simple linear regression. The use of graphs to display distributions and relationships is emphasised. Sampling designs, probability theory and sampling distributions are also addressed.

Distance learning is not an option for this course. Students are expected to attend all lectures.

BA-thesis in General Linguistics

The aim of this course is to cover types of language change and aspects of the history of the Icelandic language that are not dealt with in detail in the core courses of the BA-program in Icelandic. The focus will be on the vocabulary. The course will discuss the nature and the main types of changes that affect the vocabulary, in particular, semantic change and linguistic borrowing. We will also study the history of the Icelandic vocabulary using text samples from different periods. In addition, the course will introduce methods used in the fields of etymology and onomastics; one the one hand, we will discuss word origins and the relationship between cognates, on the other hand, we will discuss changes in proper names, both personal names and place names.

This course will introduce the key methods of psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience in research on language. We will discuss how the brain processes meaning and syntax, in addition to topics such as bilingualism, speech production, language development and comprehension of indirect language (such as irony). At the end of the course students will get insights into recent research on the genetics of language.

The course is taught in English alongside a masters level course, but the course requirements will be different.

This is an advanced morphology course that is taught every other year. The aim of the course is introduce to students various theories and topics in morphology, using examples from Icelandic and other languages, and to train students to work on morphology on their own.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

In this course we concern ourselves with how language and society interact by examining sociolinguistic methods and concepts with regard to international and domestic research in the field.

Among the topics discussed are language attitudes, language contact, dialects, language style and language management. We take a look at different manifestations of language use and language variation as well as contemplating on how factors such as environment, context and background of a language user potentially influence language use and choice of style.

We provide an overview of principal research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, discuss recent trends in sociolinguistics and evaluate methods and methodologies with respect to the particular research topic.

Besides presenting research on attitudes towards language and language use, considering both attitudes towards one’s own language and that of others, we consider possible outcomes of unconventional language use. Special emphasis will be put on considering the language use of those who speak Icelandic as a foreign language as well as the status of immigrants in Iceland.

Additionally, we address the current status of the Icelandic language, particularly in relation to English and other languages. Principles of language management are discussed along with people’s ideas and believes about language through time. In that respect, we have a look at Icelandic language policy, language management, language standardization and linguistic purism from different perspectives, e.g. a synchronic and diachronic angle as well as with regard to other speech communities. 

We will discuss language use of particular social groups (e.g. teenagers) in terms of its social meaning for the group on the one hand and for the speech community as a whole on the other hand.

Students are expected to complete group or individual tasks on questions and problems originating from topics and discussions in the class room.

The course gives an overview of the phonological system of Old Icelandic and its prehistory. We will read the First Grammatical Treatise and discuss its importance as source of evidence of Old Icelandic phonology and its contribution to the history of linguistics. The morphological structure of Old Icelandic will be treated in detail.

The teaching consists of lectures and special tutorial classes that will discuss homework assignments.

Recent years have seen an increased focus on data collection and statistical analysis within the humanities. This is particularly apparent in growing branches such as psycholinguistics, cognitive literary studies and experimental philosophy, to name a few. The push towards quantitative methods occurs at a time where the validity and reliability of well-established statistical methods are called into question in other fields, with increased demands of replicability and open access as well as data protection and responsibility. In this course, students explore the value of quantitative methods in their field while getting training in the collection and analysis of data. A diverse set of research methods will be introduced, ranging from surveys to corpus analysis and experiments in which participants’ response to stimuli (such as words, texts or audio-visual materials) is quantified. Basic concepts in statistics will be reviewed, enabling students to know the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, understand statistical significance and interpret visual representations of data in graphs. The course will be largely practical and students are expected to apply their knowledge of data collection and analysis under the instructor’s guidance. Students will work on a project within their own discipline but will also explore the possibility of cross-disciplinary work. Open source tools such as R Studio will be used for all assignments but no prior knowledge of the software or statistics in general is required. The course is suitable for all students within the humanities who want to collect quantitative data to answer interesting questions and could therefore be a useful preparation for a BA or MA project.

This course discusses how texts, especially literary texts, can be analyzed from the perspective of theoretical linguistics.  The course is therefore suitable for students who have an interest in both literary studies and linguistics. The topics include style types, the use of tenses, word order, character designations, gender-neutral language, sound symbolism, the effects of verbs and nouns, focalization and metaphors. Many guest lecturers will participate in this class, both literary scholars and linguists.

A survey of the major features of the linguistic structure off Icelandic Sign Language and sign languages in general. The aim is that students understand the basic elements and structure of sign languages in general.

BA-thesis in General Linguistics

The meaning of words and sentences is often determined by the context, for instance in irony. How do listeners understand us if we don‘t always say what we mean? What do conversations in different cultures and languages have in common? In this course we will examine language in interaction from different perspectives. Key concepts in linguistic pragmatics will be introduced, including the contribution of context to meaning. The methodology and key topics of conversation analysis will be described along with recent comparative studies on language in interaction around the world. We will also briefly discuss interdisciplinary psycholinguistic research on pragmatics. Students will get hands-on experience with recording conversations, the conceptual analysis of talk, and use of relevant software (including Praat for analyzing and processing sound files and ELAN for annotation of conversation).

This is a joint course for students in Icelandic, General Linguistics and Sign Language Linguistics. It falls into two parts. On the one hand, in Thursday classes, the students receive training in critical thinking, scientific methods and academic writing. Topics include the use of handbooks and other sources, the style and structure of academic papers, research methods in linguistics and literature, conventions regarding citations and bibliographies, etc.

In the second part of the course, taught on Tuesdays, the students are introduced to the various sub-disciplines of Icelandic, General Linguistics and Sign Language Linguistics as academic subjects and their connection to other subject areas. Different teachers and other guests introduce their sub-disciplines and areas of specialization.

The course gives an introduction to linguistics and methods of linguistic analyses. The goal is to acquaint students with the nature of human languages and the main features of Icelandic grammar. 

The major aspects of the history of linguistics traced from the antiquity through the middle ages till the beginning of the 19th Century. The Old Icelandic grammatical treatises. The major aspects of the history of linguistics in the 19th and 20th century. Emphasis is placed on the theories and discoveries that have been most influential in the development of ideas and methods in linguistics.

An introductory course in Icelandic phonetics, phonology, and morphology. The basics of acoustic phonetics and Icelandic articulatory phonetics will be introduced, accompanied by training in phonetic transcription. The main concepts of phonology will be presented, followed by an overview of sound alternations in Icelandic and their conditions. Basic concepts in morphology will be presented and the main word formation processes in Icelandic and their productivity will be dealt with. Grammatical categories in Icelandic will be outlined, the inflection of the main parts of speech will be described, and an overview given of inflectional classes and variations.

The aim of this course is to cover types of language change and aspects of the history of the Icelandic language that are not dealt with in detail in the core courses of the BA-program in Icelandic. The focus will be on the vocabulary. The course will discuss the nature and the main types of changes that affect the vocabulary, in particular, semantic change and linguistic borrowing. We will also study the history of the Icelandic vocabulary using text samples from different periods. In addition, the course will introduce methods used in the fields of etymology and onomastics; one the one hand, we will discuss word origins and the relationship between cognates, on the other hand, we will discuss changes in proper names, both personal names and place names.

This course will introduce concepts and methods in Historical Linguistics, i.e., the field of Linguistics that studies language change. The various kinds of language change will be discussed, their causes and characteristics. We will study examples of language changes from different periods, from Germanic and other Indo-European languages, in particular, but also from other language families. The development of ideas about the nature of language change will be discussed along the way.

This course covers the basic issues in Icelandic syntax, including parts of speech, phrasal categories, the syntactic classification of verbs, movements of various kinds and grammatical functions. The ways in which language use, semantics, and pragmatics relate to syntax will also be discussed.

This course covers the basics of phonetics and phonology. The first half of the course will focus on phonetics. The speech articulators and sound production will be described. Students will receive training in phonetic transcription. The main acoustic methods will be introduced and the relationship between phonetics and phonology will be discussed. In the second part of the course, concepts and methods in the analysis of phonological systems will be introduced and students will be trained in their use. Different theories in phonology will be examined in relation to language in general and Icelandic phonology in particular.

This course offers a unique perspective on syntax, drawing parallels between linguistic structures and phenomena such as bird flocking, the spread of information in social networks, and neural network dynamics. We will examine how language, like these systems, exhibits intricate, dynamic, and often non-linear properties. Throughout the semester, we will cover a variety of topics. These include the concept of recursion in syntax, drawing an analogy to iterative processes in complex systems, where simple rules can generate diverse and intricate patterns. We will explore the concept of phases in Minimalism, which is reminiscent of modularity in complex systems, where different stages entail specific processes or transformations. We will also examine derivational approaches to syntax, which emphasize a step-wise construction of sentences that mirrors processes in complex systems.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course aims at explaining the connection between diachronic language change and synchronic language variation, as it is generally assumed that language changes generate variants that coexist for a time and that all synchronic variants are caused by a language change of some kind. The course will, on the one hand, discuss the nature of language change and the main types of changes, and on the other hand, the nature of synchronic variation. We will focus on the development of Icelandic; hence, examples will primarily be taken from the history of Icelandic and from present-day Icelandic, but we will also look at parallels in other languages.

This course is primarily intended for undergraduate student in the humanities at the University of Iceland who wish to be able to use programming in their work. An emphasis is placed on the analysis of textual data and the course is appropriate for those who would like to get to know language technology at the undergraduate level, especially those who are interested in pursuing the language technology program at the MA-level. When solving various programming tasks involving the analysis of text it is beneficial for students to be at least somewhat familiar with important concepts in the grammatical analysis of natural languages but if a student is unsure whether they have the appropriate background for the course, they should feel free to contact the instructor for further information.

The main goal of this course is to support students in taking their first step toward learning programming, help them to knack the basis and train them in solving simple but diverse assignments in language technology using Python. Besides, students will be introduced to NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) that they will use further in other courses in natural language processing. Students who subsequently enroll in the MA-program in language technology will build on skills acquired in this course in other courses about natural language processing.

The course will discuss grammatical gender, the gender system of Icelandic and its history. The use of the three grammatical genders in Icelandic will be discussed, Icelandic words referring to men and women and the difference between men's and women's speech. The fight for equality in language (feminist language planning) will be covered as well and the Icelandic situation compared to other countries. Guests from within and outside the university will be invited to contribute to the seminar.

This is a basic composition course. Writing skills will be honed through weekly assignments, lectures, class discussions and workshops.Approaches to writing research papers will be addressed, such as choosing and narrowing a topic, structure, and sources. Register, style, spelling, punctuation, and resources for writers will be discussed. Students write essays and papers of various kinds and get regular feedback from peers and teachers. Course assessment is based on written assignments and class participation. The course can only be passed if all assignments are turned in.

The first two or three weeks of the course are focused on the study of the Arabic alphabet and its sounds. After this, the focus shifts onto key grammar points, simple sentences and vocabulary, along with the practice of listening and oral skills. Attendance and homework are of great importance in this course. The course is taught in English.

This course is a prerequisite for MAF204G Arabic II.

The main topics of this course are descriptive statistics and exploratory data analysis. Measures of central tendency and spread will be covered as well as Pearson's correlation and simple linear regression. The use of graphs to display distributions and relationships is emphasised. Sampling designs, probability theory and sampling distributions are also addressed.

Distance learning is not an option for this course. Students are expected to attend all lectures.

The aim of this course is to cover types of language change and aspects of the history of the Icelandic language that are not dealt with in detail in the core courses of the BA-program in Icelandic. The focus will be on the vocabulary. The course will discuss the nature and the main types of changes that affect the vocabulary, in particular, semantic change and linguistic borrowing. We will also study the history of the Icelandic vocabulary using text samples from different periods. In addition, the course will introduce methods used in the fields of etymology and onomastics; one the one hand, we will discuss word origins and the relationship between cognates, on the other hand, we will discuss changes in proper names, both personal names and place names.

This course is an introduction into some of the basic ideas and topics in theoretical syntax. The topics include phrase structure, X-bar theory, functional projections, verb raising, argument structure, case marking, binding principles and locality principles. The discussion will be based on examples from Icelandic, English and many other languages.

This course will introduce the key methods of psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience in research on language. We will discuss how the brain processes meaning and syntax, in addition to topics such as bilingualism, speech production, language development and comprehension of indirect language (such as irony). At the end of the course students will get insights into recent research on the genetics of language.

The course is taught in English alongside a masters level course, but the course requirements will be different.

This is an advanced morphology course that is taught every other year. The aim of the course is introduce to students various theories and topics in morphology, using examples from Icelandic and other languages, and to train students to work on morphology on their own.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

In this course we concern ourselves with how language and society interact by examining sociolinguistic methods and concepts with regard to international and domestic research in the field.

Among the topics discussed are language attitudes, language contact, dialects, language style and language management. We take a look at different manifestations of language use and language variation as well as contemplating on how factors such as environment, context and background of a language user potentially influence language use and choice of style.

We provide an overview of principal research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, discuss recent trends in sociolinguistics and evaluate methods and methodologies with respect to the particular research topic.

Besides presenting research on attitudes towards language and language use, considering both attitudes towards one’s own language and that of others, we consider possible outcomes of unconventional language use. Special emphasis will be put on considering the language use of those who speak Icelandic as a foreign language as well as the status of immigrants in Iceland.

Additionally, we address the current status of the Icelandic language, particularly in relation to English and other languages. Principles of language management are discussed along with people’s ideas and believes about language through time. In that respect, we have a look at Icelandic language policy, language management, language standardization and linguistic purism from different perspectives, e.g. a synchronic and diachronic angle as well as with regard to other speech communities. 

We will discuss language use of particular social groups (e.g. teenagers) in terms of its social meaning for the group on the one hand and for the speech community as a whole on the other hand.

Students are expected to complete group or individual tasks on questions and problems originating from topics and discussions in the class room.

The course gives an overview of the phonological system of Old Icelandic and its prehistory. We will read the First Grammatical Treatise and discuss its importance as source of evidence of Old Icelandic phonology and its contribution to the history of linguistics. The morphological structure of Old Icelandic will be treated in detail.

The teaching consists of lectures and special tutorial classes that will discuss homework assignments.

Recent years have seen an increased focus on data collection and statistical analysis within the humanities. This is particularly apparent in growing branches such as psycholinguistics, cognitive literary studies and experimental philosophy, to name a few. The push towards quantitative methods occurs at a time where the validity and reliability of well-established statistical methods are called into question in other fields, with increased demands of replicability and open access as well as data protection and responsibility. In this course, students explore the value of quantitative methods in their field while getting training in the collection and analysis of data. A diverse set of research methods will be introduced, ranging from surveys to corpus analysis and experiments in which participants’ response to stimuli (such as words, texts or audio-visual materials) is quantified. Basic concepts in statistics will be reviewed, enabling students to know the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, understand statistical significance and interpret visual representations of data in graphs. The course will be largely practical and students are expected to apply their knowledge of data collection and analysis under the instructor’s guidance. Students will work on a project within their own discipline but will also explore the possibility of cross-disciplinary work. Open source tools such as R Studio will be used for all assignments but no prior knowledge of the software or statistics in general is required. The course is suitable for all students within the humanities who want to collect quantitative data to answer interesting questions and could therefore be a useful preparation for a BA or MA project.

This course discusses how texts, especially literary texts, can be analyzed from the perspective of theoretical linguistics.  The course is therefore suitable for students who have an interest in both literary studies and linguistics. The topics include style types, the use of tenses, word order, character designations, gender-neutral language, sound symbolism, the effects of verbs and nouns, focalization and metaphors. Many guest lecturers will participate in this class, both literary scholars and linguists.

An interdisciplinary and introductory course entailing a dialogue between the academic fields of the department, i.e. comparative literature, film studies, gender studies, art studies, linguistics, cultural studies, sign language and interpreting studies and translation studies. The latest international developments in the field of humanities will be examined and questions asked about the relationship of academic studies and our world view(s). We will analyse the semiotic system of language, inquiring whether it can serve as the basis for our understanding of other semiotic systems. We will ask about the connection and relationship between different languages and linguistic worlds. What is "multiculture"? How are spoken language, written language and visual language interconnected within society? What constitutes cultural literacy? Literature, art, film and other visual material will be examined in both a national and international context, with a view to how these semiotic systems influence the borderlines of gender, race, class, nation, and different world cultures. The study materials include theoretical and critical writings, literary works, visual art and images, and films, as well as some current media coverage. Evaluation is based on four assignments and a written exam.

A survey of the major features of the linguistic structure off Icelandic Sign Language and sign languages in general. The aim is that students understand the basic elements and structure of sign languages in general.

This course offers a unique perspective on syntax, drawing parallels between linguistic structures and phenomena such as bird flocking, the spread of information in social networks, and neural network dynamics. We will examine how language, like these systems, exhibits intricate, dynamic, and often non-linear properties. Throughout the semester, we will cover a variety of topics. These include the concept of recursion in syntax, drawing an analogy to iterative processes in complex systems, where simple rules can generate diverse and intricate patterns. We will explore the concept of phases in Minimalism, which is reminiscent of modularity in complex systems, where different stages entail specific processes or transformations. We will also examine derivational approaches to syntax, which emphasize a step-wise construction of sentences that mirrors processes in complex systems.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course aims at explaining the connection between diachronic language change and synchronic language variation, as it is generally assumed that language changes generate variants that coexist for a time and that all synchronic variants are caused by a language change of some kind. The course will, on the one hand, discuss the nature of language change and the main types of changes, and on the other hand, the nature of synchronic variation. We will focus on the development of Icelandic; hence, examples will primarily be taken from the history of Icelandic and from present-day Icelandic, but we will also look at parallels in other languages.

This course is primarily intended for undergraduate student in the humanities at the University of Iceland who wish to be able to use programming in their work. An emphasis is placed on the analysis of textual data and the course is appropriate for those who would like to get to know language technology at the undergraduate level, especially those who are interested in pursuing the language technology program at the MA-level. When solving various programming tasks involving the analysis of text it is beneficial for students to be at least somewhat familiar with important concepts in the grammatical analysis of natural languages but if a student is unsure whether they have the appropriate background for the course, they should feel free to contact the instructor for further information.

The main goal of this course is to support students in taking their first step toward learning programming, help them to knack the basis and train them in solving simple but diverse assignments in language technology using Python. Besides, students will be introduced to NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) that they will use further in other courses in natural language processing. Students who subsequently enroll in the MA-program in language technology will build on skills acquired in this course in other courses about natural language processing.

The course will discuss grammatical gender, the gender system of Icelandic and its history. The use of the three grammatical genders in Icelandic will be discussed, Icelandic words referring to men and women and the difference between men's and women's speech. The fight for equality in language (feminist language planning) will be covered as well and the Icelandic situation compared to other countries. Guests from within and outside the university will be invited to contribute to the seminar.

This is a basic composition course. Writing skills will be honed through weekly assignments, lectures, class discussions and workshops.Approaches to writing research papers will be addressed, such as choosing and narrowing a topic, structure, and sources. Register, style, spelling, punctuation, and resources for writers will be discussed. Students write essays and papers of various kinds and get regular feedback from peers and teachers. Course assessment is based on written assignments and class participation. The course can only be passed if all assignments are turned in.

The first two or three weeks of the course are focused on the study of the Arabic alphabet and its sounds. After this, the focus shifts onto key grammar points, simple sentences and vocabulary, along with the practice of listening and oral skills. Attendance and homework are of great importance in this course. The course is taught in English.

This course is a prerequisite for MAF204G Arabic II.

The main topics of this course are descriptive statistics and exploratory data analysis. Measures of central tendency and spread will be covered as well as Pearson's correlation and simple linear regression. The use of graphs to display distributions and relationships is emphasised. Sampling designs, probability theory and sampling distributions are also addressed.

Distance learning is not an option for this course. Students are expected to attend all lectures.

BA-thesis in General Linguistics

The aim of this course is to cover types of language change and aspects of the history of the Icelandic language that are not dealt with in detail in the core courses of the BA-program in Icelandic. The focus will be on the vocabulary. The course will discuss the nature and the main types of changes that affect the vocabulary, in particular, semantic change and linguistic borrowing. We will also study the history of the Icelandic vocabulary using text samples from different periods. In addition, the course will introduce methods used in the fields of etymology and onomastics; one the one hand, we will discuss word origins and the relationship between cognates, on the other hand, we will discuss changes in proper names, both personal names and place names.

This course will introduce the key methods of psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience in research on language. We will discuss how the brain processes meaning and syntax, in addition to topics such as bilingualism, speech production, language development and comprehension of indirect language (such as irony). At the end of the course students will get insights into recent research on the genetics of language.

The course is taught in English alongside a masters level course, but the course requirements will be different.

This is an advanced morphology course that is taught every other year. The aim of the course is introduce to students various theories and topics in morphology, using examples from Icelandic and other languages, and to train students to work on morphology on their own.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

In this course we concern ourselves with how language and society interact by examining sociolinguistic methods and concepts with regard to international and domestic research in the field.

Among the topics discussed are language attitudes, language contact, dialects, language style and language management. We take a look at different manifestations of language use and language variation as well as contemplating on how factors such as environment, context and background of a language user potentially influence language use and choice of style.

We provide an overview of principal research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, discuss recent trends in sociolinguistics and evaluate methods and methodologies with respect to the particular research topic.

Besides presenting research on attitudes towards language and language use, considering both attitudes towards one’s own language and that of others, we consider possible outcomes of unconventional language use. Special emphasis will be put on considering the language use of those who speak Icelandic as a foreign language as well as the status of immigrants in Iceland.

Additionally, we address the current status of the Icelandic language, particularly in relation to English and other languages. Principles of language management are discussed along with people’s ideas and believes about language through time. In that respect, we have a look at Icelandic language policy, language management, language standardization and linguistic purism from different perspectives, e.g. a synchronic and diachronic angle as well as with regard to other speech communities. 

We will discuss language use of particular social groups (e.g. teenagers) in terms of its social meaning for the group on the one hand and for the speech community as a whole on the other hand.

Students are expected to complete group or individual tasks on questions and problems originating from topics and discussions in the class room.

The course gives an overview of the phonological system of Old Icelandic and its prehistory. We will read the First Grammatical Treatise and discuss its importance as source of evidence of Old Icelandic phonology and its contribution to the history of linguistics. The morphological structure of Old Icelandic will be treated in detail.

The teaching consists of lectures and special tutorial classes that will discuss homework assignments.

Recent years have seen an increased focus on data collection and statistical analysis within the humanities. This is particularly apparent in growing branches such as psycholinguistics, cognitive literary studies and experimental philosophy, to name a few. The push towards quantitative methods occurs at a time where the validity and reliability of well-established statistical methods are called into question in other fields, with increased demands of replicability and open access as well as data protection and responsibility. In this course, students explore the value of quantitative methods in their field while getting training in the collection and analysis of data. A diverse set of research methods will be introduced, ranging from surveys to corpus analysis and experiments in which participants’ response to stimuli (such as words, texts or audio-visual materials) is quantified. Basic concepts in statistics will be reviewed, enabling students to know the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, understand statistical significance and interpret visual representations of data in graphs. The course will be largely practical and students are expected to apply their knowledge of data collection and analysis under the instructor’s guidance. Students will work on a project within their own discipline but will also explore the possibility of cross-disciplinary work. Open source tools such as R Studio will be used for all assignments but no prior knowledge of the software or statistics in general is required. The course is suitable for all students within the humanities who want to collect quantitative data to answer interesting questions and could therefore be a useful preparation for a BA or MA project.

This course discusses how texts, especially literary texts, can be analyzed from the perspective of theoretical linguistics.  The course is therefore suitable for students who have an interest in both literary studies and linguistics. The topics include style types, the use of tenses, word order, character designations, gender-neutral language, sound symbolism, the effects of verbs and nouns, focalization and metaphors. Many guest lecturers will participate in this class, both literary scholars and linguists.

A survey of the major features of the linguistic structure off Icelandic Sign Language and sign languages in general. The aim is that students understand the basic elements and structure of sign languages in general.

BA-thesis in General Linguistics

The meaning of words and sentences is often determined by the context, for instance in irony. How do listeners understand us if we don‘t always say what we mean? What do conversations in different cultures and languages have in common? In this course we will examine language in interaction from different perspectives. Key concepts in linguistic pragmatics will be introduced, including the contribution of context to meaning. The methodology and key topics of conversation analysis will be described along with recent comparative studies on language in interaction around the world. We will also briefly discuss interdisciplinary psycholinguistic research on pragmatics. Students will get hands-on experience with recording conversations, the conceptual analysis of talk, and use of relevant software (including Praat for analyzing and processing sound files and ELAN for annotation of conversation).

This is a joint course for students in Icelandic, General Linguistics and Sign Language Linguistics. It falls into two parts. On the one hand, in Thursday classes, the students receive training in critical thinking, scientific methods and academic writing. Topics include the use of handbooks and other sources, the style and structure of academic papers, research methods in linguistics and literature, conventions regarding citations and bibliographies, etc.

In the second part of the course, taught on Tuesdays, the students are introduced to the various sub-disciplines of Icelandic, General Linguistics and Sign Language Linguistics as academic subjects and their connection to other subject areas. Different teachers and other guests introduce their sub-disciplines and areas of specialization.

The course gives an introduction to linguistics and methods of linguistic analyses. The goal is to acquaint students with the nature of human languages and the main features of Icelandic grammar. 

The major aspects of the history of linguistics traced from the antiquity through the middle ages till the beginning of the 19th Century. The Old Icelandic grammatical treatises. The major aspects of the history of linguistics in the 19th and 20th century. Emphasis is placed on the theories and discoveries that have been most influential in the development of ideas and methods in linguistics.

An introductory course in Icelandic phonetics, phonology, and morphology. The basics of acoustic phonetics and Icelandic articulatory phonetics will be introduced, accompanied by training in phonetic transcription. The main concepts of phonology will be presented, followed by an overview of sound alternations in Icelandic and their conditions. Basic concepts in morphology will be presented and the main word formation processes in Icelandic and their productivity will be dealt with. Grammatical categories in Icelandic will be outlined, the inflection of the main parts of speech will be described, and an overview given of inflectional classes and variations.

The aim of this course is to cover types of language change and aspects of the history of the Icelandic language that are not dealt with in detail in the core courses of the BA-program in Icelandic. The focus will be on the vocabulary. The course will discuss the nature and the main types of changes that affect the vocabulary, in particular, semantic change and linguistic borrowing. We will also study the history of the Icelandic vocabulary using text samples from different periods. In addition, the course will introduce methods used in the fields of etymology and onomastics; one the one hand, we will discuss word origins and the relationship between cognates, on the other hand, we will discuss changes in proper names, both personal names and place names.

This course will introduce concepts and methods in Historical Linguistics, i.e., the field of Linguistics that studies language change. The various kinds of language change will be discussed, their causes and characteristics. We will study examples of language changes from different periods, from Germanic and other Indo-European languages, in particular, but also from other language families. The development of ideas about the nature of language change will be discussed along the way.

This course covers the basic issues in Icelandic syntax, including parts of speech, phrasal categories, the syntactic classification of verbs, movements of various kinds and grammatical functions. The ways in which language use, semantics, and pragmatics relate to syntax will also be discussed.

This course covers the basics of phonetics and phonology. The first half of the course will focus on phonetics. The speech articulators and sound production will be described. Students will receive training in phonetic transcription. The main acoustic methods will be introduced and the relationship between phonetics and phonology will be discussed. In the second part of the course, concepts and methods in the analysis of phonological systems will be introduced and students will be trained in their use. Different theories in phonology will be examined in relation to language in general and Icelandic phonology in particular.

This course offers a unique perspective on syntax, drawing parallels between linguistic structures and phenomena such as bird flocking, the spread of information in social networks, and neural network dynamics. We will examine how language, like these systems, exhibits intricate, dynamic, and often non-linear properties. Throughout the semester, we will cover a variety of topics. These include the concept of recursion in syntax, drawing an analogy to iterative processes in complex systems, where simple rules can generate diverse and intricate patterns. We will explore the concept of phases in Minimalism, which is reminiscent of modularity in complex systems, where different stages entail specific processes or transformations. We will also examine derivational approaches to syntax, which emphasize a step-wise construction of sentences that mirrors processes in complex systems.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course aims at explaining the connection between diachronic language change and synchronic language variation, as it is generally assumed that language changes generate variants that coexist for a time and that all synchronic variants are caused by a language change of some kind. The course will, on the one hand, discuss the nature of language change and the main types of changes, and on the other hand, the nature of synchronic variation. We will focus on the development of Icelandic; hence, examples will primarily be taken from the history of Icelandic and from present-day Icelandic, but we will also look at parallels in other languages.

This course is primarily intended for undergraduate student in the humanities at the University of Iceland who wish to be able to use programming in their work. An emphasis is placed on the analysis of textual data and the course is appropriate for those who would like to get to know language technology at the undergraduate level, especially those who are interested in pursuing the language technology program at the MA-level. When solving various programming tasks involving the analysis of text it is beneficial for students to be at least somewhat familiar with important concepts in the grammatical analysis of natural languages but if a student is unsure whether they have the appropriate background for the course, they should feel free to contact the instructor for further information.

The main goal of this course is to support students in taking their first step toward learning programming, help them to knack the basis and train them in solving simple but diverse assignments in language technology using Python. Besides, students will be introduced to NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) that they will use further in other courses in natural language processing. Students who subsequently enroll in the MA-program in language technology will build on skills acquired in this course in other courses about natural language processing.

The course will discuss grammatical gender, the gender system of Icelandic and its history. The use of the three grammatical genders in Icelandic will be discussed, Icelandic words referring to men and women and the difference between men's and women's speech. The fight for equality in language (feminist language planning) will be covered as well and the Icelandic situation compared to other countries. Guests from within and outside the university will be invited to contribute to the seminar.

This is a basic composition course. Writing skills will be honed through weekly assignments, lectures, class discussions and workshops.Approaches to writing research papers will be addressed, such as choosing and narrowing a topic, structure, and sources. Register, style, spelling, punctuation, and resources for writers will be discussed. Students write essays and papers of various kinds and get regular feedback from peers and teachers. Course assessment is based on written assignments and class participation. The course can only be passed if all assignments are turned in.

The first two or three weeks of the course are focused on the study of the Arabic alphabet and its sounds. After this, the focus shifts onto key grammar points, simple sentences and vocabulary, along with the practice of listening and oral skills. Attendance and homework are of great importance in this course. The course is taught in English.

This course is a prerequisite for MAF204G Arabic II.

The main topics of this course are descriptive statistics and exploratory data analysis. Measures of central tendency and spread will be covered as well as Pearson's correlation and simple linear regression. The use of graphs to display distributions and relationships is emphasised. Sampling designs, probability theory and sampling distributions are also addressed.

Distance learning is not an option for this course. Students are expected to attend all lectures.

The aim of this course is to cover types of language change and aspects of the history of the Icelandic language that are not dealt with in detail in the core courses of the BA-program in Icelandic. The focus will be on the vocabulary. The course will discuss the nature and the main types of changes that affect the vocabulary, in particular, semantic change and linguistic borrowing. We will also study the history of the Icelandic vocabulary using text samples from different periods. In addition, the course will introduce methods used in the fields of etymology and onomastics; one the one hand, we will discuss word origins and the relationship between cognates, on the other hand, we will discuss changes in proper names, both personal names and place names.

This course is an introduction into some of the basic ideas and topics in theoretical syntax. The topics include phrase structure, X-bar theory, functional projections, verb raising, argument structure, case marking, binding principles and locality principles. The discussion will be based on examples from Icelandic, English and many other languages.

This course will introduce the key methods of psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience in research on language. We will discuss how the brain processes meaning and syntax, in addition to topics such as bilingualism, speech production, language development and comprehension of indirect language (such as irony). At the end of the course students will get insights into recent research on the genetics of language.

The course is taught in English alongside a masters level course, but the course requirements will be different.

This is an advanced morphology course that is taught every other year. The aim of the course is introduce to students various theories and topics in morphology, using examples from Icelandic and other languages, and to train students to work on morphology on their own.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

In this course we concern ourselves with how language and society interact by examining sociolinguistic methods and concepts with regard to international and domestic research in the field.

Among the topics discussed are language attitudes, language contact, dialects, language style and language management. We take a look at different manifestations of language use and language variation as well as contemplating on how factors such as environment, context and background of a language user potentially influence language use and choice of style.

We provide an overview of principal research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, discuss recent trends in sociolinguistics and evaluate methods and methodologies with respect to the particular research topic.

Besides presenting research on attitudes towards language and language use, considering both attitudes towards one’s own language and that of others, we consider possible outcomes of unconventional language use. Special emphasis will be put on considering the language use of those who speak Icelandic as a foreign language as well as the status of immigrants in Iceland.

Additionally, we address the current status of the Icelandic language, particularly in relation to English and other languages. Principles of language management are discussed along with people’s ideas and believes about language through time. In that respect, we have a look at Icelandic language policy, language management, language standardization and linguistic purism from different perspectives, e.g. a synchronic and diachronic angle as well as with regard to other speech communities. 

We will discuss language use of particular social groups (e.g. teenagers) in terms of its social meaning for the group on the one hand and for the speech community as a whole on the other hand.

Students are expected to complete group or individual tasks on questions and problems originating from topics and discussions in the class room.

The course gives an overview of the phonological system of Old Icelandic and its prehistory. We will read the First Grammatical Treatise and discuss its importance as source of evidence of Old Icelandic phonology and its contribution to the history of linguistics. The morphological structure of Old Icelandic will be treated in detail.

The teaching consists of lectures and special tutorial classes that will discuss homework assignments.

Recent years have seen an increased focus on data collection and statistical analysis within the humanities. This is particularly apparent in growing branches such as psycholinguistics, cognitive literary studies and experimental philosophy, to name a few. The push towards quantitative methods occurs at a time where the validity and reliability of well-established statistical methods are called into question in other fields, with increased demands of replicability and open access as well as data protection and responsibility. In this course, students explore the value of quantitative methods in their field while getting training in the collection and analysis of data. A diverse set of research methods will be introduced, ranging from surveys to corpus analysis and experiments in which participants’ response to stimuli (such as words, texts or audio-visual materials) is quantified. Basic concepts in statistics will be reviewed, enabling students to know the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, understand statistical significance and interpret visual representations of data in graphs. The course will be largely practical and students are expected to apply their knowledge of data collection and analysis under the instructor’s guidance. Students will work on a project within their own discipline but will also explore the possibility of cross-disciplinary work. Open source tools such as R Studio will be used for all assignments but no prior knowledge of the software or statistics in general is required. The course is suitable for all students within the humanities who want to collect quantitative data to answer interesting questions and could therefore be a useful preparation for a BA or MA project.

This course discusses how texts, especially literary texts, can be analyzed from the perspective of theoretical linguistics.  The course is therefore suitable for students who have an interest in both literary studies and linguistics. The topics include style types, the use of tenses, word order, character designations, gender-neutral language, sound symbolism, the effects of verbs and nouns, focalization and metaphors. Many guest lecturers will participate in this class, both literary scholars and linguists.

An interdisciplinary and introductory course entailing a dialogue between the academic fields of the department, i.e. comparative literature, film studies, gender studies, art studies, linguistics, cultural studies, sign language and interpreting studies and translation studies. The latest international developments in the field of humanities will be examined and questions asked about the relationship of academic studies and our world view(s). We will analyse the semiotic system of language, inquiring whether it can serve as the basis for our understanding of other semiotic systems. We will ask about the connection and relationship between different languages and linguistic worlds. What is "multiculture"? How are spoken language, written language and visual language interconnected within society? What constitutes cultural literacy? Literature, art, film and other visual material will be examined in both a national and international context, with a view to how these semiotic systems influence the borderlines of gender, race, class, nation, and different world cultures. The study materials include theoretical and critical writings, literary works, visual art and images, and films, as well as some current media coverage. Evaluation is based on four assignments and a written exam.

A survey of the major features of the linguistic structure off Icelandic Sign Language and sign languages in general. The aim is that students understand the basic elements and structure of sign languages in general.

This course offers a unique perspective on syntax, drawing parallels between linguistic structures and phenomena such as bird flocking, the spread of information in social networks, and neural network dynamics. We will examine how language, like these systems, exhibits intricate, dynamic, and often non-linear properties. Throughout the semester, we will cover a variety of topics. These include the concept of recursion in syntax, drawing an analogy to iterative processes in complex systems, where simple rules can generate diverse and intricate patterns. We will explore the concept of phases in Minimalism, which is reminiscent of modularity in complex systems, where different stages entail specific processes or transformations. We will also examine derivational approaches to syntax, which emphasize a step-wise construction of sentences that mirrors processes in complex systems.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course aims at explaining the connection between diachronic language change and synchronic language variation, as it is generally assumed that language changes generate variants that coexist for a time and that all synchronic variants are caused by a language change of some kind. The course will, on the one hand, discuss the nature of language change and the main types of changes, and on the other hand, the nature of synchronic variation. We will focus on the development of Icelandic; hence, examples will primarily be taken from the history of Icelandic and from present-day Icelandic, but we will also look at parallels in other languages.

This course is primarily intended for undergraduate student in the humanities at the University of Iceland who wish to be able to use programming in their work. An emphasis is placed on the analysis of textual data and the course is appropriate for those who would like to get to know language technology at the undergraduate level, especially those who are interested in pursuing the language technology program at the MA-level. When solving various programming tasks involving the analysis of text it is beneficial for students to be at least somewhat familiar with important concepts in the grammatical analysis of natural languages but if a student is unsure whether they have the appropriate background for the course, they should feel free to contact the instructor for further information.

The main goal of this course is to support students in taking their first step toward learning programming, help them to knack the basis and train them in solving simple but diverse assignments in language technology using Python. Besides, students will be introduced to NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) that they will use further in other courses in natural language processing. Students who subsequently enroll in the MA-program in language technology will build on skills acquired in this course in other courses about natural language processing.

The course will discuss grammatical gender, the gender system of Icelandic and its history. The use of the three grammatical genders in Icelandic will be discussed, Icelandic words referring to men and women and the difference between men's and women's speech. The fight for equality in language (feminist language planning) will be covered as well and the Icelandic situation compared to other countries. Guests from within and outside the university will be invited to contribute to the seminar.

This is a basic composition course. Writing skills will be honed through weekly assignments, lectures, class discussions and workshops.Approaches to writing research papers will be addressed, such as choosing and narrowing a topic, structure, and sources. Register, style, spelling, punctuation, and resources for writers will be discussed. Students write essays and papers of various kinds and get regular feedback from peers and teachers. Course assessment is based on written assignments and class participation. The course can only be passed if all assignments are turned in.

The first two or three weeks of the course are focused on the study of the Arabic alphabet and its sounds. After this, the focus shifts onto key grammar points, simple sentences and vocabulary, along with the practice of listening and oral skills. Attendance and homework are of great importance in this course. The course is taught in English.

This course is a prerequisite for MAF204G Arabic II.

The main topics of this course are descriptive statistics and exploratory data analysis. Measures of central tendency and spread will be covered as well as Pearson's correlation and simple linear regression. The use of graphs to display distributions and relationships is emphasised. Sampling designs, probability theory and sampling distributions are also addressed.

Distance learning is not an option for this course. Students are expected to attend all lectures.

BA-thesis in General Linguistics

The aim of this course is to cover types of language change and aspects of the history of the Icelandic language that are not dealt with in detail in the core courses of the BA-program in Icelandic. The focus will be on the vocabulary. The course will discuss the nature and the main types of changes that affect the vocabulary, in particular, semantic change and linguistic borrowing. We will also study the history of the Icelandic vocabulary using text samples from different periods. In addition, the course will introduce methods used in the fields of etymology and onomastics; one the one hand, we will discuss word origins and the relationship between cognates, on the other hand, we will discuss changes in proper names, both personal names and place names.

This course will introduce the key methods of psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience in research on language. We will discuss how the brain processes meaning and syntax, in addition to topics such as bilingualism, speech production, language development and comprehension of indirect language (such as irony). At the end of the course students will get insights into recent research on the genetics of language.

The course is taught in English alongside a masters level course, but the course requirements will be different.

This is an advanced morphology course that is taught every other year. The aim of the course is introduce to students various theories and topics in morphology, using examples from Icelandic and other languages, and to train students to work on morphology on their own.

The student chooses a subject in consultation with a regular teacher, studies it and writes a rapport or a paper on the subject. Please contact head of program for more information.

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

In this course we concern ourselves with how language and society interact by examining sociolinguistic methods and concepts with regard to international and domestic research in the field.

Among the topics discussed are language attitudes, language contact, dialects, language style and language management. We take a look at different manifestations of language use and language variation as well as contemplating on how factors such as environment, context and background of a language user potentially influence language use and choice of style.

We provide an overview of principal research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, discuss recent trends in sociolinguistics and evaluate methods and methodologies with respect to the particular research topic.

Besides presenting research on attitudes towards language and language use, considering both attitudes towards one’s own language and that of others, we consider possible outcomes of unconventional language use. Special emphasis will be put on considering the language use of those who speak Icelandic as a foreign language as well as the status of immigrants in Iceland.

Additionally, we address the current status of the Icelandic language, particularly in relation to English and other languages. Principles of language management are discussed along with people’s ideas and believes about language through time. In that respect, we have a look at Icelandic language policy, language management, language standardization and linguistic purism from different perspectives, e.g. a synchronic and diachronic angle as well as with regard to other speech communities. 

We will discuss language use of particular social groups (e.g. teenagers) in terms of its social meaning for the group on the one hand and for the speech community as a whole on the other hand.

Students are expected to complete group or individual tasks on questions and problems originating from topics and discussions in the class room.

The course gives an overview of the phonological system of Old Icelandic and its prehistory. We will read the First Grammatical Treatise and discuss its importance as source of evidence of Old Icelandic phonology and its contribution to the history of linguistics. The morphological structure of Old Icelandic will be treated in detail.

The teaching consists of lectures and special tutorial classes that will discuss homework assignments.

Recent years have seen an increased focus on data collection and statistical analysis within the humanities. This is particularly apparent in growing branches such as psycholinguistics, cognitive literary studies and experimental philosophy, to name a few. The push towards quantitative methods occurs at a time where the validity and reliability of well-established statistical methods are called into question in other fields, with increased demands of replicability and open access as well as data protection and responsibility. In this course, students explore the value of quantitative methods in their field while getting training in the collection and analysis of data. A diverse set of research methods will be introduced, ranging from surveys to corpus analysis and experiments in which participants’ response to stimuli (such as words, texts or audio-visual materials) is quantified. Basic concepts in statistics will be reviewed, enabling students to know the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, understand statistical significance and interpret visual representations of data in graphs. The course will be largely practical and students are expected to apply their knowledge of data collection and analysis under the instructor’s guidance. Students will work on a project within their own discipline but will also explore the possibility of cross-disciplinary work. Open source tools such as R Studio will be used for all assignments but no prior knowledge of the software or statistics in general is required. The course is suitable for all students within the humanities who want to collect quantitative data to answer interesting questions and could therefore be a useful preparation for a BA or MA project.

This course discusses how texts, especially literary texts, can be analyzed from the perspective of theoretical linguistics.  The course is therefore suitable for students who have an interest in both literary studies and linguistics. The topics include style types, the use of tenses, word order, character designations, gender-neutral language, sound symbolism, the effects of verbs and nouns, focalization and metaphors. Many guest lecturers will participate in this class, both literary scholars and linguists.

A survey of the major features of the linguistic structure off Icelandic Sign Language and sign languages in general. The aim is that students understand the basic elements and structure of sign languages in general.

BA-thesis in General Linguistics