THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
SCHOOL of PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY and LANGUAGE SCIENCES
LINGUISTICS and ENGLISH LANGUAGE
MSc/Dip in
Developmental Linguistics
Programme Handbook
2011-2012
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The MScDL handbook
This handbook is intended to provide a guide to students in the MSc Programme in
Developmental Linguistics (MScDL) throughout their course of study, by complementing
and augmenting the information in the University Regulations, Code of Practice, and the
Taught Master’s Handbook for the School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language
Sciences (PPLS). However, in cases where the information in this document and others might
appear to be in conflict, the Regulations and Code of Practice serve as the final legal
authority. Copies of the University Regulations are available at the PPLS Postgraduate Office
as well as via the the University website1. The Code of Practice will have been issued with
your matriculation papers.
We consider it each student’s responsibility to make themselves familiar with the contents of
this handbook and also of the Taught Master’s Handbook and the Code of Practice. Please do
not hesitate to contact the Programme Director or the Programme Secretary if you have
questions about anything in this handbook or about the Programme in general.
1.2 The programme
The principal objective of the field of developmental linguistics is to investigate how
speakers’ linguistic abilities are acquired or affected in the course of a lifetime. In
approaching this issue, our MSc Programme is committed to the perspectives of theoretical
linguistics and cognitive psychology. The Programme offers knowledge and skills in
understanding language development as changes that take place in our mental faculty which
represents and processes the structural aspects of language, such as the organisation of
sounds, words, sentences and meanings. To this end, the Programme aims to provide students
with:
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an advanced understanding of current issues, theories and findings in first and second
language acquisition, bilingualism and language attrition;
intellectual skills to analyse and interpret language data with specific reference to the
developmental aspects of linguistic knowledge;
practical and specific skills needed to conduct novel research in the field.
2. ADMINISTRATION
The MSc in Developmental Linguistics, launched in 2002, is one of the several taught MSc
degrees offered by the School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences (PPLS)
within the College of Humanities & Social Sciences (CHSS). The MSc in Developmental
Linguistics belongs to the subject area of Linguistics & English Language (LEL).
The administration of the MSc Programme is handled mainly by the Programme Director,
the School Postgraduate Administrator, School Postgraduate Secretary and the School
1
See http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/11-12/regulations/postgrad.php for general postgraduate degree regulations and
http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/11-12/regulations/chss_postgrad.php for regulations specific to the College of
Humanities and Social Science, to which this programme belongs.
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Postgraduate Assistant. Your academic point of contact will be the Programme Director,
and your daily administrative point of contact will be the Postgraduate Secretary. Policy
issues for postgraduate students in PPLS are dealt with by the School Postgraduate Group,
which includes the Postgraduate Director and all Programme Directors of PPLS
postgraduate programmes. The MScDL Programme has an External Examiner whose role is
to support the Programme in ensuring that the academic standard is maintained at the
appropriate level and that student performance is properly judged against this.
For a general overview of the MSc administrative structure in PPLS, please refer to the
Taught MSc Handbook.
MScDL Programme Administration 2011-2012
Name
Tel2
Room3
E-Mail
Programme Director
Dr Mits Ota
503949
2.21 DSB
mits@ling.ed.ac.uk
503594
1.06 DSB
catherine.keltie@ed.ac.uk
513188
1.06 DSB
toni.noble@ed.ac.uk
Ms Lynsey Buchanan
515002
1.06 DSB
lynsey.buchanan@ed.ac.uk
PPLS Postgraduate Director
Prof Duncan Pritchard (Semester 1)
Prof Simon Kirby (Semester 2)
511784
503494
6.13 DSB
1.09 DSB
duncan.pritchard@ed.ac.uk
simon@ling.ed.ac.uk
PPLS Postgraduate Administrator
Ms Katie Keltie
PPLS Postgraduate Secretary
Miss Toni Noble
PPLS Postgraduate Assistant
MScDL External Examiner
TBC
3. STRUCTURE OF THE DEGREE PROGRAMME
Study for the MSc in Developmental Linguistics falls into two parts: coursework and
dissertation. The coursework will be weighted as two-thirds of your overall assessment and
the dissertation will be counted as a third. Both parts of the programme have to be passed
independently for the award of the MSc.
The academic year consists of two semesters. Teaching occupies 11 weeks in each of
Semester 1 and Semester 2. The period after that is devoted to dissertation research.
3.1 Coursework
Your coursework comprises core and option courses as specified below. You must obtain a
total of 120 credit points to fulfill your coursework for the MSc degree.
Phone numbers are internal. To call from an outside number, add ‘6’ before the 6 digits shown
above.
3
DSB = Dugald Stewart Building.
2
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Core courses: There are six core courses for this degree:
a) Introduction to Phonetics & Phonology
b) Introduction to Syntax
c) First Language Acquisition
d) Second Language Acquisition
e) Psychology of Language Learning and
f) Statistics and Experimental Design OR Univariate Statistics and Methodology using R.
All six are compulsory for MScDL students, although those who can demonstrate that they
have recently taken an equivalent course as part of a previously awarded recognised
qualification may be allowed to substitute an appropriate option course for a core course with
the Programme Director’s approval.
Option courses: All students in MScDL must take option courses totaling 40 credit points,
which they can choose according to their interests. You will be assessed on these courses and
the marks will be part of your overall coursework assessment.
Your overall coursework mark is the average of all the marks you obtained for the courses,
weighted for credit points. In other words, a mark for a 20-credit course counts twice as much
as that for a 10-credit course.
3.2 Dissertation
Students are required to submit a dissertation by 4pm on Friday 17th August 2012. The topic
of the dissertation should be chosen in consultation with a supervisor by the end of March
before you begin working on your dissertation proposal.
3.3 Part-time students
Students who are enrolled on a part-time basis must complete the same requirements for the
degree described above within two academic years. All coursework is to be completed by the
end of the second semester of the second academic year at which point it will be determined
whether they can proceed to write the dissertation.
4. CORE COURSES
The following are short outlines of the core courses, which are compulsory for all MScDL
students unless agreed by the Programme Director to be replaced by option courses. The
course title is followed by the course code (in round brackets), credit points [in square
brackets] and when the course is offered <in angle brackets>. Note that you need to take only
one of the statistics courses.
Introduction to phonetics and phonology (LASC11031) [10] <S1; Mon & Wed 11-12>
An intensive introduction to phonology and phonetics. It presupposes no background in the
field but recognises that many students will have some familiarity with some of the ideas and
terminology. It devotes considerable attention to practical problems (transcription,
interpretation of instrumental records) that will be relevant for the areas covered by the
participating MSc courses.
Introduction to syntax (LASC11085) [10] <S1; Thu 11-13>
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Detailed study of the major syntactic phenomena of English and other languages from a
theoretical perspective. The intended learning outcomes are: to understand basic issues in
current theoretical syntax; to accurately describe and analyse primary data; to identify and
solve problems; and to independently formulate and test hypotheses.
Psychology of language learning (LASC11015) [10] <S1; Tue 11-13>
This course provides a general background on theoretical approaches to language learning
(e.g., universal grammar, connectionism, cultural learning), reviewing different cognitive and
biological factors involved in first and second language acquisition.
First language acquisition (LASC11013) [20] <S1; Tue, Thu & Fri, 14-15>
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the principal findings, concepts and models
in first language acquisition. Concentrating primarily on phonetics/phonology, morphology,
syntax, and the lexicon, the course surveys and examines theories that have been proposed to
explain the observed developmental phenomena in these domains.
Second language acquisition (LASC11014) [20] <S2; Mon, Wed & Thu 11-12>
The aim of this course is to give an introduction to current research on second language
acquisition by reviewing key issues, concepts, findings and theories. It also provides the
opportunity to critically evaluate models and theories of second language acquisition by
applying them to the analysis of second language data.
Introduction to Statistics and experimental design (LASC11021) [10] <S1; Tue & Fri 1516, and 16-17 on either day>
This hands-on course provides students with an understanding of the basic paradigms of
experimental research in psychology and linguistics, and with the ability to use a statistical
package (SPSS). It covers topics such as general principles of research design, hypothesis
testing, and inferential statistics.
Univariate Statistics and Methodology using R (PSYL11053) [10] <S1; Wed 9-11>
This course is taught using a combination of lab and lecture sessions and is suitable for
students following MSc programmes in psychology and linguistics. It takes students from
introduction to basic statistics and the basics of R, an increasingly popular statistical package,
to competence in the standard experimental methodology and analysis using R.
5. OPTION COURSES
5.1 Choosing options
The list on the following page includes taught courses that count as options for the degree.
You are also allowed to take other postgraduate-level modules offered in PPLS and other
academic units in the university, as long as you can show that they are relevant to your
research interests. However, you need to obtain the Programme Director’s approval if you
wish to take courses not listed below as options.
5.2 Auditing courses
You are allowed to ‘audit’ a course, i.e. follow it without being assessed, with the permission
of the course organiser.
5.3 List of option courses
The course title is followed by the course code (in round brackets), credit points [in square
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brackets], and when the course is offered <in angle brackets>. Although every effort has been
made to keep this list as up-to-date as possible, some courses may have be cancelled or added
after the printing of this handbook. Updates will be given during the induction meeting. You
can also search all available courses at:
https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/ipp/cx_s_su793.htm.
Advanced topics in phonetics: Speech production and perception (LASC11087) [10]
<S2; Mon, Thu & Fri 11-12>
This course will introduce students to theories of representations and processes in speech
production and perception, along with supporting experimental evidence from classic and
more recent journal articles. Some of the questions addressed are the nature of phonological
representations used in speech production planning and perception, how articulations are
controlled and coordinated, how articulatory patterns map onto acoustics, and how the
acoustic signal is decoded into mental representations.
Bilingual first language development (LASC11019) [10] <S2; Tue 11-13, Fri 11-12>
The aim of this course is to survey current research on bilingual first language development –
the simultaneous learning of two (or more) languages in early childhood. It provides an
overview of major empirical issues and findings concerning the phenomenon and their
implications for acquisition research and linguistic theory.
Current issues in morphology (LASC11102) [20] <S2; Mon 16-18, Fri, 15-16>
The course deals with the relation of morphology to syntax, including the relation between
the inflectional make-up of a language and its syntactic behaviour, the phenomenon of
'agreement', and the phenomenon of 'lexical integrity' (the inability for syntactic rules and
principles to see inside complex words).
Diachronic Linguistics (LASC11010) [20] <S2; Tue, Wed & Fri 10-11>
Detailed introduction to descriptive and theoretical aspects of historical linguistics, covering
phonetic, phonological, morphological and syntactic change from a crosslinguistic
perspective.
Dialogue (PSYL11004) [10] <Second half of S1; Tue 9-11>
This course aims to provide an advanced understanding of current psycholinguistic research
on dialogue, including both its comprehension and its production. We examine the cognitive,
linguistic and social foundations of dialogue research, and consider dialogue as a joint
activity, dialogue as alignment, audience design, and disfluency. Some background in
psycholinguistics preferable.
Discourse comprehension (PSYL11002) [10] <First half of S1; Mon 16-18>
This course will cover a range of issues concerned with how humans interpret multi-sentence
text. We examine some of the key findings relating to anaphoric reference, depth of
processing, and inference, and discuss the main experimental techniques that are used in the
field. Some background in psycholinguistics preferable.
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Disorders of language functions (PSYL11029) [10] <Second half of S2; Thu 14-15>
The course will begin with an introduction to the different medical, psychological and
linguistic traditions and the way in which they have shaped the methods and models of
aphasia research. It will then examine the main types of aphasia and demonstrate how
specific neuropathological mechanisms can influence the pattern of language breakdown
observed in aphasic patients. The course will also address the issue of bi- and multilingualism
and the question to what extent aphasic symptoms are shaped by specific features of different
languages.
English word formation (LASC11092) [20] <S2; Tue 11-13, Wed 12-13>
This course gives students the opportunity to investigate, in the light of current morphological
theory, the word-formation processes of Modern English. The first half of the course will
survey the major word formation processes of English (as well as some of the minor ones),
combining this survey with a thorough discussion of key concepts such as 'morpheme',
'word', productivity' etc. The second half will focus on current morphological theory, and in
particular on the architecture of the grammar.
Historical phonology (LASC11053) [20] <S2; Mon 14-15, Fri 14-16>
This course considers some of the key phenomena that are discussed in connection with the
historical phonology of English and other languages. We will aim for both theoretical and
empirical coverage, so that by the end of the course, you should have a good understanding
of both (i) how, in principle, and in what ways the phonology of (varieties of) a language can
change, and of (ii) some of the key phonological changes which have occurred in (varieties
of) English, throughout its history.
Introduction to semantics (LASC11090) [10] <S1; Mon, Wed, 12-13>
This introductory level course focuses on description of salient semantic phenomena mainly
exemplified from English and their analysis in terms of current linguistic theory.
Language and identity in bilingual settings (LASC11008) [20] <S2; Mon, Wed & Thu 1213>
This course is an advanced study of bilingualism as a sociolinguistic phenomenon. It focuses
on macro-societal patterns of language use in bilingual communities as well as on microinteractional language choices. It examines aspects of language shift and maintenance. And it
foregrounds the importance of the notion of 'linguistic human rights' in relation to language
policy and planning.
Language production (PSYL11003) [10] < Second half of S1; Tue 11-13>
This course examines current models and experimental evidence with respect to the
production of individual words, sentences, and utterances in dialogue, including selfmonitoring and self-repair. Some background in psycholinguistics preferable.
Lexical semantics (LASC11055) [20] < S2; Mon 12-1, Fri 11-13>
The course is divided into two parts. In the first part, students are introduced to a way of
studying word meaning within a more general theory of the mental lexicon. In the second
part, we look at more focused problems. Is there a relationship between different classes of
events or event types and aktionsarten? How are transitivity alternations a way of probing the
verbal lexicon? How should argument linking be understood? What is the different between a
"construction" and an articulated account of lexical meaning?
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Origins and evolution of language (LASC11112) [10] <S1; Mon 14-16>
A survey of the main issues in the evolution and origins of the human language faculty and of
actual human languages. The course sets out a basis of relevant facts accumulated from a
range of disciplines within and outwith linguistics, including animal behaviour, evolutionary
theory, computer modelling, genetics, language acquisition, paleontology, and archaeology.
Psycholinguistics (LASC11038) [20] <S2; Tue 16-18, Fri 16-17>
This course introduces the intellectual discipline of experimental psycholinguistics.
Surveying central topics in normal adult language behaviour, the course shows how models
and experimental methods are used to explore those swift, invisible processes which make us
fluent users of language.
Sentence comprehension (PSYL11001) [10] <Second half of S1; Fri 9-11>
This course provides an advanced understanding of current psycholinguistic research in
sentence comprehension. We study the nature of the human sentence processor, looking at its
architecture particularly in relation to the mechanisms used to resolve syntactic and semantic
ambiguities. Methodological and theoretical issues are considered alongside each other.
Simulating language (LASC11113) [20] <S2; Mon, Thu & Fri 14-15>
This course surveys the ways in which computational models have been used to advance
linguistic theory. In particular, the course focuses on how models have been used to examine
language learning, language change, and language evolution. Although its subject is
computational modelling, this course does not require prior computational or mathematical
training.
Visual word recognition (PSYL11010) [10] <First half of S1; Fri 9-11>
The course will concentrate on key issues in the study of visual word recognition. Some of
the questions addressed are: How are written words represented in the brain? What are the
mechanisms by which we can convert a written word into its pronunciation? How do we
acquire and organize our knowledge about words? How do we access the meaning of words?
Some background in psycholinguistics preferable.
6. COURSE DELIVERY
6.1 Teaching arrangements
Teaching in the programme takes a number of different forms. Most courses consist of
lectures and associated ‘tutorials’ (small group sessions typically discussing prepared reading
or a set of exercises). Some of the larger option courses follow a similar lecture/tutorial
format but others take the form of seminars and workshops. Each course has a course
organiser, typically one of the instructors of the course, who is responsible for coordinating
the course. Questions specific to a course should be addressed to the course organiser.
6.2 Websites
All MSc courses have online entries in the Degree Regulations & Programmes of Study,
which provide basic information about the course (e.g., credit points, entry requirements,
course organiser, class time).
https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/ipp/cx_s_su793.htm
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Some MSc courses also have their own webpage maintained by the course organiser. It
usually has a timetable, a reading list and more detailed information about the course. The
URLs for these websites will be announced in each course.
6.3 WebCT
Many courses use WebCT, an online virtual learning environment through which the
instructors can provide lecture notes, exercises, exams, and other teaching resources
specifically related to the course. You will get automatic access to the WebCT of the courses
you are registered for via MyEd (https://www.myed.ed.ac.uk/), the University’s web portal.
7. ASSESSMENT
7.1 Components
7.1.1 Coursework
Some courses are assessed by exams and most other courses are assessed by an essay or
project work. The specifics of the assessment (including the format, length, due date) are set
by the course organiser.
In addition there is an unmarked dissertation proposal which is submitted by 17 May.
Maximum: 5000 words. Although this submission is not awarded a numerical mark it is a
substantial piece of work which must be completed satisfactorily before you are deemed to be
ready to embark on dissertation research. The exact content of the dissertation proposal
should be negotiated with the supervisor you will have selected by the end of the teaching
period in Semester 2.
7.1.2 Dissertation
All the rules relating to the presentation of written work apply equally to the dissertation.
Further specific requirements for the dissertation (including length and formatting) are
detailed in the Taught MSc Handbook. The dissertation is double-marked.
Selected dissertations are examined by the External Examiner who has the right to summon
borderline candidates on any date up to the end of the academic year.
7.2 General rules on written work
7.2.1 Marking
All written work is assessed by two people. In addition the External Examiner is empowered
to make a separate assessment. No candidates will be failed or refused to proceed to
dissertation unless the External Examiner has assessed all their written work. All marks are
based on the University’s common marking scheme shown in the Taught Master’s
Handbook.
There are many kinds of written work for different modules and markers may apply slightly
different criteria, but the following list summarises the major criteria used in assessing most
written work:
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a clear statement of aims
evidence of adequate and appropriate background reading
accurate understanding of key concepts, issues and frameworks
rigorous methodology
evidence of systematic and independent thinking
critical stance in interpretation and evaluation of literature and data
sound argumentation
sensible planning and organisation
clarity and coherence of expression
Please also pay attention to the following points:
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Bear in mind that your readers have to get through a fairly large number of projects on
similar topics. Make sure you describe your aims and objectives clearly at the beginning
and bring the work to a close efficiently at the end.
Be concise. Judicious concision indicates understanding.
Make your work as accessible and easy to read as possible. For instance, make good use
of section headings, overviews, previews, summaries, well-labeled figures, etc.
Observe the standard academic conventions by using a style sheet. Our recommended
style sheet is that of the American Psychology Association (APA), although you can use
any other standard style sheet that employs in-text citation (as opposed to footnote
citation). The important thing is to use one style consistently.
Do not swamp the reader with everything you know. Select and discuss information that
is relevant to the main aims of the paper.
Do not simply summarise what you have read or what you have heard. Regurgitation (no
matter how accurate) will not get you a high mark. Your work should build upon what
other people have done, not restate it.
Do not forget to proof-read. It’s impossible to catch all the slips, but frequent, glaring
errors create a very bad impression. The use of word-processing equipment makes the
need for proof-reading more, not less, urgent. Although spelling checkers catch spelling
mistakes, they do not notice nonsense.
Do not try to write ‘literary’ essays. Clarity and concision are the first qualities we look
for in scientific writing, not elegance.
If English is not your mother-tongue, do not worry excessively about the minutiae of
grammar etc. but do your best to seek advice. The University offers in-session courses on
postgraduate-level assignment writing which you might want to consider taking. See their
information at http://www.ials.ed.ac.uk/EL/English-Academic/Graduating-students.html.
7.2.2 Formatting
Please refer to the Taught MSc Handbook for guidelines on formatting.
7.2.3 Plagiarism and intellectual property
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged copying of other people’s work, including that in books
and your own work previously submitted, published or unpublished articles and materials on
the internet. It is a form of theft and a serious offence. Please make absolutely sure you do not
inadvertently lay yourself open to charges of plagiarism. If you quote or paraphrase work you
have read, whoever it is by, acknowledge this clearly with a reference to your source. It is
your responsibility to learn what constitutes plagiarism and what consequences it may
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bring to your coursework. You are urged to read the University’s regulations on
plagiarism at:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/academic-services/students/postgraduatetaught/discipline/plagiarism
See also the relevant section in the Code of Practice for Taught Postgraduate Programmes,
and the Taught Master’s Handbook.
Do not assume that your understanding of plagiarism is the same as ours. Consider the
following examples:
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On the internet, you come across an interesting discussion of a child who has learned a
language in exceptional circumstances. You extract some biographic data of the child
from the site and use them in your essay, without citing the source.
You are writing an essay on whether parental instruction plays a role in language
acquisition. You find a book in which the author presents four arguments against the view
that children can learn language because their parents teach them how to speak. Because
you completely agree with these four points, you summarise them in your own words.
You then list the book in the references section of the essay, but do not acknowledge the
source in the text.
You are writing an essay on specific language impairment. You find a book dedicated to
the issue. You cite the author’s definition of specific language impairment with proper
reference to the book and page number. Later, you use other pieces of information from
the same book, but since you have already cited the source earlier, you don’t attach any
references to them.
All of the above examples will be considered cases of plagiarism according to our academic
practices. If you do not agree, then please read the documents mentioned above, and if you
still do not understand why, please come and talk to the Programme Director.
7.2.4 Submission of assessed work
All coursework must be submitted to the PPLS Postgraduate Office (1.06, Dugald Stewart
Building). Please refer to the Taught Master’s Handbook for policies on submission,
extensions and deadlines.
7.2.5 Collection of assessed work
Students are given an agreed mark on their course work as it is marked. These marks are
provisional and have “no status until they are approved or modified by the Board (of
Examiners)” (Regulation 9.7. postgraduate assessment regulations). They are purely a guide
to the general standard that a student is achieving. The Postgraduate Office will let you know
when the provisional marks are available.
7.2.6 Appeals
Students who wish to appeal against the assessment decision made of their work should
follow the procedures described in the Code of Practice.
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8. DISSERTATION
The dissertation is intended to provide the focus for a modest piece of independent study and
research which can be completed within three months. In choosing a topic you should select
something you feel reasonably confident you can handle on your own.
The topic can relate to any area of developmental linguistics as defined by the rest of the
degree programme. We expect dissertations in MScDL to have an empirical component (i.e.,
analysis of data). Ideally it should grow out of the work you have already done without, of
course, duplicating your previous projects. Titles of recent dissertations can be found on the
MScDL webpage. You can also read some recent MSc dissertations submitted to the
Edinburgh Research Archive:
http://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/1745/browse?type=title&submit_browse=Title.
After choosing a topic the next task is to draw up a basic plan or outline of the dissertation.
At this point you should choose a supervisor for your dissertation, and obtain help in
narrowing down the topic and designing the study. Your supervisor will normally be a person
who teaches a course relevant to your dissertation topic, but can be chosen from outside
Linguistics and English Language. It is up to you to arrange meetings with your supervisor,
and it is essential that you undertake the basic planning of your dissertation in consultation
with your supervisor before the end of the teaching period in Semester 2.
You are entitled to 10 hours of supervision time, which you can use in whatever combination
of feedback forms you wish (e.g., meetings, draft reading with written feedback, long e-mail
discussion). Note that supervisors’ and student’s rights and responsibilities during the
dissertation stage are described in the Code of Practice.
The basic function of supervisors is to offer advice and guidance when asked to do so. You
should prepare for a meeting with a supervisor by working out what you want to ask.
However, supervisors cannot read and comment on every draft of your work or mention
every deficiency they notice. Confusion has sometimes arisen in the past over written work
which did not get a good mark or which failed in spite of being seen by a supervisor on one
or more occasions. The complaint has been that the student should not have been allowed to
hand the work in until it was sure to pass well. The system does not work that way.
Supervisors cannot be expected to guarantee anything; they are not responsible for your work
— you are.
9. COMMUNICATION
Much of the communication for the Programme is done by e-mail. By default, we assume
that your University email address (@sms.ed.ac.uk) is the one you would be using for
communication related to the MSc Programme.
If you want to make an appointment with members of staff outside their office hours or if you
need to contact them for any other reason, the preferred mode of communication is e-mail.
It is important that you keep the Postgraduate Office informed of any changes in your
accommodation address and telephone number, so that we know how to contact you at all
times throughout the course. Please also let us know of any changes in your permanent
address, so that the University’s records can be amended.
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You are expected to remain in residence throughout the two semesters and summer. If you
need to be absent you must get prior permission. The application procedure can be found on
the following webpage:
http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/students/postgraduate/StudyOffCampus.php
10. FACILITIES
10.1 Teaching rooms
Most LEL classes are taught in various teaching rooms in the Dugald Stewart Building. Most
Psychology classes are taught in the Psychology building (7 George Square).
10.2 Research facilities
There are a number of research facilities in the School you may use depending on
availability. Facilities typically accessible to MSc students include experimental booths (both
for adults and infants/children) and the Appleton Tower recording studio. Some equipment
(e.g., laptop and audiovisual tools for fieldwork) can be loaned, also depending on
availability. For more information, visit the following webpage:
http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/staff/resources/index.php
10.2 Dugald Stewart Building
You are welcome to make use of the MSc Study Room on the ground floor, the Computing
Lab on the 1st floor and the Common Room on the 7th floor in the Dugald Stewart Building.
In order to gain out of hour’s access to the Dugald Stewart Building you must attend the
building induction tour, held during Freshers’ Week. If you do not attend this session, your
out of hour’s swipe card access will be revoked.
Any mail addressed to you will be sent to the Postgraduate Office (1.06, Dugald Stewart
Building), but please do ensure that you use your term address where possible.
10.3 University
The University Computing Service has a number of open-access computing facilities in the
George Square area. These facilities are particularly suitable for word-processing.
http://www.ucs.ed.ac.uk/fmd/central_labs.html
The main library in George Square holds many books for this course. You can search the
catalogue electronically at http://catalogue.lib.ed.ac.uk/. The library also gives you access to
various databases and electronic journals, when you are on the University network.
10.5 Outside the university
Both the National Library of Scotland and the Central Library of Edinburgh City are located
on George IV Bridge -- just a few minutes away from the University. The National Library is
a ‘copyright’ library like the British Library. No borrowing, but consultation available to
those with a Reader’s Ticket (apply at the service desk upstairs).
MSC/DIP DEVELOPMENTAL LINGUISTICS 2011/12
14
11. ABBREVIATIONS
CHSS:
CSTR:
DHT:
DRPS:
DSB:
FLA:
LEC:
LEL:
MScAL:
MScDL:
MScELC:
MScEL:
MScSLP:
HCRC:
PLL:
PPLS:
SED:
SLA:
7 GS:
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Centre for Speech Technology Research
David Hume Tower
Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study
Dugald Stewart Building
First language acquisition (course name)
(Research unit in) Language Evolution and Computation
Linguistics and English Language
Master of Science (Programme) in Applied Linguistics
Master of Science (Programme) in Developmental Linguistics
Master of Science (Programme) in the Evolution of Language and Cognition
Master of Science (Programme) in English Language
Master of Science (Programme) in Speech and Language Processing
Human Communication Research Centre
Psychology of language learning
(School of) Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
Statistics and Experimental Design (course name)
Second language acquisition (course name)
7 George Square (the Psychology building)