Language is part of our biological endowment. It is what distinguishes us from other animal species; it is what makes us human. At the same time, language is an intricate symbolic system for communication, consisting of an elaborate network of words that encode concepts and intentions, and a finite set of rules for forming recursive sentence structures and expressing complex meanings. To be able to use language well for the precise articulation of ideas in communication, we need to have a good understanding of the nature and form of this symbolic system. An important goal of our undergraduate programmes is to enable students to do this.
Hong Kong is a multi-lingual, multi-cultural community in which Cantonese, Modern Standard Chinese, and English are the dominant languages. In addition, Chinese dialects such as Chiuchow (Chaozhou), Hakka (Kejia), and Shanghai are actively used to varying extents by members of the community, as are the familiar European languages of French, German, and Asian languages such as Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Panjabi, Tagalog, Thai, and Indonesian. Undergraduate students in Linguistics are exposed to various modern languages, and concepts of language diversity and socio-linguistic variation. Such exposure will enable students to better understand their present position as bilinguals, and increase their awareness of the rich cultural heritages of the community.
The field of Linguistic science has established a wealth of scientific findings on language. Through a programme of rigorous study, students will develop a basic understanding of the methods of linguistic analysis and an appreciation of some of the achievements of the field. Students will acquire an enlightened outlook on language, as well as general problem-solving and research skills.
The BA programme in Linguistics aims to achieve the following learning outcomes in students:
Applicable to students admitted in 2024-25
Major Programme Requirement
Students are required to complete a minimum of 63 units of courses as follows:
| (1) | Faculty Package: LING1000# and any two courses from | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ANTH1020, ARTS1005, BMBL1001, CHES1100 or 1102, CHLL1900 or 1902 or 1903, CUMT1000, CURE1000, 1110, ENGE1000, FAAS1900, HIST1000 or 1700 or 1701, JASP1090, MUSC1000, PHIL1110, THEO1000, TRAN1000 | 9 | ||
| (2) | Required Courses: | ||
| (a) | LING1001#[a] or 1002# [a] | 3 | |
| (b) | LING1003#, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 | 21 | |
| (c) | Research Components/ Capstone Courses/ Final Year Project: LING4000, 4001 | 6 | |
| (3) | Elective Courses | ||
| (a) | Six courses from the 3 Areas, with at least one course from each area,excluding LING3405 and 3406. | 18 | |
| (b) | Language courses to enhance students’ exposure to other language(s): | 6 | |
| 6 units of language courses (from one to two languages) other than Chinese (Cantonese/Putonghua) and English, and excluding the 1-unit modern language courses, i.e. FREN1001, GERM1001, HKSL1001, KORE1001, and SPAN1001. | |||
Total: | 63 | ||
Explanatory Note:
[a] The course not taken to fulfill requirement 2(a) may be taken as a free elective course.
Major Programme Requirement (for Associate Degree or Higher Diploma holders admitted to senior-year places)
Students are required to complete a minimum of 54 units of courses as follows:
| (1) | Faculty Package: LING1000 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (2) | Required Courses: | ||
| (a) | LING1001[a] or 1002 [a] | 3 | |
| (b) | LING1003, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 | 21 | |
| (c) | Research Components/ Capstone Courses/ Final Year Project: LING4000, 4001 | 6 | |
| (3) | Elective Courses | ||
| (a) | Five courses from the 3 Areas, with at least one course from each area, excluding LING3405 and 3406 | 15 | |
| (b) | Language courses to enhance students’ exposure to other language(s): | ||
| 6 units of language courses (from one to two languages) other than Chinese (Cantonese/Putonghua) and English, and excluding the 1-unit modern language courses, i.e. FREN1001, GERM1001, HKSL1001, KORE1001, and SPAN1001. | 6 | ||
Total: | 54 | ||
Explanatory Note:
[a] The course not taken to fulfill requirement 2(a) may be taken as a free elective course.
| Code | Course Title | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| LING1000 | Invitation to Linguistics | 3 |
| LING1001 | Exploring Grammar: Mandarin | 3 |
| LING1002 | Exploring Grammar: Cantonese | 3 |
| LING1003 | Exploring Grammar: English | 3 |
| LING2003 | Phonetics I | 3 |
| LING2004 | Phonology I | 3 |
| LING2005 | Syntax I | 3 |
| LING2006 | Semantics | 3 |
| LING2007 | Linguistic Argumentation I | 3 |
| LING2008 | Linguistic Argumentation II | 3 |
| LING4000 | Research Project II | 6 |
| LING4001 | Research Project I | 0 |
| Area One: Core Linguistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| BMBL2001# | Sign Linguistics I: Phonetics and Phonology | 3 |
| BMBL2002# | Sign Linguistics II: Morphology and Morpho-syntax | 3 |
| BMBL2003# | Sign Linguistics III: Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics | 3 |
| LING3101 | Morphology | 3 |
| LING3102 | Phonetics II | 3 |
| LING3103 | Phonology II | 3 |
| LING3104 | Syntax II | 3 |
| LING3107 | Comparative Grammar | 3 |
| LING3108 | Language Survey in the Field | 3 |
| LING4401 | Special Topics in Linguistics | 3 |
| Area Two: Language and Mind | ||
|---|---|---|
| BMBL4001# | Language Acquisition of Deaf Children | 3 |
| LING3201 | First Language Acquisition | 3 |
| LING3202 | Psycholinguistics | 3 |
| LING3204 | Second Language Acquisition | 3 |
| LING3206 | Bilingualism | 3 |
| LING4201 | Neurolinguistics | 3 |
| LING4202 | Special Topics in Language and Mind | 3 |
| Area Three: Language and Culture, and Linguistic Applications | ||
|---|---|---|
| BMBL1001 | Introduction to Sign Language and Bimodal Bilingualism | 3 |
| BMBL3001# | Sign Language in Education | 3 |
| BMBL3002# | Introduction to Sign Language Interpreting | 3 |
| LING2301 | Language and Society | 3 |
| LING3208 | Language Disorders | 3 |
| LING3401 | Linguistics and Information Technology | 3 |
| LING3403 | Quantitative Methods for Linguistics | 3 |
| LING3405 | Research Practicum I | 1 |
| LING3406 | Research Practicum II | 2 |
| LING4402 | Special Topics in Applied Linguistics | 3 |
Courses labeled as # will be included in the calculation of Major GPA for honours classification.
LING1000 Invitation to Linguistics (Course Outline)
This course invites students to explore the central components of human language, examining its structure and functions, how it is acquired, and how it changes over time. Students will have an overview of the grammatical properties of language, with respect to its sounds and sound system (phonetics and phonology), words and word formation (morphology), sentence patterns (syntax), and meaning (semantics). The course will highlight the psychological and biological foundations of language, and the applications of linguistics to other fields. Students will develop a basic understanding of language as a computational system that interacts with other cognitive systems of the human brain.
The course will also discuss the social aspects of language and the computational processing of human language. Students will become more sensitive to their own use of language, and develop an appreciation of recent advances in linguistic science, with respect to universals and particulars of language, language and society, language variation and change, language acquisition, as well as language, mind and the brain.
(LING1000 is double-coded with UGED1924.)
LING1001 Exploring Grammar: Mandarin
This course aims to develop students’ awareness of Chinese grammar. Students will explore the grammatical properties of the Chinese language through application of a descriptive approach to the analysis of Chinese data. Students are expected to achieve a sophisticated understanding of the language for further linguistic investigation in the future.
LING1002 Exploring Grammar: Cantonese
This course introduces the basic features of Cantonese grammar taking a primarily descriptive approach. The areas covered include Cantonese phonology, morphology, aspectual system, grammatical constructions and sentence final particles. Students should develop a sharpened sensitivity to the characteristics of Cantonese grammar and be able to appreciate its complexities and their own intuitions about the language.
LING1003 Exploring Grammar: English
This course focuses on the grammatical structure of English and helps students explore the complexities of the structure of English sentences in a descriptive framework. Students will be exposed to a wide range of grammatical constructions and trained to apply the descriptive approach to analyse them. The training will enrich students’ understanding of the grammatical categories and structure of English while consolidating their foundational knowledge of the language. References are also made to common errors in students’ English to raise their awareness of the problems in learning English. The course will deepen students’ sensitivity toward the subtleties and complexities in the structure of English and enable them to improve their accuracy in the use of English.
LING2003 Phonetics I
This course introduces the study of sounds as an essential part of human language: how they are produced, and how they are perceived. Students will gain a solid understanding of articulatory mechanisms for speech sounds, become familiar with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and acquire techniques of elicitation and transcription of speech sounds with special focus on English, Putonghua, and Cantonese.
This course assumes no prior knowledge in phonetics. It starts with the basic phonetic concepts, leading gradually to the physical nature of speech sounds and fundamental issues in phonetics research. The course objective is to help students understand the complex nature of speech communication and appreciate the interaction between different aspects of speech production and perception. This course also serves as the prerequisite to LING2004 Phonology I and LING3102 Phonetics II.
LING2004 Phonology I (Course Outline)
This course introduces core concepts of phonology, with a strong emphasis on data analysis from a wide variety of languages. How do sounds pattern together to form a phonological system in a particular language? What kinds of sounds are commonly found in human languages? Are there universal principles governing sound patterns in different languages? This course will also explore the theory of phonological representations, including distinctive features, syllables, and tone. Prerequisite: LING2003.
LING2005 Syntax I
This course introduces some fundamental concepts in the study of syntax and looks at how the formation of phrases and sentences is principled and how syntactic rules are universal. These concepts will be introduced through grammatical structures accessible to the students, ranging from simple to complex constituents. The course enables students to see the capacity of the human linguistic system to form complex structures. Students will develop sensitivity toward natural language structures and gain hands-on experience of tackling syntactic problems in the form of a mini-project.
LING2006 Semantics (Course Outline)
How are expressions in a language system interpreted? What are the approaches towards decoding mechanisms in the study of meaning in natural languages? How does one account systematically for ambiguities in the meaning of sentences? To what extent is the study of meaning independent of language context and use? This course examines how meaning is systematically coded in the grammar of natural languages through structural and empirical methods of semantic analysis at the word, sentence and utterance levels. Basic concepts such as sense and reference, lexical semantics, truth functionality in conjunction, disjunction, implication and contradiction, events and entities, as well as quantification will be included.
LING2007 Linguistic Argumentation I (Course Outline A) (Course Outline B)
The course aims to train students in the articulation of ideas related to language issues. It will engage students in critical reflections on the character of linguistic units at various levels of grammar, as well as systematic observations and descriptions of language phenomena. Students will be introduced to the structure and norms of academic writing in the linguistic sciences, and will receive intensive practice in the speaking and writing techniques essential for the reporting and analysis of language data, in both English and Chinese.
LING2008 Linguistic Argumentation II
This course enhances students’ sensitivity to the structure of linguistic argumentation. Through critical discussion of selected cases, students will explore the ways in which one may arrive at generalizations based on linguistic evidence, how different analyses may apply to a given linguistic phenomenon, and the grounds on which one analysis may be judged to be superior to another. Standard arguments in linguistic analysis will be introduced with illustrations drawn from phonology, syntax and semantics. Concepts such as economy, internal consistency, pattern congruity, linguistically significant generalizations, and learnability will be highlighted. Prerequisite: LING2007.
LING2301 Language and Society
This course explores human language in the broader context of culture and society. How, for example, does one language community interacts with another language community in the multilingual world? Does language change and what are the processes involved? To what extent does the same language vary due to gender, power, status, and identity? How do men and women, people with higher and lower social status talk differently? How are these relationships reflected in the use of politeness markers and other linguistic devices? What are the implications of sociolinguistics on education and language planning?
Through introducing students to major issues in sociolinguistic studies, students will be able to develop a better understanding of how language functions in societal contexts from a linguistic perspective. Discussions will also focus on common sociolinguistic phenomena in daily communication, with a specific emphasis on the use of various languages and dialects spoken in Hong Kong. Exploring these topics will enhance students’ awareness of language as a cultural phenomenon and sharpen their sensitivity to the nuances of language use in the context of a multilingual world, with special reference to the sociolinguistic context of the Greater China area.
(LING2301 is double-coded with UGEC2925.)
LING3101 Morphology (Course Outline)
This course introduces students to major morphological processes, such as inflection, derivation, compounding and affixation that are commonly found in many languages. Students will be trained to analyse relevant morphological processes of familiar and unfamiliar languages to attain a good understanding of morphological universals. We will also explore the nature of morphology and its role in linguistics, i.e. how the formation of words involves the interaction between sounds, meaning and structure of natural languages through data-oriented problem-solving tasks.
LING3102 Phonetics II
This course builds on the phonetic knowledge acquired through LING2003. Issues in speech production and speech perception research will be introduced. Emphasis will be placed on acoustic analysis of speech sounds. Students will gain a solid knowledge of the physical nature of speech sounds and be familiar with the various connected speech processes. Students will gain hands-on experience of phonetic research in the form of a mini-project. Prerequisite: LING2003.
LING3103 Phonology II
This course focuses on the development of phonological theory, looking at general issues in the areas of tone, stress, syllable, prosody, and their interactions within the framework of autosegmental phonology. Students will learn how to analyse data from different languages, draw generalizations from a crosslinguistic perspective, and account for phonological patterns adequately. Prerequisite: LING2004
LING3104 Syntax II (Course Outline)
Taking universal grammar to be a biologically based system within the language faculty of the human mind, the course aims to illustrate how constituent structures in syntax are generated and combined to form legitimate syntactic derivations, how lexical properties and pragmatics motivate syntax, and how relevant syntactic theories can attain explanatory power in addressing the hierarchical, generative, recursive and virtually infinite nature of the language system. Students will be trained to apply syntactic theories in their analysis of data drawn from various languages, formulate structural arguments, and confirm their arguments based on further empirical investigation. Prerequisite: LING2005.
LING3107 Comparative Grammar
This course aims at introducing to students a number of major similarities and differences between Chinese and other languages of interest. The emphasis will be on the basic grammatical characteristics of these languages. The lectures and discussions are intended to increase students’ sensitivity toward linguistic forms through practice in comparative and contrastive analyses. Students are encouraged to investigate languages of their interest and explore the typological differences between these languages through independent or collaborative work with their peers. Prerequisite: LING2005.
LING3108 Language Survey in the Field
This course aims to give students a taste of field linguistic research in the speech community. General issues and concerns in the conduct of language surveys in the field will be introduced and discussed. Students are expected to engage in field investigation activities that examine language-related aspects of the speech community. The course adopts an interactive, problem-based approach. Prerequisite: LING2003 & LING2004.
LING3201 First Language Acquisition
This course introduces issues in the study of first language acquisition from a linguistic perspective. The topics covered include universal stages in first language acquisition, examining the child’s phonological, lexical and syntactic development and language socialization. Major theories of language acquisition and the critical period hypothesis will be examined and evaluated. While the primary focus of the course is on monolingual acquisition, issues in the study of children acquiring two first languages simultaneously will also be addressed.
LING3202 Psycholinguistics
This course studies language as a cognitive system which interfaces with other subsystems of mind. It examines the biological foundations of language and the nature of language competence from an evolutionary and developmental perspective. The ways in which language, thought and culture interact are explored. Emphasis will be placed on the principles and mechanisms that underlie speech perception, sentence processing and discourse comprehension, as well as structural factors in language production.
LING3204 Second Language Acquisition
The course introduces students to the field of second language acquisition (SLA) and the research issues related to the development of learners’ language systems. Topics include theories of second language acquisition and cross-linguistic influence. Comparisons will be made between first and second language acquisition. Students will gain a solid understanding of the issues and methods adopted in current research.
LING3206 Bilingualism
This course introduces basic concepts and issues in the study of bilingualism. What does it mean to be a bilingual speaker? How do children acquire two languages simultaneously? How are the patterns of bilingual development different from monolingual development? Other issues such as language choice, identity and education of bilinguals will be covered. Data from Cantonese-English bilingual children and adults will be used for illustration.
LING3208 Language Disorders
(UGEC3928 is double-coded with LING3208.) This survey course introduces non-clinical students to fundamental concepts of language disorders in paediatric and adult populations. Characteristics of primary language impairment, aphasia, dysarthria, and hearing impairments, as well as articulation, fluency, and voice and other related disorders affecting language are among the topics to be discussed. Diagnostic techniques and treatment strategies are also introduced.
Discussions will be made on the impacts of language impairment on one’s cognitive development, academic performance, as well as physical, psychological and social well-being across the lifespan (SDG#3 Good Health and Well-Being). Students will be able to gain a better understanding of how people suffering from these disorders are deprived from healthy lives (SDG#3 Good Health and Well-Being), quality education (SDG#4 Quality Education), employment opportunities (SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth), and social equality (SDG#10 Reduced Inequalities). Students will also come to appreciate the benefits brought by the relevant assessment and treatment in promoting personal wellbeing (SDG#3 Good Health and Well-Being), ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education (SDG#4 Quality Education), providing full and productive employment and decent work for all (SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth), as well as reducing inequality in the society (SDG#10 Reduced Inequalities).
LING3401 Linguistics and Information Technology
This course aims to introduce the applications of linguistics in the field of information technology. The focus of the course is on basic concepts in natural language processing, and ambiguities in human-machine interaction. Through hands-on experience, students will gain a better understanding of the problems with current speech recognition software and natural language processing systems, and of how linguistic knowledge can help provide solutions to some of these problems.
LING3403 Quantitative Methods for Linguistics
This course introduces common statistical concepts and analyses used in psycholinguistic research. It covers both descriptive and inferential statistics. Students will understand the basic knowledge through lectures and gain practical experience in conducting data analyses in tutorials. Students interested in doing quantitative research for their undergraduate theses should take this course.
This course assumes NO prior knowledge in statistics. Students will learn how to summarize, visualize, and analyze linguistic data using R, an open-source statistical software environment.
LING3405 Research Practicum I
The course provides students with an experiential learning opportunity and/or prepares them for thesis/capstone research. Students will work with a supervisor on design, execution, and/or presentation of a research project. Specific learning activities may include review of literature, preparation of experimental stimuli, data collection, data analysis, and spoken or written presentation of the results. This is a one-unit course.
LING3406 Research Practicum II
The course provides students with an experiential learning opportunity and/or prepares them for thesis/capstone research. Students will work with a supervisor on design, execution, and/or presentation of a research project. Specific learning activities may include review of literature, preparation of experimental stimuli, data collection, data analysis, and spoken or written presentation of the results. This is a two-unit course.
LING4000 Research Project II
This course provides an opportunity for students to undertake supervised study on a selected topic of interest. Students will examine aspects of the selected topic, conduct a critical literature review and a systematic investigation of the topic they have chosen. Students will be required to attend regular discussions with the teacher in order to discuss the findings of their research. They will also need to submit written progress reports as scheduled by the teacher and a complete project report at the end of the term. Prerequisite: LING4001.
LING4001 Research Project I
This course provides an opportunity for students to undertake supervised study on a selected topic of interest. Students will examine aspects of the selected topic, conduct a critical literature review and a systematic investigation of the topic they have chosen. Students will be required to attend regular discussions with the teacher in order to discuss the findings of their research.
LING4201 Neurolinguistics
This is an introductory course in neurolinguistics. You will learn the basic knowledge on the relationship of language and the brain. Specifically, you will learn to identify brain systems subserving components of language as well as research methods for examining language representation and processing in the brain. Key research findings on the cognitive and neural mechanisms of phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and language acquisition will be discussed.
LING4202 Special Topics in Language and Mind (Course Outline)
This course introduces students to one or two particular aspects of cognitive and neuroscientific research into language and mind, with in-depth teaching into a special topic(s) in the broad area of psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics, such as language comprehension, language production, language learning, language disorder, neurolinguistics, bilingualism, experimental methodology, statistical analyses, and so on and so forth. Topics will vary from year to year. Students will be able to use experimental methods in investigating linguistic problems and apply linguistics knowledge into the analysis of language-related phenomena in the areas of language and mind. Offerings with different subtitles can be taken up for credit, up to a maximum of two times.
LING4401 Special Topics in Linguistics
This course furthers students’ understanding of the nature and use of language from different perspectives and/or disciplines. Students will explore issues in general linguistics and conduct empirical investigations. Topics will vary from year to year. Offerings with different subtitles can be taken up for credit, up to a maximum of two times.
LING4402 Special Topics in Applied Linguistics
This course introduces students to one or two particular aspects of applied linguistics, such as language pedagogy, language policy, language processing, language and brain, and so on and so forth. Topics will vary from year to year, depending on instructors’ expertise. Students will be able to apply linguistics knowledge into the analysis of language-related phenomena in the areas of Applied Linguistics. Offerings with different subtitles can be taken up for credit, up to a maximum of two times.
Admission Scholarships for JUPAS Students Admitted to Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics on the Basis of HKDSE Results (2025 Entry)
The Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages offers admission scholarships to newly admitted students of JUPAS with outstanding entrance grades in HKDSE.
| Amount of Award | Minimum Requirement(s) |
|---|---|
| HK$42,100 (one-off) | Total score of 30 based on the best 5 HKDSE subjects |
Notes:
Language is part of our biological endowment. It is what distinguishes us from other animal species; it is what makes us human. At the same time, language is an intricate symbolic system for communication, consisting of an elaborate network of words that encode concepts and intentions, and a finite set of rules for forming recursive sentence structures and expressing complex meanings. To be able to use language well for the precise articulation of ideas in communication, we need to have a good understanding of the nature and form of this symbolic system. An important goal of the BA programme in linguistics is to enable students to do this.
Hong Kong is a multi-lingual, multi-cultural community in which Cantonese, Modern Standard Chinese, and English are the dominant languages. In addition, Chinese dialects such as Chiuchow (Chaozhou), Hakka (Kejia), and Shanghai are actively used to varying extents by members of the community, as are the familiar European languages of French, German, and Asian languages such as Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Panjabi, Tagalog, Thai, and Indonesian. Undergraduate students in Linguistics are exposed to various modern languages, and concepts of language diversity and socio-linguistic variation. Such exposure will enable students to better understand their present position as bilinguals, and increase their awareness of the rich cultural heritages of the community.
The field of Linguistic science has established a wealth of scientific findings on language. Through a programme of rigorous study, students will develop a basic understanding of the methods of linguistic analysis and an appreciation of some of the achievements of the field. Students will acquire an enlightened outlook on language, as well as general problem-solving and research skills.
Application for Admission to the BA in Linguistics
Option 1: Linguistics major (with no minor)
Option 2: Linguistics major (with one or two minors)
Any one of the following combinations:
Linguistics major + one language minor
Linguistics major + two language minors
Linguistics major + one language minor + minor in one other academic discipline
Linguistics major + minor in one other academic discipline
Linguistics major + minors in two other academic disciplines
Option 3: Linguistics Major (Double Majors)
Linguistics major + major in other academic discipline
Language and cultures programmes abroad are arranged every summer with universities in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The courses last for one month and comprise 80 – 90 hours of language instruction, cultural programmes and excursions. The programmes are fee-paying. After successful completion of the course, students may consider transferring the credits gained abroad to the modern language curriculum.
Currently, Modern Languages courses have been arranged with the following institutions in Korea and Europe: :
France
Germany
Korean
Spain
Overseas exchange programmes
In addition to the overseas summer study programmes, students can also participate in the various overseas exchange programmes coordinated by the University and the Colleges. Among the countries included in these exchange programmes are Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Mexico, Mainland China, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan and the U.S.A.
With solid training in linguistics and wide exposure to diverse disciplines, our graduates are in a strong position to pursue careers in language education, business and public administration, interpretation and translation, journalism, media and communication-related services, computer language processing and language engineering research, speech therapy, brain and cognitive science research.
Those wishing to further their studies may consider our postgraduate programmes. Some of our graduates from these programmes also received competitive scholarships to further their studies in prestigious universities abroad.
Our graduates of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts programmes in Linguistics are exempted from the English Language Proficiency Assessment for English teachers by the Education Bureau, HKSAR upon completion of relevant teacher training.
