SEL8698 : Melody in Language
- Offered for Year: 2026/27
- Module Leader(s): Dr Niamh Kelly
- Owning School: English Lit, Language & Linguistics
- Teaching Location: 缅北禁地 City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module provides a postgraduate-level overview of the functions of prosody and intonation in English and other spoken languages. Students will develop advanced understanding and skills in:
- acoustic approaches to the physical nature of prosody and intonation
- theoretical approaches to the physical nature of prosody and intonation
- theoretical approaches to the syntactic and semantic aspects of prosody and intonation
- practical experimental methods for the investigation of prosody and intonation
Outline Of Syllabus
Topics may include
- phonetics of pitch and f0
- prosodic transcription
- autosegmental-metrical theory
- prosody and syntax
- focus
- information status
- prosodic typology
- prosody and bilinguals
- sociolinguistic aspects of prosody
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 90:00 | 90:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 77:00 | 77:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Jointly Taught With
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| SEL2236 | It's not what you say, it's how you say it: Prosody and intonation |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures introduce students to the knowledge and skill outcomes. Seminars consolidate the skill outcomes through discussion and skills practice. Private study is an important part of the programme, requiring close reading of the material both in advance of lectures and as a follow-up to them.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 75 | 2 | A | 70 | In-person paper examination to test knowledge of the foundational concepts of the module: including (among others) the phonetic, syntactic and semantic aspects of prosody, as well as knowledge of relevant literature. |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 2 | M | 30 | 1200 word report |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The mid-module written exercise comprises a review of relevant articles, and/or a short speech analysis exercise based on skills learned in the seminars.
The final assessment is a written examination, to test knowledge of the foundational concepts of the module, including (among others) the phonetic, syntactic and semantic aspects of prosody, as well as experimental design, and familiarity with relevant research articles on prosody. This allows students to demonstrate their mastery of the knowledge and skills developed throughout the semester.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: