East Asian Linguistics (Master S1/S3 Class)

Basic information

• Credits: 3
• Format: 3 hours a week from 21/10
• 2026-2027 instructors: Claire Saillard
• 2026-2027 schedule: Tuesdays, 16:00-18:00, room 533

Description

The course is designed to provide an overview of East Asian linguistics, its major branches and representative language varieties. After examining the typological features of the main languages of the family, part of the course will be devoted to the study of language varieties that have emerged through long-term contact between Chinese and Tibetan speakers, as well as other languages spoken in northwestern China.

Prerequisites

The course relies on the basic linguistic concepts acquired in the first year of the Master’s program. No knowledge of the studied languages is necessary. The course will be taught in English or in French according to the needs of the students.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Roughly locate the branches and representative varieties of the Sino-Tibetan family on a geographical map.
• Describe the general typological characteristics of representative languages of the SinoTibetan family.
• List linguistic areas that are susceptible to change through prolonged linguistic contact.