Theoretical and Empirical Linguistics

How is language constructed and which aspects can be distinguished and studied? How are these aspects realized in different language families and specific languages?
Theoretical and Empirical Linguistics is a one-year Master's track of the MA Linguistics which is based on the strengths of the Groningen Linguistics department (English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish). Students can choose between two specializations: The Human Language System (THLS) and Language Development and Variation (LDV).This MA track offers students a broad and attractive, but coherent and cohesive, range of options, oriented along the following approaches:* Empirical investigation of the structure of the European languages, with focus on synchronic and diachronic variation* Theoretical study of syntax, semantics, morphology, and phonology/phonetics* Use of a variety of data (native speaker intuitions, corpus data, language acquisition data) and methodsThe track focuses on language with all its complexities. The main focus is how to make sense of complex data in order to be able to study the structure, variation, change, and development of language, so as to obtain a better understanding of the human language faculty. It covers the principal subfields of linguistic study (sound, structure, meaning), and offers plenty of opportunity for students to focus on a particular language o