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Article published In:
Pedagogical Linguistics
Vol. 4:2 (2023) ► pp.119–158

Teaching linguistics through language construction

A project-based approach

ORCID logo | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
This article details how introductory linguistics courses can increase student engagement and learning through a project-based approach, whereby the students first study the subfields of linguistics with a view to complete the main project of the course, namely to construct a novel language. I provide information from a semester-long course with specific project-based activities teachers could utilize in their classes. I also thoroughly examine the constructed language projects based on 33 student submissions in an introductory linguistics course in the US. The analysis indicates a high level of engagement and creativity by the students in creating a distinct orthography, phonetic, morphological, and syntactic rules and semantic properties for their constructed languages. The results from a 20-item questionnaire and student exit interviews indicate that the project-based approach adopted in the completion of their constructed languages proved effective in (a) improving student motivation and engagement; (b) helping students apply the knowledge of the material to carry out linguistic analysis; (c) enhancing students’ language learning skills; (d) encouraging them to study additional foreign languages; and finally (e) promoting linguistic diversity. Hence, as an innovative and effective method still in its infancy, project-based learning should be more widely implemented in linguistics instruction.
Keywords: project-based learning (PBL), teaching linguistics, constructed languages
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical and pedagogical background on project-based learning
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Introduction to linguistics: A project-based approach
      • Brief course introduction and student learning outcomes
    • 3.2Description of materials
    • 3.3Design, implementation, and assessment
  • 4.An overview of student-constructed languages
    • 4.1Orthography and phonetic properties
      • 4.1.1An orthography of I Gu
      • 4.1.2An orthography and phonetic properties of Quat
      • 4.1.3An orthography and phonetic properties of Catherinese
    • 4.2Lexicon
      • 4.2.1A lexicon of I Gu
      • 4.2.2A lexicon of Logon
    • 4.3Phonology
    • 4.4Morphology
      • 4.4.1Logon
      • 4.4.2Catherinese
      • 4.4.3I Gu
    • 4.5Syntax
      • 4.5.1Herbo
      • 4.5.2Quat
    • 4.6Semantics
  • 5.A distinct project: Cantorin
  • 6.Discussion on the effectiveness of the PBL approach to teach introductory linguistics
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 21 October 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/pl.21013.koy
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