The Virtual Linguistics and Literature Campus

The Virtual Linguistics Campus has long been known for its options beyond mere content delivery. These options are complex video-based glossaries, indices of languages and audio files, a database with information about important linguists or  various timelines relating to the devlopement of languages, dialects or general aspects of computing.

The purpose of this compilation of tests is to allow everyone who is interested in studying linguistics or a related degree program to work with some selected topics of language and linguistics and thus assess their aptitude for the field.

This 'course' contains some selected topics. It allows you to catch a glimpse at our unit structures and to understand how e-learning units are organised on the VLC. The units/topics are part of various courses and they are meant to illustrate the organisation of VLC content and the power of E-Learning in the VLC in general.

This course introduces students to the basic concepts underlying the production, perception, and physics of speech. It is subdivided into three parts:

1. A general survey of articulatory phonetics
2. A short introduction to auditory phonetics
3. A discussion of the most important physical aspects of speech and the most widely used experimental techniques.

Since many universities confine their curriculum to articulatory phonetics, this part is given maximum attention in the course.

Morphology is the study of the smallest meaningful elements in language. The goal of this course is to introduce the basic morphological concepts that are used to describe and explain the internal structure of words in a cross-linguistic fashion. What is special about Arabic or Hindi plural formation, how are concepts of vowel harmony applied to languages such as Finnish or Hungarian, does Mandarin Chinese inflect its words at all?

This course will take a critical look at the theoretical notions that have been developed to account for these and other phenomena encountered in word structure. We will apply these notions to the analysis of as many languages as possible inlcuding the methods of linguistic fieldwork using the fieldwork classes of the Virtual Linguistics Campus.

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the main aspects of syntax in general and the structural properties of English syntax in particular.

The following topics will be discussed:

• types of grammar
• phrase structure
• principles of syntactic argumentation
• variants of generative grammar
• the structure of sentences in English

Thiscourse covers the history of the English language from its remote Indo-European origins (and even before) to the present day.

It provides substantial information about the English language at different periods and introduces the main theoretical and technical concepts of historical linguistics, taking into account recent work in historical and general linguistics. To satisfy the needs of the current secondary school curriculum in many countries, its main focus, however, is Early Modern English.

Special emphasis will be put on practical aspects, such as, reading and the analysis of texts taken from different periods of English.

The collection of these linguistic modules, where each module approximates the content of 90 minutes in class teaching can be freely combined to linguistic fundamental courses, such as "Introduction to Linguistics for BA students", "Introduction to linguistics for teacher students, or they can be taken as a collection of linguistic perliminaries.

Just let the VLC developmental team know which modules you want to combine für your personalized LIN101 (Linguistics Fundamentals) variant.

This course is meant to introduce students who want to become teachers of English to general aspects of phonetic description and to the special challenges of the sound system of English. It consists of two parts:

1. Central concepts in phonetics
   
2. English phonology

Special emphasis will be put on transcription skills as well as on contrastive analyses between English and Spanish.

This course is meant to introduce students with Arabic as their mother tongue who want to become teachers of English to general aspects of phonetic description and to the special challenges of the sound system of English. It consists of two parts:

1. Central concepts in phonetics
   
2. English phonology

Special emphasis will be put on transcription skills as well as on contrastive analyses between English and Arabic.

This repository/course is intended to familiarize the participants with the main structural properties of PDE (Present-Day English) grammar. It starts with a review of linguistic approaches to grammar and then discusses the central grammatical aspects of PDE sentence structure: syntactic categories and syntactic functions. A unit on PDE orthography concludes the course. Thus, it is the class for everyone who is involved in teaching or studying English in one way or another.

This repository/course covers the history of the English language from its remote Indo-European origins (and even before) to the present day.

It provides substantial information about the English language at different periods and applies the main theoretical and technical concepts of historical linguistics, taking into account recent work in historical and general linguistics. To satisfy the needs of the current secondary school curriculum in many countries, its main focus, however, is Early Modern English. In order to successfully apply the main concepts of historical linguistics it is recommended to work through the VLC202 repository "Historical Linguistics" beforehand or in parallel with VLC203.

Special emphasis will be put on practical aspects, such as, reading and the analysis of texts taken from different periods of English.

This course/repository is based on recent studies into dialectal variation of PDE, in particular on two recently finished projects: William Labov's Atlas of North American English and the Mouton de Gruyter publication 'Varieties of English'.

The class involves the discussion of:

• Vowel Systems across the varieties of English
• Transcription Systems
• Principles of Sound Change
• Morpho-Syntactic Variation in PDE
• PDE Pidgins and Creoles

This repository/course provides the theoretical and descriptive foundations for the investigation and solution of language-related problems, especially those of language use, but also problems of psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, forensic linguisics and historical linguistics. As a consequence, VLC300 tends to be interdisciplinary in many ways.

This course aims to familiarize students with the principles and methods of corpus linguistics, a field that studies language through large collections of texts (corpora). The course covers topics such as corpus design, text collection, annotation, and analysis. Students learn to use software tools for corpus analysis and explore linguistic patterns in data. The goal is to equip learners with skills to conduct empirical research on language usage, enabling them to understand language variation, change, and the practical applications of corpora in areas such as language teaching, lexicography, and natural language processing.

VLC302 consists of seven units and provides the theoretical and practical foundations for two continuations:

• VLC303 Corpus Linguistics: Linguistic Applications
• VLC304 Corpus Linguistics: EFL Applications

VLC304 aims at combining empirical, data-driven methodologies with the principles of teaching English as a foreign language. In particular, enhancing language use through empirical evidence from corpus data, identifying and interpreting patterns, trends, and anomalies in language use and investigating language variation across different contexts, genres, and time periods.

A prerequisite for participation in VLC304 is the successful completion of "VLC302 - Corpus Linguistics Basics".

The purpose of this course is to examine an unknown language without any prior knowledge of it. This is the classical field situation: you are stranded within a linguistically previously unexplored territory and want to find out as many details as possible about the language to which you are exposed.

This is what the VLC supplies:

• A Native Speaker
• General Information about the Language
• The Linguistic Methods and Tools

The course operates in a cascading fashion, i.e. the individual units will be activated successively.

The purpose of this course is to examine an unknown language without any prior knowledge of it. This is the classical field situation: you are stranded within a linguistically previously unexplored territory and want to find out as many details as possible about the language to which you are exposed.

This is what the VLC supplies:

• a native speaker
• general information about the language
• the linguistic methods and tools

The course operates in a cascading fashion, i.e. the individual units will be activated successively.

This open online course provides an introduction to the foundational concepts, genres, and techniques of literary studies. It explores the historical evolution of literature, key narrative and poetic forms, and the interplay between language and storytelling. Students will engage with critical theories, world literature, and drama, developing skills in literary analysis and interpretation. Practical strategies for teaching literature are emphasized, alongside an examination of literature's cultural significance and its adaptation in the digital age. By fostering analytical and pedagogical expertise, the course equips students to inspire and guide learners in appreciating and understanding the richness of literature.

The course can be used as an overview to more detailed courses on literary studies. It consists of 12 content units and involves a workload of 90 hours.

LIT508 surveys British narrative literature from its beginnings in the 18th century to the present, with attention to earlier literary contexts, such as 17th century epics. It introduces criteria for novel analysis, provides historical and cultural contexts, and explores major developments in prose fiction, satire, fantasy, children’s literature, and contemporary narratives. Authors and works range from Daniel Defoe, Henry Fielding, and Jonathan Swift via Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Lewis Carroll, to James Joyce, Virigina Woolf, J.K. Rowling, Zadie Smith, and Derek Walcott.

The course consists of 12 content units and involves a workload of 90 hours.

This digitally supported course explores the (postcolonial) phenomena of (non)-belonging, difference, exclusion, marginality, authority, and humanity, and this from the early modern period to the present. Set against the theoretical approach of postcolonialism and seminal studies such as Edward Said’s Orientalism, the seminar starts with William Shakespeare’s dramas Othello and The Tempest tracing racial, cultural and colonial otherness by addressing fear and fascination, but also violence directed at those deemed different. Proceeding to the 18th century, we will address Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe (1719) marking colonial otherness in the making of ‘Friday’, followed by Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre (1847) and its construct of Bertha Mason as colonial and mad “Other”. The 20th century will be represented by Edward Bond’s beloved A Bear Called Paddington (1958) and its polite and kindhearted anthropomorphized bear “from darkest Peru,” who has a seemingly endless capacity for innocently getting into trouble in a world whose social and cultural codes are unfamiliar to him

The course provides data for 10 content units that should be supported by 6 to 12 in-class meetings.

This digitally supported course explores how AI reshapes our engagement with Shakespeare’s works through critical inquiry and creative experimentation. Focusing on Othello, Twelfth Night, and Richard II, students investigate digital close reading, AI-assisted performance, canon revision, and co-authorship. Core topics include machine learning, bias, and rhetorical analysis. Blending theory and hands-on tools, the course fosters new interpretations and productions of Shakespeare while challenging traditional approaches to literature, authorship, and the role of the humanities in a digital age.

The course provides data for 12 content units that should be supported by 6 to 12 in-class meetings.

The collection of these linguistic OER modules, where each module approximates the content of 90 minutes of class teaching was combined to the "Introduction to Linguistics" course EL100 for the University of Rizal System-Angono in the Philippines.

This course/repository discusses the most important theoretical foundations of phonology using as many languages (from the VLC language index) as possible. In particular the following topics will be covered:

• Phonetics (Introduction)
• Phonology (Introduction)
• Cardinal Vowels
• PDE Vowels

The initial units additionally provide an overview of the underlying concepts of phonetics.

This short "Micro-Credential" course is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge in articulatory phonetics. It consists of four content units/topics and can be completed within 30 hours.

This short "Micro-Credential" course is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge about consonants. It consists of four content units/topics and can be completed within 40 hours.

This short course or "Micro-Credential" is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge in segmental phonology. It consists of four content units can be completed within 30 hours.

This short course or "Micro-Credential" is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge in PDE phonology. It consists of four content units can be completed within 30 hours.

This short "Micro-Credential" course is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge in Morphology. The course discusses the central morphological concepts and consists of five content units/topics that can be completed within 30 hours.

This short course or "Micro-Credential" is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge in traditional PDE Grammar. It consists of four content units can be completed within 30 hours.

This short course or "Micro-Credential" is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge in syntax with a particular focus on constituents and constituent analysis. It consists of five content units can be completed within 40 hours.

This short "Micro-Credential" course is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge in Sentence Semantics. It consists of four content units/topics and can be completed within 30 hours.

This short "Micro-Credential" course is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge in Old English - linguistically and beyond. It consists of four content units/topics and can be completed within 30 hours.

This short "Micro-Credential" course is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge in Early Modern English - linguistically and beyond. It consists of four content units/topics and can be completed within 30 hours.

This short course or "Micro-Credential" is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge about the contrastive phonology of RP and German. It consists of three content units can be completed within 30 hours.

This short course or "Micro-Credential" is designed to help individuals acquire specific skills and knowledge about the contrastive phonology of RP and Arabic. It consists of three content units can be completed within 30 hours.

This repository/course focuses on the ways people employ language in real-life contexts, encompassing both spoken and written communication, among others the social and cultural context, language use in crimes and the corpus-based analysis of linguistic data. As a consequence, VLC_MC62 tends to be interdisciplinary in many ways.

This course aims to familiarize students with the principles and methods of corpus linguistics, a field that studies language through large collections of texts (corpora). The course covers topics such as corpus design, text collection, annotation, and analysis. Students learn to use software tools for corpus analysis and explore linguistic patterns in data. The goal is to equip learners with skills to conduct empirical research on language usage, enabling them to understand language variation, change, and the practical applications of corpora in areas such as language teaching, lexicography, and natural language processing.

"MC93 - Using Generative AI" explores AI from various perspectives. Objectives include an understanding of AI and how to effectively utilize Generative AI using prompting, exploring its applications in content creation, and research, as well as examining potential related ethical issues through concrete scenarios.

Nearly all branches of public life have been introducing digital methods into their daily routines with one exception: teaching and learning. Teachers and learners of all levels have by and large been stuck in 20th century teaching scenarios that dispense with the principles of digitization.

"21st Century Education" is an AI enhanced open online course that provides an overview of the most important topics in modern education. It discusses the general principles of learning from traditional to digital, it looks at assessment, and, furthermore, it focuses on the integration of AI methodology and the use of humanoid robots, not only in terms of future but in terms of existing applications, and AE021 is practical. We will show you how you can digitize your content and will discuss the role of educational video.

This course is meant to repeat the major concepts within Phonetics with special emphasis on those topics that are relevant for students English. It is subdivided into three parts:

1. A general survey of articulatory phonetics,
2. A short introduction to auditory phonetics,
3. A discussion of the most important physical aspects of speech and the most widely used experimental techniques.

This course is meant to repeat various topics related to the study of words: 

• Morphological Units
• Morphological Processes and Operations
• Morphology and PDE

Furthermore, Morphological Typology (how languages can be classified morphologically) and Morphological Change will be added.

This short AI enhanced "Micro-Credential" course explores the evolution of English from its Germanic roots to its current global status. It examines key linguistic changes, influences from other languages, and socio-historical contexts that shaped English. It consists of four content units/topics and can be completed within 30 hours.

Nearly all branches of public life have been introducing digital methods into their daily routines with one exception: teaching and learning. Teachers and learners of all levels have by and large been stuck in 20th-century teaching scenarios that dispense with the principles of digitization.

In this class, we first provide an overview of computer-mediated communication: its definition, contexts, and theories. We then look into the relationship between technology and pedagogy. Then, we will also examine several other allied topics, including health, legal, and political communication.

Dieser kurze Robotikum-Vorkurs zeigt, dass neben Roboter-Rasenmähern oder Staubsaugern auch Roboter, die menschliche Fähigkeiten haben und uns im Aussehen ähneln, mehr und mehr Teil unseres Alltags werden. Was können diese Roboter genau und wie werden sie gesteuert? Diese kurze Einführung beantwortet diese Fragen und führt in die Steuerung und Programmierung von Robotern des Typs NAO ein.

This repository contains all tests and homework assignments for English in grade 5 at grammar schools and can be made available as a customized version for any school that wishes to use this repository.

This course provides an overview of the solar system using open educational resources and the insights and the material of two German hobby astronomers and experts of online teaching and learning. The course not only visits the celestial objects of the solar system and discusses their general properties but also presents the necessary information for their observation and exploration using modern astronomical technology.

This course can be used as an overview to more detailed courses on the individual planets as well as an introduction to modern sky observation. It consists of 13 content units and involves a workload of 90 hours.