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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics by Universiteit Leiden

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2,356 ratings

About the Course

Everywhere, every day, everybody uses language. There is no human society, no matter how small or how isolated, which does not employ a language that is rich and diverse. This course introduces you to linguistics, featuring interviews with well-known linguists and with speakers of many different languages. Join us to explore the miracles of human language! The Miracles of Human Language introduces you to the many-faceted study of languages, which has amazed humans since the beginning of history. Together with speakers of many other languages around the world, as well as with famous linguists such as Noam Chomsky and Adele Goldberg, you will learn to understand and analyse how your native tongue is at the same time similar and different from many other languages. You will learn the basic concepts of linguistics, get to know some of the key features of big and small languages and get insight into what linguists do. This course gives an introduction into the study of languages, the field of linguistics. With the support of the basic linguistic terminology that is offered in the course, you will soon be able to comment both on variety between languages, as well as on a single language’s internal structure. Anyone who wishes to understand how languages work, and how they can give us insight into the human mind is very welcome to join. The course is useful if you want to get a fairly quick introduction into linguistics, for instance because you are considering studying it further, or because you are interested in a neighbouring discipline such as psychology, computer science or anthropology. Furthermore, the course will help you develop analytical skills. If you are curious to understand how language works and how it gives insight into the human mind, this course is definitely for you!...

Top reviews

DC

Sep 23, 2017

Extremely informational, well presented, with questions that stimulate reflection. The optional reading material is food for thought. I hope to see more courses from the same professor and University.

NI

Mar 10, 2021

The course was well-organised and very interesting. It covered the different aspects of linguistics wonderfully and prompted me to delve further into specific fields of linguistics such as phonetics.

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176 - 200 of 716 Reviews for Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics

By aqsa b

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Aug 28, 2021

Really Enjoyed the course, learned a bunch of new knowledge. I recommend this course to those who want take a quick review of linguistics and its sub-dicipilines. Thanks to prof. Osen and His students Inge and Martin for making this course for us.

By Quân P G

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Sep 9, 2021

Absolutely marvelous! The content is superb and I love the Professor's way of lecturing. I've gained much knowledge on linguistics through learning this course. The module tests will surely be an incentive for you to revise the lessons carefully!

By Jan D

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Aug 14, 2017

I really liked the enthusiasm of the professor and Inge and Martin. The complementary interviews were also very interesting. As a post-journalism (and post-premaster) student, it was definitely beneficial for my sociolinguistic master program.

By Axel J B B

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Jul 28, 2020

This has been one of my favorite MOOCs. It is a bit harder than the average MOOC, but it's really worth the effort. Brilliant insights, thought-provoking concepts and a very friendly dynamic makes this course worth every minute spent on it.

By Hasan A C

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Jun 19, 2020

It extended my horizon and I gained so much insight into languages. I highly recommend you taking up this course. They also interview other linguists who are experts in their field every week. The professors' enthusiasm motivates you a lot.

By Yolanda L

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May 23, 2016

Great course! The professor is enthusiastic and very clear in his presentation, and they present the material in digestible, clear language. The course also did a good job prioritizing what to include in a short amount of videos. Thank you!

By Hanna a

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Nov 8, 2020

In spite of its name, this course serves much more than an introduction. It tackles the essential aspects of linguistics and provides solid foundations for any language enthusiast. A necessary course for anyone serious about linguistics.

By Dot

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Apr 19, 2020

Very informative course and a perfect introduction to linguitics. A bit difficult at times (sociolinguistics is not my forte, I suppose), but again - why study something too easy? :) I'd love to see more content, perhaps another course?

By Vasiliki C

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Jan 25, 2021

It was a great course. Professor Oostendorp was very very informative, so were his assistants.

I learned a lot of interesting things. The tests were slightly more challenging than I expected, but that makes the achievement even better!

By Ergun E

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Mar 6, 2023

It was a very well constructed course.

Many nice videos and examples and recommendations of readings and videos also.

I want to thank professor for being so enthusiastic and also professional about the classes.

It was amazing, Thank you.

By Juliethelena P Z

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Jan 20, 2021

It's a pretty nice course. I think is a really good way to learn something about linguistic for people who do not know a lot and is a good way of keeping practice for the ones that in some way have already acquire knowledge about it.

By RaHel R

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Dec 19, 2019

Wonderfully made, gives you a strong basis on the subject, accessible to those with little to no background . The videos are interesting and clear, and examples are given from a variety of languages, and the course is very enjoyable.

By Jody B

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Jan 30, 2021

I really enjoyed this course. The information was clearly explained and I was able to review any material that I found difficult. The tests helped to embed knowledge and it was interesting reading other points of view on the forums.

By Cliona Y

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Jun 9, 2020

Great use of interviews of professors around the world with different backgrounds and studies, it shows how linguistics is applied. Clear examples used by informants, although I wish there were subtitles available for those videos.

By Rana Y Ç

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May 5, 2022

Not only was it a fascinating and intriguing journey into linguistics, it was so fun. I felt like I knew these people and they were actually my professors. It is strange to say it but I will miss them now that the course is over.

By Alaia S

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Jul 8, 2016

A lot of materials are accessible in the course. It is obvious that professors have done a lot of preparation, so that the learning experience is really amazing. The course arises my interest for Linguistics. Highly recommended.

By Marty M M

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Feb 24, 2019

The best part of this course was the introduction of many useful resources: World Atlas of Language Structures, Ethnologue, Babel Magazine, etc. The lecturer and his assisting students are entertaining and easy to understand.

By Peter B

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Dec 25, 2018

A really excellent introduction to many aspects of linguistics (from the sound to the social level):

Kudos to the wonderful Marc van Oostendorp and his team!

But, beware dear reader: Some of the quizzes are really "tricky" :-)

By Claudia M

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May 4, 2020

This is my very first course in coursera and on linguistics and it won't be my last. This was very informative, with relevant examples and well developed videos. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in linguistics.

By Rozana E M

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Oct 4, 2020

The perfect course to get into the fascinating world of languages. The content is precise and helpful, and the instructor very knowledgeable and charismatic. A must try for anyone interested in the field of Linguistics.

By Min-An C

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Apr 18, 2017

With interests in exploring knowledge about languages, this course is indeed fantastic introduction which not only tells about a systematic way to analyze languages, but also trigger my passion to know more and deeper!

By Josephine B M

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Jul 4, 2018

Very enjoyable course, at a good level for beginners but with enough content to hook your interest. Only thing to note is that some weeks are quite a lot more work than others which can make it difficult to schedule.

By Shubha N R

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Sep 3, 2020

Extremely informative course and well organized. I had a lot of fun learning and doing the assignments, especially the honors ones. I would definitely recommend it to anybody interested in languages and linguistics.

By Mary B

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Mar 19, 2020

Brilliant, fascinating course! The topics were really interesting and explained in a way that made them easy to understand without feeling condescending or over-simplified. I was sad when the course came to an end!

By Huang J

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Aug 15, 2018

Before I start, I didn't expect the course to be as well structured and helpful as it turns out. It enables the learner to have a clear big picture of language studies landscape. Chapeau and thanks to its creators!