Teaching linguistics through language construction: A case study

Timothy Reagan

doi:10.54475/jlt.2024.019

Authors

Timothy Reagan The University of Maine https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5837-1603

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54475/jlt.2024.019

Keywords:

language construction, pedagogical linguistics, interlinguistics, conlangs

Abstract

For many students, introductory courses in linguistics prove somewhat disappointing. They often enroll in such courses because of a love of language – what some have called the “magic of language” – and instead are faced with the (perceived) dull and dry scientific study of language. There is, as a result, a need to explore more effective ways of “teaching linguistics to non-linguists.” In this article, a case study of one pedagogical approach to accomplish this will be presented: the use of language construction as a means of introducing students to basic linguistic knowledge and understanding. We begin with an overview of the nature and history of interlinguistics (the study of planned languages), and then turn to recent examples of the creation of constructed languages (conlangs) in popular culture before discussing the use of language construction activities to introduce students to the study of linguistics.

Author Biography

Timothy Reagan, The University of Maine

Timothy Reagan is Professor of World Language Education in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Maine. He also holds the position of Research Fellow in the Department of South African Sign Language and Deaf Studies at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He has held positions at a number of universities in the United States and overseas, including at Gallaudet University, Nazarbayev University, the University of Connecticut, and the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa). Reagan is the author of more than a dozen books and 150 journal articles and book chapters. His most recent books are Democracy and world language education: Toward a transformation and World language education as critical pedagogy: The promise of social justice. Reagan was recognized in 2023 with a “Distinguished Scholar and Lifetime Achievement in Language Studies Award” from the International Society for Language Studies.
Email: timothy.reagan@maine.edu

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