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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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226 - 250 of 716 Reviews for Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics

By Stylianos F

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Oct 8, 2017

I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in Linguistics and languages, especially beginners. I enjoyed it and learned very much and I feel ready to continue my studies in this field.

By Katie E

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Mar 24, 2020

This course was fascinating, and the professor and his students were very personable. You can tell that they love the subject they're teaching, and that makes the material even more palatable.

By Bhaskar P

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Sep 21, 2018

Dr. Van Oostendorp and Leiden University have created a course of outstanding quality. It far exceeded my expectations and has provided an excellent introduction to the subject of Linguistics.

By Laurel R

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Mar 28, 2017

I found this course to be not only educational but extremely interesting. It provides a great overview of the field of linguistics and does so in an engaging manner. I highly recommend it!

By Jaume R B

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Jul 13, 2020

Really great course. The professor really shows his enthusiasm in teaching linguistics. The only thing that I can say is that I'd like a course as a way of continuing to learn linguistics

By Katrin U

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Nov 17, 2022

great mooc, even though the quizzes sometimes were a bit tricky, but doable....I really enjoyed the Prof. van Oostendorp and his students! I'd happily do another course with this team...

By Izaya B

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Apr 16, 2023

Very interesting and informative, I was surprised it is called an 'Introduction'! There's lots of material and specific terms, but it is also very accessible to beginners. Recommended!

By Bea

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Aug 22, 2017

I loved this course. The professor does a fabulous job explaining the material and bringing in others to show the material's relevance.

It was very interesting and I want to learn more!

By Maria V G R

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Aug 19, 2016

It was very interesting and you get to understand a lot about Linguistics, considering the amount of time it requires. It also makes the most of the platform, so it's really well made.

By Armas M

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Jan 13, 2019

My time with this course was awesome...I learned things more than my expectations ....

thanks coursera

especially thanks to " Professor Marc Van Oostendorp",doing a great job ...

By Santiago N

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Jun 25, 2018

Wonderfully explained and made with passion, this course introduces us to some basic knowledge of linguistics in the best way possible: by making it fun and completely understandable.

By Blade F

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Jun 8, 2016

I would highly recommend this course! The instructor presents the material in a clear and effective manner, the subject is interesting, and the work fits well and is not overwhelming.

By Tatyana M

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May 14, 2018

love this course - it's really great! Working with native speakers of different languages was difficult but fascinating. Interview with Noam Chomsky totally defeat me. I'm impressed.

By Tammy C

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Nov 30, 2020

I have no previous experience in Linguistics but really enjoyed the course. The course materials gave me great insight and some ideas of what I would like to pursue next. Thank you!

By Naomi

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Dec 2, 2016

Loved this course! The professor was informative and engaging, and Inge and Martin made the class interesting and fun. I also enjoyed the interviews with other experts in the field.

By Lachlan A

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Jan 11, 2021

Very engaging and interesting course that helped me achieve a basic understanding of linguistics. Definitely recommend to those who have an interest in languages and how they work.

By Nguyen Q L

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Aug 1, 2020

Thank you for letting me learning this wonderful course! Such a great pleasure for me to have this opportunity learning with everyone! Best wishes for you and never stop learning!

By Allyson D d L

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Aug 14, 2023

Amazing course! Introductory but it was a very nice introduction and the most interisting was the presence of native speakers of languages very distinct and uncommon. I loved it.

By Karen M

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Aug 2, 2020

It is a great, complet and very well conducted course. It allowed me to re-think the way i used to understand the language. Great academic team, very fluent ad very fun to learn

By Marta R R

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Aug 29, 2019

Great course! I have learned a lot about linguistics in a very interactive and dynamic way. I totally recommend it to everyone that is a little bit interested in this discipline.

By Ben W

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Aug 17, 2020

Very enjoyable, very informative! I'm very happy I was able to take this class, I feel like it very thoroughly outlined the basics of many different types/fields of linguistics.

By Diane J

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Jul 19, 2020

This course was challenging but very interesting with a good mix of learning modalities. The three presenters plus the subject expert interviewees added interest to the course.

By Alexander S

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Jul 12, 2018

A great introductory course!Of special value for me were the language informants. Through them understanding the diversity of languages was a lot more interesting and practical.

By Rebeca M

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Aug 29, 2020

This is a great linguistics course! It is introductory but through the suggested readings and discussions one can really deepen into the language analysis. Totally recommended!