Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Introduction to Linguistics

A semester course on how language works, from the sounds your mouth makes to how meaning shifts with context and how languages change over centuries. Six self-paced modules with examples from English, sign languages and languages around the world.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Middle school course library, $79 for 28 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 12 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: What linguistics studies

    Distinguish descriptive from prescriptive rules and explain the features that set human language, spoken or signed, apart from animal communication.

    • Language as a subject of science
    • What makes human language special
    • Language, animals and the brain
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Speech sounds: phonetics and phonology

    Describe consonants and vowels with phonetic features and IPA, and analyze minimal pairs, allophones and sound rules such as the English plural.

    • How consonants are made
    • Vowels and syllables
    • Phonology: the sound system of a language
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Words: morphology

    Analyze words into morphemes, tell inflection from derivation, and classify word-formation processes and language types.

    • Morphemes, the smallest units of meaning
    • Inflection and derivation
    • Making new words, and how languages differ
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Sentences: syntax

    Identify basic word orders and constituents, and explain structural ambiguity, grammaticality and recursion.

    • Word order around the world
    • Phrases and tree structure
    • Grammar, meaning and infinite sentences
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Meaning: semantics and pragmatics

    Explain sense relations, deixis, implicature and indirect speech acts, and infer what a speaker means in context.

    • Word meaning and sense relations
    • Pragmatics: meaning in context
    • Speech acts and politeness
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Language in society, over time and in the mind

    Evaluate claims about dialects, explain how languages change and are related, and describe how children acquire language and how communities revitalize it.

    • Dialects, accents and registers
    • How languages change
    • Learning, losing and saving languages
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 3 · Making new words, and how languages differ

Worked example: breaking down a Turkish word

  1. Word: evlerimde, in my houses.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · Middle SchoolAlso for Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of linguistics: you can describe speech sounds with IPA and phonetic features, find phonemes with minimal pairs, break words into morphemes, draw the structure of a sentence, explain implicature and indirect speech acts, and reason about dialects, language change, language families and how children acquire language. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 curious about how language works, previewing a linguistics or language course, or preparing for linguistics puzzles; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. No second language is needed.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 12 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Middle school course library ($79) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Middle School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the High School space in Caveat Academics (the same course serves the high school Introduction to Linguistics title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. The International Phonetic Association, the IPA chart (free to download): internationalphoneticassociation.org
  2. The World Atlas of Language Structures Online, word order and other features across languages: wals.info
  3. Linguistic Society of America, what linguistics studies and FAQ pages: linguisticsociety.org
  4. Glottolog, language families and classification: glottolog.org
  5. Endangered Languages Project: endangeredlanguages.com

Introduction to Linguistics is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester introduction but does not replace a school course or award credit. Pronunciations described as in many American accents vary by speaker and region. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.