Department of
Language and Linguistic Studies
Documentation and Academic Structure of the Department
The Department of Language and Linguistic Studies examines the structure, acquisition, and change of human language — phonology, syntax, semantics, and the comparative study of the world’s languages, described scientifically rather than judged by prescriptive standards of correctness.
As the founding Department of Faculty VIII, Language and Linguistic Studies establishes the empirical study of language itself, from which its seven sibling Departments — Meaning and Interpretation Studies, Symbolic Systems and Semiotics, Communication Studies, Narrative and Storytelling Studies, Literature and Creative Expression, Media and Public Communication, and Symbolic Human Formation and Comparative Symbolic Systems — each draw or specialize further.
This document establishes the Department’s complete academic and institutional documentation architecture across seven structural layers.
Foundational Framework
Governing Field. Human Formation, examined through the discipline of Language and Linguistic Studies — the systematic, scientific study of language structure, acquisition, and change, described rather than prescribed.
Central Premise. Every dialect, accent, and language variety is a fully rule-governed linguistic system in its own right; none is a corrupted or inferior version of another. Linguistic science describes how language actually works across its full diversity; it does not supply grounds for treating any speech community as less sophisticated or less legitimate than another.
Foundational Theoretical Anchor. The Department is the founding Department of Faculty VIII, coordinating closely with its sibling Departments across meaning, symbolism, and communication, and with the Department of Cognitive Science (Faculty III), whose study of the mind’s information processing this Department’s study of language structure directly informs.
Programme List
The Department offers a complete academic ladder from foundational study through doctoral research.
Delivery Framework
The Department is delivered online-first, using structured cohort-based study supported by Module Specifications, Study Guides, Teaching Manuals, and Assessment Briefs for every unit, consistent with the Institute’s established production standard.
Curriculum
The BA (Honours) Language and Linguistic Studies curriculum proceeds across four levels, numbered LNG101 through LNG111, following the Institute’s core pedagogical standard: scaffolded progression from structured instruction toward fully independent, descriptively rigorous linguistic research.
| Level | Focus | Modules |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 | Foundations of Linguistics; the description–prescription distinction; introduction to phonology and syntax | LNG101–LNG104 |
| Level 5 | Semantics and language acquisition; comparative linguistic typology; ethics of dialect and accent equity | LNG105–LNG107 |
| Level 6 | Independent linguistic research; capstone applied language documentation study; specialization electives | LNG108–LNG109 |
| Level 7 (MA) | Advanced linguistic theory; language and Human Formation; research methods; dissertation | LNG110–LNG111 |
Key Pedagogical Standard. Every module moves the learner from structured instruction toward the independent capacity to describe language scientifically without treating any variety as inherently inferior — no learner exits the programme presenting a dialect or accent as a corrupted form of a more prestigious standard.
Research Fields and Centres
The Department maintains the following primary research fields:
Centre for Language and Linguistic Studies
The Department’s standing research centre, coordinating cross-domain research with the Department of Cognitive Science (Faculty III), the Department of Meaning and Interpretation Studies, and the Department of Symbolic Systems and Semiotics.
Assessment and Ethics
Assessment in the Department evaluates a learner’s competence in descriptive linguistic method — never a reward for treating a non-standard dialect, accent, or language variety as evidence of lesser intelligence or sophistication.
Because linguistic description has a documented history of being misused to justify discrimination against speakers of non-standard varieties, the Department applies a dedicated integrity principle, establishing the founding ethics principle for Faculty VIII as a whole.
Award Titles
Public-Facing Department Page
The Department of Language and Linguistic Studies is where the Institute studies language scientifically — every dialect and variety described as the fully rule-governed system it is, never ranked against another. As the founding Department of Faculty VIII, it establishes the empirical study its seven sibling Departments each draw upon.
Learners join a structured academic pathway from Certificate through PhD, moving from guided foundational study toward independent, descriptively rigorous linguistic research, supported at every level by the Institute’s full documentation standard: Module Specifications, Study Guides, Teaching Manuals, and Assessment Briefs.
Permanent Department Documentation Order
The permanent documentation order of the Department, restated for reference:
Delivery Framework Detail
Programme Specification I — Certificate in Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification II — Diploma in Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification III — BA Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification IV — BA (Honours) Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification V — Postgraduate Certificate in Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification VI — Postgraduate Diploma in Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification VII — MA Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification VIII — Specialized Master’s in Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification IX — MRes Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification X — MPhil Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification XI — PhD Language and Linguistic Studies
Programme Specification XII — Professional Practice Certificate in Linguistic Research and Documentation Support
Summary Programme Table
A consolidated summary of all twelve programmes offered by the Department.
| Award | Abbreviation | Duration | Credits | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate in Language and Linguistic Studies | CertLNG | 6–12 months | 60 credits | ₦450,000 |
| Diploma in Language and Linguistic Studies | DipLNG | 1 year | 120 credits | ₦850,000 |
| BA Language and Linguistic Studies | BA LNG | 3 years | 360 credits | ₦2,400,000 |
| BA (Honours) Language and Linguistic Studies | BA(Hons) LNG | 4 years | 480 credits | ₦3,100,000 |
| Postgraduate Certificate in Language and Linguistic Studies | PGCert LNG | 6 months | 60 credits | ₦900,000 |
| Postgraduate Diploma in Language and Linguistic Studies | PGDip LNG | 9 months | 120 credits | ₦1,600,000 |
| MA Language and Linguistic Studies | MA LNG | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦2,900,000 |
| Specialized Master’s in Language and Linguistic Studies | MA LNG (Spec.) | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦3,200,000 |
| MRes Language and Linguistic Studies | MRes LNG | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦3,400,000 |
| MPhil Language and Linguistic Studies | MPhil LNG | 2 years (FT) / 3 years (PT) | 240 credits | ₦5,600,000 |
| PhD Language and Linguistic Studies | PhD LNG | 3–4 years (FT) / 5–6 years (PT) | 360 credits | ₦9,100,000+ |
| Professional Practice Certificate in Linguistic Research and Documentation Support | PPC LRDS | 6–9 months | 60 credits (practice-based) | ₦1,100,000 |
Credit Framework
The Department applies the Institute’s standard credit framework: one credit represents approximately 10 notional learning hours, inclusive of guided instruction, independent study, linguistic research and documentation practicum where applicable, and assessment.
| Level | Credits (Full Level) | Notional Learning Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 (Certificate/Year 1) | 120 | 1,200 |
| Level 5 (Diploma/Year 2) | 120 | 1,200 |
| Level 6 (BA Year 3 / Honours Year) | 120–240 | 1,200–2,400 |
| Level 7 (Postgraduate/MA) | 180 | 1,800 |
| Level 8 (MPhil/PhD, research credit) | 240–360 | 2,400–3,600 |
Linguistic Equity Ethics Principle
Because linguistic description has a documented history of being misused to justify discrimination against speakers of non-standard varieties, the Department’s ethical commitments govern every module, practicum, and research activity it authorizes, and establish the founding ethics principle for Faculty VIII as a whole.
This principle governs curriculum design, linguistic research and documentation practicum, assessment design, and all research conducted across the Department, and stands as the founding ethics principle of Faculty VIII, to be cross-referenced by the Faculty’s remaining seven Departments as they are documented.
Tuition Principle
Tuition for every programme is published in full above, with no undisclosed fees. Where a learner’s circumstances warrant it, the Department may offer needs-based tuition adjustment, cohort scholarships, or staged payment plans, at the discretion of the Institute’s admissions and finance offices.
Tuition figures reflect the Institute’s standard credit-based tuition model and are reviewed annually.
Final Delivery and Access Declaration
The Department of Language and Linguistic Studies is delivered online-first to maximize access for learners regardless of geographic location, with structured cohort support, complete documentation for every module, and a clear pathway from Certificate through PhD. No learner shall be required to relocate to access any taught programme offered by this Department.
Final Structural Declaration
The Department of Language and Linguistic Studies stands as the founding Department of Faculty VIII, holding the scientific study of language from which its seven sibling Departments each draw or specialize further. Every award, module, and research activity documented above proceeds through the Department’s permanent structural chain:
This chain governs the Department of Language and Linguistic Studies now and permanently, and this document opens the documentation architecture of Faculty VIII, whose remaining seven Departments shall each build upon and cross-reference the Principle of Linguistic Equity established here.