Currently Offered Courses - Spring 2020
Introduction to the theory and methodology of general linguistics; includes the various branches and applications of linguistics.
Introduction to the role of language in globalization by examining communication issues concerning language use across cultural, political and geographic boundaries. Explores the interaction of language and other cultural forms in the global context. Among the topics discussed are issues of identity, spread of English and its acculturation to local contexts of use, creativity in language mixing, language in global pop cultures, language in cyberspace, as well as minority language experiences, and loss of indigenous languages.
Examines the relationship between language and culture in the multilingual and multicultural context of India. Special topics of focus are: linguistic and cultural diversity in India, impact of the language and cultural contact on the structure and function of languages (convergence, diglossia, code-mixing, pidgins and creoles), language and identity, language of religion, language and gender, language in the media, literature and culture, language and power, language and globalization. Same as HNDI 115 and REL 115.
Study of selected topics on an individually arranged basis. Open only to honors majors or to Cohn Scholars. May be repeated once. Prerequisite: Consent of departmental honors advisor.
Addresses the question "Why does language change?" Specific topics include: the history and origin of writing; why pronunciation changes; change in vocabulary and what it tells us about change in culture and society; the relation between "language" and "dialect"; multilingualism and its consequences, including Pidgins and Creoles; genetic relationship between languages, with focus on the "Indo-European" family (English, German, French, Russia, Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit, etc.) and the relationships between human languages. Prerequisite: Fulfillment of the foreign language requirement of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Introduction to the theory and methodology of psycholinguistics with emphasis on language acquisition and linguistic behavior.
The United States has a vast and varied linguistic landscape that has been shaped by a unique medley of peoples and cultural practices. From the colonization of North America to contemporary politics and popular culture, language has helped to connect us in many ways, and has also served as a tool for making and maintaining difference. This course explores issues of standardization, language maintenance, linguistic discrimination, identity formation, and many others to consider the ways "diversity" is not only a multiplicity of different histories, beliefs, and practices, but can also become a means of interpersonal prejudice and structural inequity.
What technologies have humans developed to augment the quintessential human ability: language? We start with the development of writing, the first technology that was specifically designed for language, and trace its history through the invention of printing, and into the digital age. With the advent of computers the relevance of language for technology has broadened significantly. We review technologies such as automatic speech recognition, speech synthesis and automatic translation, and discuss their implications for present and future human-machine interaction. Prerequisite: LING 100 or consent of instructor.
Individual readings and research reports on special topics dealing with the theoretical or applied aspects of the linguistic sciences. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Prerequisite: Written consent of instructor.
Supervised participation in laboratory or other research, usually as an assistant to a senior researcher. May be repeated up to a maximum of 9 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Introduction to concepts and techniques essential for syntactic analysis and description, with special attention to testing analyses and justifying them. Prerequisite: LING 100 or consent of instructor.
Introduces elements of phonological theory and data analysis. Emphasis is placed on both Structuralist and Generative theories, introducing students to the principles of phonological contrast, allophony, neutralization, and markedness. Formal phonological models are considered, including both distinctive feature theory and prosodic theory. Equal emphasis is placed on linguistic data analysis. Prerequisite: LING 100 or consent of instructor.
An introduction to the concepts and methods of morphology, the linguistic study of word formation. We examine the smallest units of word structure--how they are arranged and organized, and how they interact with sentence structures (syntax) and sound patterns (phonology). Students will consider data from many different languages, and investigate how those languages are similar and different in terms of how they form their words. Prerequisite: LING 100.
Introduction to the theory of meaning for natural language, including techniques for the description of lexical meaning, compositional determination of phrase and sentence meaning, and pragmatic effects on interpretation in context. Same as PHIL 307. Prerequisite: LING 100 or consent of instructor.
Study and research for honors thesis; open only to seniors in the linguistics major who are eligible for departmental distinction. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Prerequisite: Written consent of instructor and linguistics course average of 3.4.
Introduction to the theory and methodology of the science of linguistics with special reference to phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. Not intended for undergraduate majors in linguistics. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Hands-on (learn-by-doing) practical course in elicitation of linguistic data, and theoretical analysis of that data, from an unfamiliar language. Students will elicit, record, and transcribe data collected in group interviews. The class as a whole will work on a language archive: (i) recordings collected throughout the semester and their transcriptions, (ii) a dictionary with vocabulary translated into English, (iii) the final projects. This course provides advanced undergraduate students with the opportunity to integrate their previous training with this practical experience. Class focus will depend on the experience students have with phonology, phonetics, morphology, syntax, and semantics. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated in separate semesters for up to 6 hours, if topics vary or if a new language is in the focus of investigation. Prerequisite: LING 301, LING 302, and one of the following courses: LING 304, LING 307. Restricted to majors only.
Advanced or intensive language instruction in a selected non-Western language; excludes instruction in East or Southeast Asian languages. 1 to 5 undergraduate hours. 2 to 4 graduate hours. May be repeated with approval. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Introduces the field of natural language processing and computational linguistics. Topics include finite-state methods, parsing, probabilistic methods, machine learning in NLP, computational semantics and applications of NLP technology. The course is mostly about concepts rather than programming, though some programming assignments will be given. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Programming experience is assumed: students must have taken LING 490: Programming for Computational Linguistics or equivalent and MATH 461: Probability Theory or CS 361 Probability and Statistics for Computer Science or equivalent.
Introductory survey of psychological and linguistic approaches to the study of communication. Same as MACS 425. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Credit is not given for both LING 425 and PSYC 425. Prerequisite: An introductory course in linguistics or psychology.
Introduction to the genetic relation of the Far Eastern languages with other languages; concentration on synchronic analysis of phonology and syntax. Same as EALC 430. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: LING 400; consent of instructor.
Same as FR 462, ITAL 435, PORT 435, RMLG 435, and SPAN 435. See SPAN 435.
General introduction to second language acquisition (SLA) theory. Examines nativist, interactionist and cognitive approaches to SLA and explores the role of learner characteristics. Same as FR 481, GER 489, ITAL 489, PORT 489, and SPAN 489. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: An introductory course in linguistics or consent of instructor.
Course provides an opportunity to focus on various subfields of the linguistic sciences, depending on the interests of the faculty and student. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated as topic varies to a maximum of 9 undergraduate hours or 12 graduate hours. Students may register for up to two sections in the same term. Prerequisite: LING 100, LING 400, or consent of instructor.
Examination of language-specific phonological problems with a view toward formulating a language-independent theory of phonology. Prerequisite: LING 401 or consent of instructor.
Provides an introduction to practical problems in computational linguistics in a laboratory setting. At the beginning of the semester, a substantial project will be assigned to the class, and the class will work as a team towards implementing a solution, and evaluating the final product against a test corpus, which will also be developed during the class. Topical readings will also be assigned and will be discussed. Approved for letter or S/U grading. May be repeated in more than one section per term to a maximum of 8 hours, if topics vary; may be repeated in subsequent terms to a maximum of 12 hours, if topics vary. Prerequisite: LING 406, and an introductory level Computer Science programming course, or consent of instructor.
Issues in the theory and practice of syntactic description, with special attention to implications for universal grammar. Prerequisite: LING 501 or consent of instructor.
A continuation of LING 507 covering advanced topics in formal semantic theory. Same as PHIL 547. Prerequisite: LING 507 or consent of instructor.
Same as EALC 588, FR 588, GER 588, ITAL 588, PORT 588, and SPAN 588. See SPAN 588.
Individual studies in the areas of linguistics not covered by regular course offerings. May be repeated.
