Linguistics
Undergraduate Adviser: Gene B. Gragg, Or 316, 702-9511
Departmental Secretary: Meyosha Smiley, Cl 304, 702-8522
Program of Study
The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts program with concentration in linguistics is to provide a solid, integrated introduction to the core subdisciplines of linguistics, as well as a language background sufficient to provide a database for the theoretical parts of the program. This introduction provides students with a general orientation and overview of the field and prepares them for productive advanced study in linguistics.
Prior to registration and before meeting with their College adviser, linguistics concentrators should consult the departmental undergraduate adviser.
Program Requirements
The B.A. degree requirements in linguistics are (1) Linguistics 201-202-203 (usually taken during the second year), (2) the four linguistics core courses (usually divided between the third and fourth years), (3) six courses in either French, German, or Russian, and (4) three additional language courses in a non-Indo-European language, an Indic language, or Hittite. The required linguistics courses are: Introduction to Linguistics (Linguistics 201-202-203), which is the prerequisite for the four core courses; Syntax I (Linguistics 204); Phonetics (Linguistics 206); Phonology I (Linguistics 208); and Semantics-Pragmatics (Linguistics 210). Linguistics students often take additional linguistics courses as electives or courses in related fields such as anthropology, information science, philosophy, or sociology.
Summary of Requirements
General French 101-102-103-201, or
Education German 101-102-103-201, or
Russian 101-102-103, or equivalent
Concentration 3 Ling 201-202-203 (introductory courses)
4 Ling 204, 206, 208, 210 (core courses)
2 - 3 courses in French, German, or Russian
beyond the Common Core language
requirement
3 courses in a non-Indo-European
language, an Indic language, or Hittite
12 - 13
Honors. Fourth-year students who have maintained a 3.0 grade point average or better may consult with the departmental undergraduate adviser about submitting an essay by the middle of their senior year to qualify for honors.
Joint Degree Program. The core curriculum for the B.A. closely follows the basic program for the M.A. degree in the Department of Linguistics. Students who have demonstrated a high ability in linguistics may apply for a joint B.A./M.A. They should consult with the Dean of Students of the Division of the Humanities (Wb 105) no later than April 1 of their third year. To be considered for admission to the program, the student must have maintained a 3.5 grade point average in Linguistics 201, 202, and 203 and the linguistics core courses (at least two of which must be completed before petitioning for admission). Joint degree program students take all the remaining required linguistics courses for the M.A. degree. Their knowledge of the content of the core courses is tested in the qualifying examination given in the spring quarter. The remaining additional requirement is the M.A. thesis. In order for the M.A. thesis to be completed by the end of the fourth year, the following schedule must be met: (1) the two faculty members supervising the thesis must have approved the research topic, plan, and reading list by the end of the autumn quarter; (2) the supervisors must confirm completion of the research by the end of winter quarter; and (3) the thesis must be completed by the fifth week of the spring quarter.
The joint degree program reflects a history of substantial undergraduate participation in the affairs of the graduate Department of Linguistics. Qualified students are encouraged to register for advanced courses.
Faculty
HOWARD I. ARONSON, Professor, Departments of Linguistics and Slavic Languages & Literatures
AMY DAHLSTROM, Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics and the College
BILL J. DARDEN, Professor, Departments of Linguistics and Slavic Languages & Literatures; Chairman, Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures
VICTOR FRIEDMAN, Professor, Departments of Linguistics and Slavic Languages & Literatures and the College
JOHN GOLDSMITH, Professor, Department of Linguistics
GENE B. GRAGG, Professor, Departments of Linguistics and Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations and Oriental Institute
RICHARD D. JANDA, Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics
KOSTAS KAZAZIS, Professor, Department of Linguistics and the College
KAREN LANDAHL, Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics and the College
JAMES D. MCCAWLEY, Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professor, Departments of Linguistics and East Asian Languages & Civilizations
DAVID MCNEILL, Professor, Departments of Linguistics and Psychology (Cognition & Communication and Developmental Psychology) and the College; Chairman, Department of Psychology
SALIKOKO S. MUFWENE, Professor, Department of Linguistics and the College; Chairman, Department of Linguistics
JERROLD M. SADOCK, Glen A. Lloyd Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Linguistics and the College
MICHAEL SILVERSTEIN, Samuel N. Harper Professor, Departments of Anthropology, Linguistics, and Psychology (Cognition & Communication) and Committee on Analysis of Ideas & Study of Methods
Courses
Linguistics
201-202-203/301-302-303. Introduction to Linguistics I, II,
III (=Anthro 270-1,-2-3/370-1,-2,-3, Ling 201-202-203/301-302-303,
SocSci 217-218-219). PQ: Must be taken in sequence. This
course is an introductory survey of methods, findings, and problems
in areas of major interest within linguistics and of the relationship
of linguistics to other disciplines. Topics include the biological
basis of language, basic notions of syntax, semantics, pragmatics,
basic syntactic typology of language, phonetics, phonology, morphology,
language acquisition, linguistic variation, and linguistic change.
A. Dahlstrom, Autumn; Staff, Winter; K. Kazazis, Spring.
204/304. Syntax I (=Anthro 378, Ling 204/304). PQ: Ling 201, 202, 203, or equivalent. This course is devoted to detailed study of the major syntactic phenomena of English, combined with exposition and critical evaluation of the principal accounts of phenomena proposed by transformational grammarians and the theoretical frameworks within which those accounts are developed. Class discussion focuses on ideas advanced in or arising out of transformational grammar with regard to the relation between syntax and semantics and the psychological status of linguistic analyses. Staff. Autumn.
206/306. Phonetics (=Anthro 377, Ling 206/306). PQ: Ling 201, 202, 203, or consent of instructor. This is an introduction to the study of speech sounds. Speech sounds are described with respect to their articulatory, acoustic, and perceptual structures. There are lab exercises both in phonetic transcription and in the acoustic analysis of speech sounds. K. Landahl. Autumn.
208/308. Phonology I (=Anthro 373, Ling 208/308). PQ:
Ling 201, 202, 203, 206, or equivalent. This is an introduction
to general principles of phonology, with emphasis on nongenerative
theory. Staff. Autumn.
209/309. Phonology II (=Anthro 376, Ling 209/309). PQ:
Anthro 373. The principles of generative phonology are introduced
and studied in detail, emphasizing the role of formalism and abstractness
in phonological analysis. The emphasis is on the Sound Pattern
of English theory, with brief discussion of more recent autosegmental
and metrical models. Staff. Winter.
210/310. Semantics and Pragmatics. PQ: Ling 204.
This course is an introduction to the systematic study of meaning
and context. Staff. Spring.
213/313. Historical Linguistics (=Anthro 473, Ling 213/313). PQ: Ling 206, 208, 209, or consent of instructor. This course concerns linguistic change and variation and the theory of genetic comparison and reconstruction. K. Kazazis. Autumn.
217/317. Experimental Phonetics. PQ: Ling 206/306 or consent of instructor. This course is an exploration of various instrumentation available for speech analysis and synthesis. Hands-on work is emphasized. This year's topic is vowel synthesis. Perception-related literature is also assigned for reading and discussion. K. Landahl. Winter.
268. Sociolinguistic Perspectives on American English (=Anthro 271, Ling 268). This course explores the emergence of the American English linguistic community within the context of North American and more global English-centered speech communities. Topics include American culture and the American culture of language, as well as the dynamic intersections of institutional forces that have shaped, and are currently shaping, American English discursive practices and linguistic structure. M. Silverstein. Spring.
270. Culture and Cognition: Linguistic Relativity (=Anthro
278, Ling 270). PQ: Knowledge of linguistics or cognitive
studies helpful. Understanding language both as a systematic
representation of the thinkable and as a systematic way of inhabiting
a universe of social action, we review the ways in which modern
social and cognitive scientists have dealt with the implications
of the formal variability of language. We consider both cross-linguistic,
cross-societal implications, and the significance of register-based
social variability of language within linguistic communities.
M. Silverstein. Not offered 1997-98; will be offered 1998-99.
278/378. Phonetics Seminar: The Role of Speech in the Evolution of Human Communication. PQ: Ling 206/306 or consent of instructor. We explore linguists' contributions to theories concerning the development of human communication, especially language. We focus specifically on the role of speech in this development. Hauser's The Evolution of Com-munication serves as the starting point for a critique of linguists' views from the perspective of other experts on human evolution. K. Landahl. Winter.
290. Informal Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
311-312. Language in Culture I, II (=Anthro 372-1, -2, Ling 311-312, Psych 470-471). PQ: Consent of instructor. Must be taken in sequence. This two-quarter course presents the major issues in linguistics of anthropological interest, including, in the first half, the formal structure of semiotic systems, the ethnographically crucial incorporation of linguistic forms into cultural systems, and the methods for empirical investigation of "functional" semiotic structure and history. The second half of the sequence takes up basic concepts in sociolinguistics and their critique, linguistic analysis of publics, performance and ritual, and language ideologies, among other topics. M. Silverstein, Winter; S. Gal, Spring.
370. Structure of African-American English. This course examines features, primarily morphosyntactic, that make African-American English (AAE) distinctive from other varieties of English spoken in the United States, particularly "white middle-class English." S. Mufwene. Winter.
376. Psychology of Language (=Ling 376, Psych 376). PQ: One year of linguistics or consent of instructor. Topics include language production and comprehension, acquisition, language and thought, language use, gestures, language in nonhuman species, and language in artificial systems. D. McNeill. Spring.
Languages in Linguistics
101-102-103. American Sign Language. American Sign Language is the language of the deaf in the United States and much of Canada. It is a full-fledged autonomous language, unrelated to English or other spoken languages. This introductory course teaches the student basic vocabulary and grammatical structure, as well as aspects of deaf culture. D. Ronchen. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
104-105-106. Intermediate American Sign Language. D. Ronchen. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
201-202-203. Introductory Modern Hebrew I, II, III (=Hebrew 201-202-203, JewStd 250-251-252, LngLin 201-202-203). Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
204-205-206. Intermediate Modern Hebrew (=Hebrew 204-205-206, JewStd 253-254-255, LngLin 204-205-206). Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
217. East European Yiddish Language and Culture (=JewStd 217, LngLin 217). PQ: Knowledge of languages such as Yiddish, German, or Hebrew not required. An introduction to Yiddish language and to the culture of East European Jews through the reading of a collection of short literary texts in the original Yiddish: the Khumesh lider (Bible poems) of Itsik Manger. Students should be able to read Yiddish texts with the aid of a dictionary after completing the course. H. Aronson. Winter.
219/319. Old Church Slavonic (=GnSlav 220/320, LngLin 219/319). PQ: Knowledge of another Slavic language or a good knowledge of one or two other old Indo-European languages. Introduction to the language of the oldest Slavic texts. The course begins with a brief historical overview of the relationship of Old Church Slavonic to Common Slavic and the other Slavic languages. This is followed by a short outline of Old Church Slavonic inflectional morphology. The remainder of the course is spent in the reading and grammatical analysis of original texts in Cyrillic or Cyrillic transcription of the original Glagolitic. V. Friedman. Winter.
221-222-223/321-322-323. Elementary Georgian I, II, III. H. Aronson. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
230. Language, Power, and Identity in Southeastern Europe: A Linguistic View of the Balkan Crisis (=Anthro 274, Hum 274, LngLin 230, Russ 230/330). Language is a key issue in the articulation of ethnicity and the struggle for power in southeastern Europe. This course familiarizes students with the linguistic histories and structures that have served as bases for the formation of modern Balkan ethnic identities and that are being manipulated to shape current and future events. The course is informed by the instructor's twenty years of linguistic fieldwork in the Balkans, as well as his experience as an adviser for the United Nations Protection Forces in the former Yugoslavia. V. Friedman. Autumn.
297. Structure of Albanian. V. Friedman. Spring.
350. Introduction to Middle High German and Early New High German Texts and Cultures (=German 324, LngLin 350). PQ: Knowledge of modern German. This course serves as an introduction to classic Middle High German and Early New High German texts and as an introduction to pre-modern textual and cultural studies in general. S. Jaffe. Autumn.
401-402-403. Intermediate Estonian I, II, III. PQ: LngLin 356. K. Kazazis. Autumn, Winter, Spring.