Linguistics

Chair(s):

Faculty:

Timothy Arner (English)
John Fennell (Philosophy)
Brigittine French (Anthropology)
Cynthia Hansen (Anthropology)
Cori Jakubiak (Education)
John David Stone (Computer Science)
Carmen Valentín (Spanish)

The interdisciplinary field of Linguistics is concerned with the study of language from a scientific perspective. Linguists look for patterns both within individual languages and across many languages in order to describe how language works, hypothesize how it is represented in the mind, and analyze how it is used in society. Courses in the Linguistics Concentration investigate the core aspects of human language, including the physical properties and structure of sounds (phonetics and phonology), words (morphology), and sentences (syntax). In addition to the study of these core areas of structure, elective courses in the Departments of Anthropology, Classics, Computer Science, Education, English, Philosophy, Psychology, Spanish and other foreign languages offer various perspectives on different aspects of language and its uses. Some knowledge of a nonnative language is required. The capstone experience for students in the concentration will either be a research seminar in Linguistics, or an Independent Study or a MAP, which are expected to build on some past work in the student’s program. A public presentation will be required for students choosing MAPs.

Concentration requirements: 22 or 24 credits as follows:

1. Linguistics 114: 4 credits

LIN 114 - Introduction to General Linguistics 4 credits

2. Linguistics Core - 4 credits chosen from:

LIN 216 - Syntax 4 credits
LIN-295 - Phonology (offered Fall 2013) or Linguistic Typology (offered Fall 2014) 4 credits
LIN 317 - Language Change 4 credits

3. Elective courses - 12 credits chosen from:

ANT 250 - Language Contact 4 credits or the cross-listed course LIN 250
ANT 260 - Language, Culture, and Society 4 credits
ANT 265 - Ethnography of Communication: Method and Theory 4 credits
CSC 205 - Computational Linguistics 4 credits or the cross-listed course LIN 205
CSC 341 - Automata, Formal Languages, and Computational Complexity 4 credits
EDU 213 - Cultural Politics of Language Teaching 4 credits
ENG 230 - English Historical Linguistics 4 credits
LIN 216 - Syntax 4 credits
LIN 317 - Language Change 4 credits
LIN 295 Special Topics on Linguistics or related issues (if offered as a core course, alternating with the one chosen as a core course.)
LIN 395 Special Topics Seminar on Linguistics or related issues (when LIN 317 , LIN 397 , or LIN 499 course is completed; or when course is repeated for credit when topics change)
PHI 102 - Symbolic Logic 4 credits
PHI 256 - Philosophy of Language and Cognition 4 credits
PSY 355 - Psychology of Language 4 credits
SPN 343 - The Art of Language 4 credits
SPN 384 - Spanish Dialectology 4 credits
One 4-credit 300-level non-native language course, not in translation
One second semester, or higher, 4 or 5 credit language course in a second non-native language
A maximum of 4 credits of linguistics coursework completed in off-campus programs approved by the concentration

4. Advanced core courses: 2 or 4 credits

Students may choose one of the following options for the fulfillment of this requirement:

LIN 317 - Language Change 4 credits
LIN 397 - Independent Study 2 credits
LIN 499 - Senior Research Project: Mentored Advanced Project 4 credits

5. Also Required:

Competence in a nonnative language, as certified by the relevant department equivalent to, for example: LAT 222 , FRN 222 , GRM 222 , RUS 222 or SPN 217 .

Linguistics Course Descriptions

Click here to list Linguistics course descriptions.