Fall 2023

  • LING 100: The Noun

    We’ve all been taught that nouns are people, places, and things. Yet, these seemingly simple linguistic objects are surprisingly complex. For instance, languages vary in what information (e.g., case, gender, person, number) nouns display. Even within a single language, the form of a noun may change depending on its function within a sentence or its function within a conversation. This course uses contemporary linguistic theories to account for the many varied forms of nouns throughout the world’s languages. No familiarity with languages other than English is required. 6 credits; Argument and Inquiry Seminar, Writing Requirement; offered Fall 2023 · Morgan Rood

  • LING 115: Introduction to the Theory of Syntax

    This course is organized to enable the student to actively participate in the construction of a rather elaborate theory of the nature of human cognitive capacity to acquire and use natural languages. In particular, we concentrate on one aspect of that capacity: the unconscious acquisition of a grammar that enables a speaker of a language to produce and recognize sentences that have not been previously encountered. In the first part of the course, we concentrate on gathering notation and terminology intended to allow an explicit and manageable description. In the second part, we depend on written and oral student contributions in a cooperative enterprise of theory construction. 6 credits; Formal or Statistical Reasoning; offered Fall 2023, Spring 2024 · Catherine Fortin

  • LING 135: Introduction to Sociolinguistics

    There is a complex relationship between language and society. This course examines how language variation is tied to identity and the role of language in human social interaction. We will consider language as it relates to social status, age, gender, ethnicity, and location as well as theoretical models used to study variation. We will also examine how language is used in conversation, in the media, and beyond using ethnography of communication and discourse analysis. You will become more aware of how language is used in your own daily life and will be able to argue sociolinguistic perspectives on language attitudes.

     6 credits; Social Inquiry, Intercultural Domestic Studies; offered Fall 2023 · Morgan Rood

  • LING 217: Phonetics and Phonology

    Although no two utterances are ever exactly the same, we humans don’t function like tape recorders; we overlook distinctions to which mechanical recording devices are sensitive, and we “hear” contrasts which are objectively not there. What we (think we) hear is determined by the sound system of the language we speak. This course examines the sound systems of human languages, focusing on how speech sounds are produced and perceived, and how these units come to be organized into a systematic network in the minds of speakers of languages. Prerequisites: 100-level Linguistics course 6 credits; Formal or Statistical Reasoning; offered Fall 2023 · Chris Geissler

  • LING 325: Syntax of an Unfamiliar Language

    In this course we examine, with the help of a native speaker consultant, the syntax of a language deliberately chosen for its being unfamiliar to all the participants. Our goals will be to construct a coherent and theoretically respectable account of principles of the grammar of this language, and to understand what our account reveals about the structure of human language generally. Each student will investigate some aspect of the syntax of the language in depth, culminating in a class presentation and research report. Prerequisites: Linguistics 216 6 credits; Science with Lab; offered Fall 2023 · Catherine Fortin

  • LING 399: Senior Thesis

    3 credits; S/CR/NC; Formal or Statistical Reasoning; offered Fall 2023 · Cherlon Ussery

Winter 2024

  • LING 110: Introduction to Linguistics

    The capacity to acquire and use natural languages such as English is surely one of the more remarkable features of human nature. In this course, we explore several aspects of this ability. Topics include the sound systems of natural languages, the structure of words, principles that regulate word order, the course of language acquisition in children, and what these reveal about the nature of the mind. 6 credits; Formal or Statistical Reasoning; offered Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Chris Geissler

  • LING 216: Generative Approaches to Syntax

    This course has two primary goals: to provide participants with a forum to continue to develop their analytical skills (i.e., to ‘do syntax’), and to acquaint them with generative syntactic theory, especially the Principles and Parameters approach. Participants will sharpen their technological acumen, through weekly problem solving, and engage in independent thinking and analysis, by means of formally proposing novel syntactic analyses for linguistic phenomena. By the conclusion of the course, participants will be prepared to read and critically evaluate primary literature couched within this theoretical framework.

     Prerequisites: Linguistics 115 6 credits; Formal or Statistical Reasoning; offered Winter 2024 · Catherine Fortin

  • LING 275: First Language Acquisition

    Humans are unique among animals in that we are able to attain native speaker competency in any language(s) we receive a sufficient amount of exposure to during our development. The path of acquisition is remarkably stable regardless of the language(s) being acquired, and is believed to yield insights into the nature of human language. In this course, we explore children’s capacity to acquire language, with a focus on its implications for linguistic theory. Topics include acquisition of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, and acquisition in extraordinary circumstances.

     Prerequisites: 100-level linguistics course 6 credits; Science with Lab; offered Winter 2024 · Catherine Fortin

  • LING 318: Laboratory Phonology

    Laboratory phonology is the study of sound patterns in language through experiments. We will work together to conduct an original study that tests ideas in phonology using phonetic data. In order to design our own research project, we will explore claims and predictions made in the theoretical literature. As such, this course provides an experimental look at the phonetics-phonology interface. Students will collaboratively develop the experiment design, conduct recordings, take measurements, analyze data, and interpret results. Tools for quantitative analysis will be provided as needed. Students will be able to apply the skills acquired to future quantitative-based research projects.

     Prerequisites: Linguistics 217 6 credits; Science with Lab, Quantitative Reasoning Encounter; offered Winter 2024 · Chris Geissler

  • LING 400: Integrative Exercise

    6 credits; S/NC; offered Winter 2024

Spring 2024

  • LING 110: Introduction to Linguistics

    The capacity to acquire and use natural languages such as English is surely one of the more remarkable features of human nature. In this course, we explore several aspects of this ability. Topics include the sound systems of natural languages, the structure of words, principles that regulate word order, the course of language acquisition in children, and what these reveal about the nature of the mind. 6 credits; Formal or Statistical Reasoning; offered Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Chris Geissler

  • LING 115: Introduction to the Theory of Syntax

    This course is organized to enable the student to actively participate in the construction of a rather elaborate theory of the nature of human cognitive capacity to acquire and use natural languages. In particular, we concentrate on one aspect of that capacity: the unconscious acquisition of a grammar that enables a speaker of a language to produce and recognize sentences that have not been previously encountered. In the first part of the course, we concentrate on gathering notation and terminology intended to allow an explicit and manageable description. In the second part, we depend on written and oral student contributions in a cooperative enterprise of theory construction. 6 credits; Formal or Statistical Reasoning; offered Fall 2023, Spring 2024 · Catherine Fortin

  • LING 140: Language in the U.S.

    The United States is home to diverse and interconnected linguistic communities. In this course, we will see how applying the tools of linguistics—the scientific study of language—can shed light on the dynamics of these communities. We will examine how language unites and divides, changes over time, and is used for oppression and for liberation. We will see how groups and individuals vary their linguistic expression as they navigate subtle racial, ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic boundaries. Along the way, students will gain familiarity with a range of research methodologies and the interpretation of different kinds of data.

     6 credits; Social Inquiry, Intercultural Domestic Studies; offered Spring 2024 · Chris Geissler

  • LING 340: Topics in Semantics

    Semantics is the study of what words and constructions mean in a language and how speakers come to actually interpret those meanings. In this course we explore several objects of inquiry within the field of semantics, including compositional semantics (i.e., the computation of meaning over syntactic structures), lexical semantics (with a particular emphasis on verb meanings), and how the various interpretations of ambiguous constructions are derived.

     Prerequisites: Linguistics 216 6 credits; Formal or Statistical Reasoning; offered Spring 2024 · Cherlon Ussery